Each year, as Easter approaches, most people around the world think of chocolate eggs, family gatherings, amid moments of spiritual reflection.
But in Norway, something far darker creeps in with the snow — murder in the form of the country’s national obsession with crime fiction so intense that it has its own seasonal name: Påskekrim — Easter Crime.
While most cultures associate Easter with rebirth, Norwegians associate it with grisly murders, twisted detectives, and psychological thrillers.
During Easter week, Norway transforms into a true crime lover’s paradise: bookstores brim with new mystery novels, national TV stations roll out murder series marathons, and even milk cartons print short crime stories.
Thousands escape for the holidays to isolated mountain cabins with snow-covered views, a warm drink, and a stack of crime books in hand.
How did it all begin?
On the Sunday before Easter in 1923, a publisher ran an ad for a new crime novel titled “The Bergen Train Was Looted Last Night” (Bergenstoget plyndret i natt), disguised as a front-page newspaper headline.
In a move not unlike Orson Welles’ famous War of the Worlds broadcast years later, many believed it was real. It caused a sensation, and the book sold like crazy as people packed for their easter holiday mountain cabins, and a literary tradition was born.
Ever since, Norwegian publishers have timed their biggest crime releases for Easter, and Norwegians have gladly kept reading.
Just something to think about as you reach for your hot cross buns — even at this time of year, someone out there is curling up for the long weekend with a good murder instead.
