Christmas at the museum

How did the Vikings celebrate Christmas? What gifts might impress a powerful chieftain? And what did feasting, spices and new religious traditions mean to people in the Viking Age?

Using artefacts from the Viking Age as a starting point, the museum’s interpreters bring the customs, trade goods and traditions of Christmas to life. Discover stories of food and winter provisions, trade in exclusive goods from distant lands, political alliances forged through feasting, and the arrival of Christianity in Scandinavia.

These stories offer an insight into why the great midwinter feast was so important in the Viking Age and how some of its traditions can still be recognised in Christmas celebrations today.

Every day, guided tours in English are offered in the Viking Ship Hall, home to the five original Skuldelev ships. These remarkable vessels provide a unique insight into a period when seafaring and shipbuilding were essential to trade, travel, conquest and the development of society.

The exceptionally well-preserved ship finds have revealed new knowledge about the Vikings’ advanced boatbuilding techniques and sailing skills. As the foundation of mobility, power and cultural exchange, ships made it possible to connect Scandinavia with the rest of Europe.

Christmas marked the transition into a new year and was a time for toasting peace, prosperity and abundant harvests.

Every day at 3 pm, the ancient Nordic New Year greeting Til árs ok friðar – “for a prosperous and peaceful year” – is brought back to life. A small cup of mead is served to adults and apple juice to children while the story behind this traditional toast and its role in Viking Age midwinter celebrations is shared.

The toast dates back to pre-Christian times and was raised with hopes for peace, prosperity and success in the year ahead. More than 1,000 years later, the wish for a happy and prosperous New Year remains familiar, even though the traditions themselves have changed.