Olsok ("Olaf's Wake" or "Olaf's Vigil") is a national day of celebration on July 29 in the Nordic countries of

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

and the

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...

, and also in the provinces of

Härjedalen Härjedalen (; no, Herjådalen or ) is a historical province (''landskap'') in the centre of Sweden. It borders the Norwegian county of Trøndelag as well as the provinces of Dalarna, Hälsingland, Medelpad, and Jämtland. The province origi ...

in Sweden and

Savonlinna Savonlinna (, , ; sv, Nyslott, lit=New Castle) is a town and a municipality of inhabitants in the southeast of Finland, in the heart of the Saimaa lake region, which is why the city is also nicknamed the "Capital of Saimaa". Together with Mikke ...

in Finland.

Background

King Olaf II Haraldsson of Norway is remembered as

Rex perpetuus Norvegiae Rex Perpetuus Norvegiæ (Latin), i.e. ''Norway's Eternal King'') is a term for King Olaf II of Norway, also known as Saint Olaf (''Olav den hellige'') . Background In written sources, the term ''Perpetuus rex Norvegiæ'' appears from the second ...

, the Eternal King of Norway. July 29 is traditionally the date of the death of King Olaf at the

Battle of Stiklestad The Battle of Stiklestad ( no, Slaget på Stiklestad, non, Stiklarstaðir) in 1030 is one of the most famous battles in the history of Norway. In this battle, King Olaf II of Norway () was killed. During the pontificate of Pope Alexander III, ...

, north of Nidaros (

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

, in 1030. King Olaf's

martyrdom A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

at Stiklestad appears to have contributed decisively to establishing

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

throughout the nation of Norway. King Olaf was subsequently canonized in Nidaros on 3 August 1031 following efforts principally of north Bishop Grimkell. Until the

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

in the 16th century, Olsok was a major church feast in the Nordic countries. The late 19th and the early 20th century saw a renewed interest in Olsok, particularly in Norway. The

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in Norway recognizes Olsok as a major feast all over the country, while the Lutheran Church of Norway recognizes the day principally in Nidaros Cathedral as well as other churches. Starting with the 900th anniversary of Stiklestad in 1930, July 29 has been an official flag day (''Olsokdagen'') in Norway. Since 1954, '' The Saint Olav Drama'' has been performed at Stiklestad each year. In the

Ólavsøka Ólavsøka is the biggest summer festival in the Faroe Islands, and by most Faroese considered as the national holiday of the Faroes along with Flag Day on 25 April. Ólavsøka is celebrated over two days, from the 28th to the 29th of July, th ...

is also recognized on July 29. Ólavsøka is the biggest summer festival in the Faroe Islands and is commonly celebrated over a several day period. This tradition dates from when the islands were part of Norway during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

. Within Sweden ''Olofsmässa'' ("Olaf's Mass") is recognized principally within the former Norwegian province of

. Within

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

, ''Pyhän Olavin Päivä'' ("St. Olaf's Day") is celebrated principally at

, site of

Olavinlinna Olavinlinna (also known as St. Olaf's Castle; sv, Olofsborg; german: Olafsburg; literally ''Olof's Castle'') is a 15th-century three-tower castle located in Savonlinna, Finland. It is built on an island in the Kyrönsalmi strait that connects the ...

("Olof's Castle"), since St. Olaf is the patron saint of the site.''Pyhän Olavin päivä 29.7'' (Savonlinna)
/ref>

References

Other sources

* DuBois, Thomas ''Sanctity in the North: Saints, Lives, and Cults in Medieval Scandinavia'' (Toronto, 2008) * Lynch, Joseph ''The Medieval Church: A Brief History'' (Routledge, 1992) * Myklebus, Morten ''Olaf Viking & Saint'' (Norwegian Council for Cultural Affairs, 1997) * Winroth, Anders ''The Conversion of Scandinavia: Vikings, Merchants, and Missionaries in the Remaking of Northern Europe'' (Yale University Press, 2014) * Pulsiano, Phillip (ed), Kirsten Wolf (ed) (1993) ''Medieval Scandinavia: An Encyclopedia'' (Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group) {{ISBN, 978-0824047870

External links

The St Olav Festival - Trondheim

The Saint Olav Festival – Stiklestad

St. Olav Ways to Nidaros
July observances Norwegian culture Faroese culture Summer events in the Faroe Islands Summer events in Norway Norwegian flag flying days