There Will Be Some Changes Made

There are going to be some changes made in the history of Norway. A system that dates back to 1536 is on schedule to be changed by the Norwegian parliament ( storting), resulting in amendments to the constitution of the Kingdom of Norway. This constitution was laid down in 1814 by the Constituent Assembly in Eidsvoll, Noway. On May 21, 2012, The Norwegian parliament passed a constitutional amendment for the second time. Amendments must be brought up in separate sessions. The amendment will abolish the connection between Norway and the Church of Norway, removing the Evangelical Lutheran religion as the official religion . The constitution now states that Norway’s values are based on Christian and humanist heritage. This will require several changes in articles written into the constitution.The government will no longer appoint bishops as stated in Article Two: ”The king is the supreme governor and protector of the church, and decrees bishops while overseeing the church”, Now, the appointment of cathedral and district deans will be decreed by diocesan councils.The Storting will amend the constitution to read that Norway will no longer have an official religion, ending the 1,000-year tradition of the Church of Norway. However, the royal family will still be required to belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church!

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Christianity came to Norway as local kings and nobles, dating back to the Viking age, struggled to unite numerous and petty kingdoms into one single state. Although the Church of Norway traces back to the 9th century, Norway’s ties to religion varied for several hundred years until King Olav( Olaf) II, forcefully insisted that all would become Christians. The resistance was high until King Olaf II was killed in battle in 1030. Supernatural things began to happen as strange lights appeared over his secret grave and miracles began occurring. His enemies decided they had done wrong by killing their king and decided to take up his religion of Christianity.

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King Olav II was then buried under the floor of Nidaros Cathedral and Olav Haraldson was declared a saint in 1031. During his lifetime, he was known as “Olaf the Fat”, born in 995 A.D. and ruled Norway from 1015 to 1028 when he was exiled.Later he was considered the Patron Saint and “Eternal King" of Norway.

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Immigrants from Norway came to America and founded St. Olaf College in 1874 in Northfield, Minnesota. This group of farmers and pastors, led by Pastor Bernt Julius Muus, named the college after Olaf II of Norway It became a four-year private liberal-arts institution now known world-wide. At St Olav, the language requirement can be fulfilled by taking a course of the Norwegian language.

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The death of King Olav Haraldsson in 1030 marked a decisive step in the growth of both Norwegian national identity and of Christianity. Kingly power was always the supreme power and the tie between religion and government was a unifying power for the people. As time went on, Norwegians found their individual identities growing, and the church began to lose influence. As the population has grown, membership in the Church of Norway has decreased. Approximately 80% still profess to be Lutheran, however only 20% of those members say that religion occupies an important place in their lives, according to a recent Gallup poll.

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Once the constitutional amendments become finalized, the Constitution will no longer prescribe that “the Evangelical Lutheran religion should remain the state’s public religion” , but only that the state’s basis will be “Our Christian and Humanist heritage” according to a statement from Minister Rigmor Aastrud ( Labour Party). He went on to say ”I hope we have now prepared a good basis for the Church of Norway to be an open and inclusive national church in a multicultural-religious setting.”

Next Stop--Finnmark!

"Our next stop....Finnmark!” Finnmark? You must have meant Finland! No, our destination, really, is Finnmark. Something is different about that territory. Apparently, time stops up there! Last winter, the sun went down and didn’t come up again for two months! The end of November until the end of January was nothing but dark. “Murky”, actually for the entire time!. The residents up there call it Morketiden”, or ‘Murky time’.

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“Every year, the city of Tromsø slows down, the people are tired, and pep pills and tranquilizer sales rise sharply, according to a psychologist. It happens every year 215 miles above the Arctic Circle. It’s all caused by the tilt of the earth. Now, something else is going on! The sun is not going down at all, and they don’t expect it to set until the end of July! For us North Americans, 24 hours is expected to be one day. 1,824 hours in one stretch of sun might become” a little much!”.

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Finnmark is a county in the extreme northeast of Norway. By land it borders Troms county to the west,Finland (Lapland) to the south and Russia to the east, located at the Northernmost part of continental Europe, where Norway swings eastward. Finnmark has always been an area where east meets west, in culture as well as in nature and geography. Finnmark is on the same latitude as Siberia, Greenland and Alaska, but due to the Gulf Stream, the harbors along the coast don't freeze over, and this area enjoys relatively mild winters.

Tourists routinely come to this northernmost part of Norway in the wintertime to view the Northern Lights. Northern Norway is often described as the land of the northern lights during the time of “The Polar Night”.

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As the earth swings through it’s orbit, it creates the opposite effect in these northern areas known as “The Midnight Sun” The most popular Scandinavian location for travelers to experience the natural phenomenon of the Midnight Sun is in far northern Norway at the North Cape (Nordkapp). Seventy six days (from May 14 - July 30) of actual midnight sunlight with an additional few days with partial sun before and after, will be the tourist attraction.

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The North Cape is a 1,000 ft high cliff which is generally referred to as the northernmost point of Europe. A quarter of a million tourists visit the North Cape each summer, making it one of Norway's top travel destinations. Newly arrivals find it a bit difficult to tell time and get their allotment of sleep. In Norway and Greenland, locals often adjust to these changes naturally and require less sleep. For those who have problems sleeping due to the constant daylight during Midnight Sun, tourists darken their rooms by covering the windows. --------- Apparently, Scandinavians understand and do their best to help create “darkness” for sleepers. Golfers love it.They can play golf all night long. An excellent way to experience the arctic nature is to hike in the midnight sun. The light gives the mountains a magical look at night-time. As for the people who “just can’t find enough time to finish everything”, this may be for you. Finnmark is Sami Country. You may be able to find a few hours..during your day... to do some exploring. Enjoy your trip up north. Tell us about it.

Have a good day!

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Nasjonaldagen- National day! Syttende Mai

Nasjonaldagen- National day! Syttende Mai
 Grunnlovsdagen-Constitution Day.

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Every year on May 17th, Norwegians across the world celebrate on this day. This is the day commemorating the creation of Norway’s Constitution , May 17 probably the most important day on the Norwegian calendar. Everyone celebrates the occasion , but few of us are familiar with the provisions set into motion with the constitution, the reason for the celebration. Since the time of the Vikings, about the year 700, the territory of Norway had chiefs and kings. So, why did it take so long to form a constitution? Constant warfare between these chief/kings and their alliances kept their worldly affair in constant flux.Winners demanded, losers were forced to made deals.

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The new Norwegian constitution, signed in Eidsvoll in 1814 finally declared Norway to be free of territorial control by other countries. This new constitution consisted of 122 articles finalizing laws governing the form of government, executive powers, rights of citizens and judicial powers.Checking a few interesting sections:

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Article One described

The kingdom of Norway to be a free, independent, indivisible realm with a hereditary monarchy. There will still be a king.. or a queen. The newly elected king was “The Crown Prince of Denmark-Norway Christian Frederick!”
( That’s another story!)

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 Article Two concerns freedom of religion. This article states that all citizens have the right to freely exercise their religion. However, the king is the supreme governor and protector of the church of Norway and decrees bishops while overseeing the church. The Evangelical Lutheran Religion is the official religion of the state. The King must stay in this faith.
 ---- Article Five goes on to state that the King’s person is sacred, he cannot be censured or accused. The king has legal sovereign immunity. While the constitution of Norway grants important executive powers to the king, the legal decisions and power are almost always exercised by the council of state “in the name of the king”. The Norwegian king is said to be a “symbol of national unity, however ceremonial”. ---- This is in stark contrast to the powers of “kings past”. Norway has had the misfortune of being under another country’s control since the early days of Harald Fairhair and collections of petty kingdoms. At one time, Norway, Sweden and Denmark were one union. Norway, later, through battles and marriages came under the control of Denmark . Under Danish control, Denmark-Norway fought  England-Sweden. Denmark lost and had to give Norway to Sweden! Many combinations of kings, queens and princes created a confusing history. This finally brought things to a head and Norway declared their independence in 1814. The constitution was based, in part, on our U.S. Constitution with some interesting variations.
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Article 37 describes rights and privileges of royalty. The Royal Princes and Princesses shall not personally be answerable to anyone other that the King.

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Another article states that a princess or prince entitled to succeed to the crown may not marry without the consent of the King. The king has powers, if ratified by the “storting” or ruling parliament. ---- Other articles concerned liberty of the press and speech  similar to our rights including “Everyone shall be free to speak his mind frankly on the administration or on any other subject whatsoever.
 ---- Norwegian Constitution Day is a National Day of Norway and an official holiday observed on May 17th each year. Syttende Mai, May 17th, an official flag day, is not a patriotic or military celebration, but one based on the children of Norway and the nation’s future.

An update on our favorite Norwegian Forest Cats

Bjorn & Tutta -- uff da!

On April 15th, 2012, Vennskap Lodge's favorite Norwegian Forest Cats -- Bjorn and Tutta (children of our very own sports director, Kelly Quick) -- competed in the 18th Annual Sheboygan 4-H Cat Show.  The show was held at the Sheboygan Falls Municipal Building.

With about 75 cats in attendance, competition was steep.  The cats were divided into three divisions: long hair (which Bjorn and Tutta competed in), short hair, and kittens.  The long hair and short hair divisions were then subdivided by color.  They were not, however, subdivided by breed.

Tutta in the judging ring

Bjorn and Tutta each competed in two different show rings, with each ring having its own judge.  Essentially, each ring is its own separate competition -- the way a cat is judged in one ring has no influence on how the cat is judged in the other.  The rings were sealed off from one another, and cats were inspected in the ring one at a time.  The judges looked at each cat's characteristics and then made comments.  During each round of competition, an individual cat spent two to three minutes on the judging box.  Audience members were prohibited from cheering during judging so as to avoid spooking the cats.  However, clapping was allowed.  

Kelly shows her SoN pride at the show

When asked why she entered her cats in the show, Kelly said, "To find out objectively who is the cutest cat, Bjorn or Tutta."  Unfortunately, the question was not resolved since neither cat placed.  Despite only coming away from the competition with participation ribbons, Tutta and Bjorn were crowd favorites.  A number of audience members petted the cats and held them.  One boy was particularly enamored with Bjorn; he came back to play with him at least five times.

Kelly enjoyed showing the cats but said that she will probably not be doing it again next year.  The event was just too stressful for the cats (and for mom!).