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48 La Crosse Tribune, Sunday, December 19, 1976Julebokking: A Joy To RememberB\ DONNA SANDERSSpecial to the TribuneWHITEHALL, Wis - Jule-bokkers don't go from house to house as much as they once didin Trempealeau CountyThat the tradition of Julebokking is not as prevalent as it once was is a fact that manv old-wer Norwegians find regrettable They look back on Julebokking as one of the most enjoyable Christmas activities of their vouth^Julebokkers. or Chirstmas foolers, were traditionally young people who disguised themselves and visited homes wherethe host and hostess would try to guess the names of the foolers.This old Norwegian custom was an important part of Christmas at the turn of the century-according to Mrs Alfred Gunderson of Osseo and Mrs Dora Schroeder and Mrs HelmerFremstad of Whitehall Born and raised on farmswithin a few miles of each otherin central Trempealeau County, all three women recalled that Christmas then had a distinctly Norwegian flavor Lnderstanda-bly so. as all three families were originally from Norway According to Mrs Gunderson,When vou went Julebokking,OPEN SUNDAYtoPJ9I.(This Sunday only)MONDAY THRU THURSDAY 9 »o 90G I OnI'LUGG-AeeJ GLOVIS IUTMIR goods maMDIaGS115 N 3rd782-6659M.FREEYOUR MAN TOURSLA CROSSETRAVEL PARTY£iSiColored Movie* Travel Tips. No Reservations Needed7 p.m., THURS., DEC. 23, Ramada Inn2325 Bambndge French Island Come Early and Get In on the FunICuIt Ir-TJ.everyone wore masks.”*Quite frequently they alsowore old clothes, gunny sacks and sometimes the girls would wear overalls with the legs stuffed with padding Some would walk for miles, but others would travel by horse-drawn sleigh The hosts would try to guess who their visitors were, but quite often they weren't able to. The hosts would serve something to eat and drink — perhaps wine or coffee and pastries — and the foolers would move on to another home Mrs. Fremstad told about oneyear when she and a neighbor lady went foolingI made red suits with pantslike knickers and pointed caps. We fooled her brother hethought we were my two sisters We got him to dress up and come along with us to my home.Then when he saw mv sister*•he couldn't imagine who we were We talked mv sisters intowgoing along with us to another place But I overheard my mother sav she didn't think they* ., wshould go because they didn't know who we were From there we went to several other places and no one guessed who wewere”Mrs. Schroeder explained a slightly different way of Christmas fooling ”We would have it all arranged beforehand who would be going Julebokking and we would stop at several homes for brief visits. Then we would end up at one place where weplayed games, danced and hadcoffee and lunch.She said violins provided the music for the waltz, schottische and polka Other Christmas traditions have changed since the turn of the century, but all three womenagreed that changes in Christmas celebrating have taken place so gradually it is hard to pinpoint them They said manyholiday traditions are still the0same or very similarwMrs Gunderson said one bigdifference in Christmas between now and when she was a little girl is that now it is only celebrated for one day.Then it lasted for the 13 davswof Christmas until January 6.fshe said.Each dav after Christmas,0 *people would go to a different neighbor for dinner, to visit, play cards and sing Sometimes it was hard for a family to find a dav to haveJjjffHi:.guests over It seemed someone else was always entertaining, shesa id,In all three homes, Christmas Eve was reserved for the family No one went visiting then Church services were held on Christmas Day Mrs. GundersonWsaid, ‘ Generally we did not go tochurch very much during thewinter Horses were our only transportation and it wasn’tgood for them to stand outside in the cold during the services.” Baking was also an important part of Christmas in all three homes Mrs. Fremstad has continued to bake many of the pastries her mother fixed for Christmas. but said she does not do as much of that as she used to.She said traditional Norwegian Christmas cookies are sand-bakkels. Berliner Kranser. strul igoro), krumkaker (similar tostrul but thicker and rolled somewhat differently), fattig-mand and rosettes.All three ladies said gift exchange years ago was limited to immediate family members. Small children would get toys, but otherwise gifts were practical.Even then. Santa Claus delivered many gifts and left them in stockings ‘in some families. Santa Claus was considered a sin However, my family really enjoyed him. said Mrs Gunderson.A rural Norwegian Christmas 70 years ago in Trempealeau County was filled with neighborliness and fun -- the things treasured memories are made from
Newspaper Details
La Crosse Sunday Tribune
La Crosse, Wisconsin, US
Sun, Dec 19, 1976
Page 48
Full Page
Clipped by
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WI, USA 03 Dec 2020
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