Striden om helgennamna – eit blad av norsk almanakkhistorie

When Norway got its own almanac after the dissolution of the Danish-Norwegian union (1814), the list of saints’ days was kept intact. After a few years it aroused harsh criticism for being a worthless Catholic relict, and it was thought that the saints ought to be replaced by outstanding people in Norwegian secular history. The editors applied several times for such a change, but the copyright holder (the University of Oslo) refused. Yet the editors could alter the saints’ list internally, and notably in 1843 many dates got a new name based on medieval Norwegian sources. The debate intensified towards the end of the 19th century. In 1892, the issue was brought forth in the Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget), and after lengthy proceedings the list was formally abolished in 1910, and from 1912 on replaced by secular persons and events. The new list varies considerably from year to year and gives overall a rather desultory impression.