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."
![:confused:](/site_media/images/smilies/perplexed.gif)
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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
- 1043 Views
Nothing, they are federal holidays still because of strong unions, not religion
27/05/2012 06:58:52 PM
- 461 Views
Hypocrisy FTW, eh?
27/05/2012 11:04:38 PM
- 608 Views
![](/site_media/images/smilies/wink.gif)
No.
27/05/2012 11:16:11 PM
- 435 Views
Again, some people manifestly care; just not enough to relinquish a paid holiday.
28/05/2012 01:48:26 AM
- 461 Views
Nothing.
27/05/2012 07:03:07 PM
- 423 Views
Replacing it with another, secular, holiday seems the responsible thing to do.
27/05/2012 11:15:11 PM
- 389 Views
People. Don't. Care.
27/05/2012 11:29:07 PM
- 456 Views
If people did not care, disestablishmentarianism (and its antithesis) would not exist.
28/05/2012 01:41:18 AM
- 569 Views
Most of them are stolen from heden traditions and have nothing to do with christianity.
27/05/2012 07:15:55 PM
- 635 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
- 563 Views
Thanksgiving isn't a religious holiday.
27/05/2012 08:43:58 PM
- 500 Views
That is rather debatable.
28/05/2012 12:08:53 AM
- 551 Views
The Distinction
29/05/2012 07:41:47 PM
- 509 Views
Thanksgiving was a purely federal institution. FDR dictated the date it's celebrated
30/05/2012 03:22:09 AM
- 452 Views
That distinction would be an almost wholly Roman Catholic (or possibly Greek Orthodox) one.
01/06/2012 01:47:12 AM
- 408 Views
How do you come to four for Canada?
27/05/2012 11:29:57 PM
- 395 Views
Because I counted Thankgiving, and holidays for federal employees rather than just statutory ones.
28/05/2012 02:03:55 AM
- 545 Views
Re: Because I counted Thankgiving, and holidays for federal employees rather...
28/05/2012 04:31:14 AM
- 456 Views
Well, you know better than I, but I found the 1580s date interesting.
28/05/2012 04:08:31 PM
- 619 Views
Re: Well, you no better than I, but I found the 1580s date interesting.
29/05/2012 01:15:52 AM
- 438 Views
Ireland has a tonne of religious public holidays yet no state religion.
28/05/2012 12:48:55 AM
- 470 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
- 484 Views
It's funny how you use "federal" to mean "mandated by national government".
28/05/2012 03:49:17 PM
- 428 Views
I was thinking more "central" government, but OK.
28/05/2012 04:26:38 PM
- 459 Views
Re: I was thinking more "central" government, but OK.
28/05/2012 04:50:32 PM
- 430 Views
Re: I was thinking more "central" government, but OK.
01/06/2012 02:03:40 AM
- 616 Views
I think you've got the Scotland Act backwards.
01/06/2012 09:48:36 AM
- 537 Views
There's a lot of countries that call "devolution" federalism, though.
01/06/2012 09:52:23 PM
- 523 Views
What about when most of the country is still under central control?
02/06/2012 10:25:47 AM
- 432 Views