Nattefrieri 02

Nattefrieri 02

As I mentioned before, the nattefrieri or night proposal went through several stages. During the earliest stage the boys would travel in groups and visit several girls in one evening. 

As things developed, a boy would visit only one girl on a Saturday evening. Small gifts were exchanged. A young lady accepting a gift was an important step in the right direction. If, when he visited the next week, his gift was easily visible or being used, he could be sure that she liked him as well.

The gifts were decorated, often with hearts. Quoting from the article, "Den historiske sjekkeboka," by Mona Beate Vattekar, "among these gifts, the spoon, often called the suitor's spoon, was among the first and most important attentions bestowed." 

So spoons weren't only given on the wedding day, or days (can you imagine dealing with 30 to 50 guests for three days??), the entire courtship from festegava to kærestegava to frierigava seemed to be littered with spoons in increasing levels of decoration.

Other gifts were exchanged, from boy to girl and girl to boy, as well, ranging from a simple woven square of fabric to ribbons, boxes, mittens, hymnals, and so on right up to the mangletre. (Ladies, can you imagine one of the most important gifts you receive from your future husband on your wedding day being an iron?? 😱 Oh, well, I guess things were different then.) One wonders where they had room to put all this stuff.

But, the most important gifts from boy to girl (at least in my totally unbiased 🙄 opinion) were spoons.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!

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