July 29 - Olsok in Norway

Posted on July 29, 2021

Key points

This is an update of my post published on July 29, 2010:

This day honors St. Olaf, the patron saint of Norway, who died in battle on this date in 1030. Olaf was a king and the person who is said to have brought Christianity to Norway. To celebrate Olsok, which means “Wake of Olaf,” Norwegians traditionally lit huge bonfires on top of hills and held historical plays.

(A wake is the time when people watch over a dead body, before it is buried, and sometimes celebrate the deceased person’s life. It is also the name for a parish festival held to commemorate a saint.)

Nowadays there are folk dance and music concerts plus religious services. There are also walking pilgrimages to Trondheim, where King Olaf was buried.

Some folks walk from Oslo all the way to Trondheim –
and it takes about two weeks!

Along the way, at the cairn (rock pile) called allemannsrøysa,
pilgrims can leave a stone that represents a psychological
burden that they carry – anxiety, regret, guilt, anger.

Check out one walking pilgrimage here.

The end of the pilgrimage is Nidaros Cathedral. Pilgrims
walk around the cathedral three times and then enter to
find and pay their respects to the St. Olaf shrine.

Trondheim is lovely:

Enjoy these photos of Trondheim.

Did you know…?

One of Norway’s most famous artists is Edvard Munch. Have you ever seen his most famous painting, The Scream? Munch created several versions of this painting—in oil, tempera, and pastels—and he also made prints via lithography.

Many allusions to and versions of The Scream have shown up in popular culture. At right is a graffiti “shout out” to the powerful painting.

Did you know that versions of The Scream have been stolen? The 2004 theft of the The Scream remained a mystery for several years. A substantial cash reward (two million kroner) was put up for the return of the painting, but still no painting. But when the makers of the candy M & Ms offered two million M & Ms to the person who ensured the safe return of the paintings, the thief – who was then serving a 20-year term in prison – reached out to authorities –

– And the painting was recovered!

– But apparently the thief didn’t get the M & M’s! The Norwegian police don’t give rewards to convicted criminals, and that many M & M’s – 40,000 bags! – weigh 2.2 tons and are impractical to send across the Atlantic, and the Norwegian police themselves aren’t able to accept rewards (not even M & Ms) –

– So the candy company sent the monetary equivalent of two million M & Ms – $26,000 U.S. – to the museum where the painting was displayed before the theft and now after the recovery!

Read more about the M & M reward here.