01/22/2026
Rød Nisselue: WWII Norway Red pointed cap / knitted mittens national protest symbols.
Information from Wikimedia Commons/ Wolfmann
Photos taken at the Lofoten War Memorial Museum (Norwegian: Lofoten Krigsminnemuseum) in Svolvær, Norway's largest exhibition of uniforms and smaller items related to the Second World War, N**i Germany and the German occupation of Norway 1940 – 1945:
Traditional, red, pointed, woolen knit cap (touque) with a tassel as a symbol of the Norwegian civil resistance and a demonstrative sign of protest against the occupying German troops in Norway during the Second World War 1940–1942
The Nordic Page Norway: Confiscated Christmas Cards and Banned Hats in N**i Occupied Norway: During the N**i occupation in the Second World War, there were a number of bans the Norwegian people had to follow. These prohibitions were implemented, among other things, to ensure that people should not influence each other to oppose the occupying power. The Norwegian Santa (Nisse) with its red hat is a central figure in Norwegian culture. Walking with red hat during the war was therefore seen as a silent protest against the N**i occupying power. It became a symbol of resistance. Many therefore let their children go with red Nisse hat to show that they were against the occupation. On February 26, 1942, however, a ban on red hats and all items with those red hats was introduced. The hats were withdrawn and the criminal liability of children under 14 years was introduced for the parents. Also some Christmas cards with these nationalistic figures were banned.
Home made knitted mittens, with traditional Norwegian decorative pattern and monogram of king Haakon VII of Norway, the year "1940" and his motto Alt for Norge ("All for Norway, Everything for Norway")
Norway was invaded by N**i Germany in April 1940. Haakon rejected German demands to legitimise the Quisling regime's puppet government, and refused to abdicate after going into exile in Great Britain. As such, he played a pivotal role in uniting the Norwegian nation in its resistance to the invasion and the subsequent five-year-long occupation during the Second World War. He returned to Norway in June 1945 after the defeat of Germany.
By Wolfmann - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64584527
