Nissekone

I'm impressed that so many of you blippers can explain the exact origin and history of your Christmas ornaments whereas we generally haven't a clue about where ours came from. I know these are called Nissekone (it says that on the label) and we think they were a present from Denmark from my brother-in-law.

I looked them up and found this old article in, of all places, The Irish Times.

Small men, and sometimes small women, or Nissekone, Nisse are traditionally dressed from head to foot in red. Legend has it that they lived secluded lives around farm buildings, minding their own business most of the time. Every now and again they even rewarded kind farmers by carrying out small chores around the farm.

However, irk them at your peril. Upset Nisse were capable of running amok and all manner of catastrophes were blamed on them. Nisse were held responsible for spoiling food stores; still-births; the death of livestock, and premature death. In fact, some experts believe the word Nisse may have its origins in the old Norse word of the same spelling, meaning "infection".

To appease them, during Christmas time the Nisse were presented with gifts of the best of the year's grain mixed with butter and topped off with sugar, a valuable commodity in times gone by. Nowadays Risalamande, a traditional Danish desert similar to rice pudding, is substituted.


So now you know.