LAJFSTAJL / LIFESTYLE
I n our quest for Scandinavian harmony that we can apply in order to spend our days with more peace- fulness and more meaningfully, we have already acquainted ourselves with hygge, and swiftly ac- quired various scented candles and shaggy blan- kets in order to transform our homes to more closely resemble the ideal of a poetic shack in the splendid na- ture of Denmark. However, that’s not the end of the story of wisdom from the north. Over recent months, lifestyle gurus worldwide have been increasingly calling on their Instagram followers to devote themselves to the principle of life that’s better known as “friluftsliv”. Apart from being able to be liter- ally translated as “open air life” and evoking the words FRILUFTSLIV, OPEN AIR LIFE Wisdom from the north, solution for an improved mood How a Norwegian word coined to describe living under the open sky became the motto of our new normal
freedom, air and life, this postulate of harmony aims to compel us all to live more peacefully and meaningfully. The word “friluftsliv” first appeared way back in 1859, in a poem that was recited by playwright Henrik Ibsen in which he celebrates many years of wandering through the wilderness. The poem concludes with the main character abandoning civilisation for good – but today we don’t have to be quite so extreme. Friluftsliv celebrates the idea of activities under an open sky – mountaineering, fishing, sleeping in a ham- mock mounted between two trees, foraging for berries, lighting a campfire - but this isn’t only for hardened ad- venturers and fearless explorers, rather it is meant for all of us who want to be in close contact with nature through- out the entire year, regardless of the weather forecast. Friluftsliv doesn’t demand a detailed plan of activi- ties, rather merely spontaneity as a leitmotif and adapt- ability as a predominant character trait, so it can also imply long walks with friends, picnics, light bike rides of an afternoon or walking your dog on a cool morn- ing. And as Norwegians are known as a people who like to raise a toast, there is even a special word, utepils, for drinking beer outdoors. Signalling that Norwegians are on the right track when it comes to finding something that can really help us cope better with everyday life that has been perma- nently changed by the pandemic is the enviable ranking of this country on every list of surveys on the happiest
Kroz istoriju ova reč za Norvežane ima poseban značaj jer je njome toj narod decenijama opisivao življenje u skladu sa prirodom This word has had a special meaning for Norwegians throughout history, because it has been used by this nation for decades to describe living in harmony with nature
88 | Skandinavija » Scandinavia
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