For Our Nordmenn: What Happens to Federal Religious Holidays in the Absence of a State Church?
Joel Send a noteboard - 27/05/2012 01:33:20 PM
Note: The question is meant for Swedes and other Scandinavians as well (since Sweden already disestablished its state church,) even though the term "Nordmann" is, as I understand it, usually reserved for Norwegians.
Anyway, with a federal holiday Monday for Pentecost, only two months after the entire nation shut down for Holy Week (just as it did for a week at Christmas) I cannot help wondering how (if at all) disestablishment will affect the number of federal religious holidays here. It is an irony I continue to find striking: America is generally regarded as the industrialized worlds most and Scandinavia its least religious regions. Yet Canada has only four (with Easter and Good Friday apparently an either/or arrangement,) the US only two (Thanksgiving and Christmas Day) and Mexico only one (Christmas Day) federal holy days. Norway, meanwhile, seems to have a federal religious holiday every other week, and Sweden likewise has so many the second sentence of the Wikipedia article on them states "The official holidays can be divided into Christian and non-Christian holidays."
Anyway, with a federal holiday Monday for Pentecost, only two months after the entire nation shut down for Holy Week (just as it did for a week at Christmas) I cannot help wondering how (if at all) disestablishment will affect the number of federal religious holidays here. It is an irony I continue to find striking: America is generally regarded as the industrialized worlds most and Scandinavia its least religious regions. Yet Canada has only four (with Easter and Good Friday apparently an either/or arrangement,) the US only two (Thanksgiving and Christmas Day) and Mexico only one (Christmas Day) federal holy days. Norway, meanwhile, seems to have a federal religious holiday every other week, and Sweden likewise has so many the second sentence of the Wikipedia article on them states "The official holidays can be divided into Christian and non-Christian holidays."
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Last First in wotmania Chat
Slightly better than chocolate.
Love still can't be coerced.
Please Don't Eat the Newbies!

LoL. Be well, RAFOlk.
This message last edited by Joel on 28/05/2012 at 02:21:11 AM
For Our Nordmenn: What Happens to Federal Religious Holidays in the Absence of a State Church?
- 27/05/2012 01:33:20 PM
1282 Views
Nothing, they are federal holidays still because of strong unions, not religion
- 27/05/2012 06:58:52 PM
702 Views
Hypocrisy FTW, eh?
- 27/05/2012 11:04:38 PM
830 Views
- 27/05/2012 11:04:38 PM
830 Views
No.
- 27/05/2012 11:16:11 PM
652 Views
Again, some people manifestly care; just not enough to relinquish a paid holiday.
- 28/05/2012 01:48:26 AM
687 Views
Nothing.
- 27/05/2012 07:03:07 PM
648 Views
Replacing it with another, secular, holiday seems the responsible thing to do.
- 27/05/2012 11:15:11 PM
629 Views
People. Don't. Care.
- 27/05/2012 11:29:07 PM
672 Views
If people did not care, disestablishmentarianism (and its antithesis) would not exist.
- 28/05/2012 01:41:18 AM
817 Views
Most of them are stolen from heden traditions and have nothing to do with christianity.
- 27/05/2012 07:15:55 PM
943 Views
Since two resident history buffs recently excoriated me for that claim, I have no wish to revisit it
- 27/05/2012 11:27:13 PM
799 Views
Thanksgiving isn't a religious holiday.
- 27/05/2012 08:43:58 PM
729 Views
That is rather debatable.
- 28/05/2012 12:08:53 AM
817 Views
The Distinction
- 29/05/2012 07:41:47 PM
778 Views
Thanksgiving was a purely federal institution. FDR dictated the date it's celebrated
- 30/05/2012 03:22:09 AM
692 Views
That distinction would be an almost wholly Roman Catholic (or possibly Greek Orthodox) one.
- 01/06/2012 01:47:12 AM
655 Views
How do you come to four for Canada?
- 27/05/2012 11:29:57 PM
618 Views
Because I counted Thankgiving, and holidays for federal employees rather than just statutory ones.
- 28/05/2012 02:03:55 AM
791 Views
Re: Because I counted Thankgiving, and holidays for federal employees rather...
- 28/05/2012 04:31:14 AM
676 Views
Well, you know better than I, but I found the 1580s date interesting.
- 28/05/2012 04:08:31 PM
919 Views
Re: Well, you no better than I, but I found the 1580s date interesting.
- 29/05/2012 01:15:52 AM
734 Views
Ireland has a tonne of religious public holidays yet no state religion.
- 28/05/2012 12:48:55 AM
697 Views
I wondered how that would shake out for the rest of Europe, or at least Western Europe.
- 28/05/2012 02:29:16 AM
721 Views
It's funny how you use "federal" to mean "mandated by national government".
- 28/05/2012 03:49:17 PM
659 Views
I was thinking more "central" government, but OK.
- 28/05/2012 04:26:38 PM
686 Views
Re: I was thinking more "central" government, but OK.
- 28/05/2012 04:50:32 PM
647 Views
Re: I was thinking more "central" government, but OK.
- 01/06/2012 02:03:40 AM
862 Views
I think you've got the Scotland Act backwards.
- 01/06/2012 09:48:36 AM
795 Views
There's a lot of countries that call "devolution" federalism, though.
- 01/06/2012 09:52:23 PM
742 Views
What about when most of the country is still under central control?
- 02/06/2012 10:25:47 AM
661 Views


