# Norwegian: Memorial Service



## Grefsen

Denne helgen gikk jeg til minnegudstjeneste for den første norsk-amerikanske jeg noensinne har møtt i det sørlige California.

This weekend I went to the memorial service for the first Norwegian-American I ever met in southern California.

Is *"minnegudstjeneste"* the correct word to use for a "memorial service" that is held to celebrate the life of someone who recently passed away?


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## oskhen

Grefsen said:


> Denne helgen gikk jeg til minnegudstjeneste for den første norsk-amerikanske jeg noensinne har møtt i det sørlige California.
> 
> This weekend I went to the memorial service for the first Norwegian-American I ever met in southern California.
> 
> Is *"minnegudstjeneste"* the correct word to use for a "memorial service" that is held to celebrate the life of someone who recently passed away?



It's a religious (Christian) service, I suppose? Then yes, "minnegudstjeneste" is excellent. 

I would write "den første norsk-amerikaneren", though. It looks better, even though your sentence is correct as it is.


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## hanne

Or perhaps "Mindehøjtidelighed"? (sorry, I'm not even going to try to convert that into Norwegian)
I guess "minnegudstjeneste" is only right if there is indeed a "gudstjeneste" involved - I have no idea if there is in a standard "memorial service"...


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## oskhen

hanne said:


> Or perhaps "Mindehøjtidelighed"? (sorry, I'm not even going to try to convert that into Norwegian)
> I guess "minnegudstjeneste" is only right if there is indeed a "gudstjeneste" involved - I have no idea if there is in a standard "memorial service"...



"Minnehøytidelighet". Gives some hits on google, at least


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## hanne

oskhen said:


> "Minnehøytidelighet".


You don't sound like it's a word you've heard very often?


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## oskhen

hanne said:


> You don't sound like it's a word you've heard very often?



No, I have heard it before. It sounds quite formal to me, but that's how it should be, I suppose.


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## aaspraak

Maybe *minnestund* could be work. That is the word I'm used to hearing for something like this. It doesn't have to be in a church.


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## Grefsen

aaspraak said:


> Maybe *minnestund* could be work. That is the word I'm used to hearing for something like this. It doesn't have to be in a church.


For what it is worth, when I did a Google search on *minnestund*, there were over 1 1/2 times as many results as there were for *minnegudstjeneste*.


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## Myha

Both can be used. *Minnestund* and *minnegudstjeneste*. When the original word is *memorial service*, then it implies that it somehow is church related, so both are good to use


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## oskhen

Myha said:


> Both can be used. *Minnestund* and *minnegudstjeneste*. When the original word is *memorial service*, then it implies that it somehow is church related, so both are good to use



"Minnestund" doesn't need to be church related at all. To me, it sounds very vague. "Minnegudstjeneste" is better, I think.


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