Oslo Ski VM 2011

Source: http://www.google.no/logos/2011/oslo11-hp.jpg

The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2011 will take place from 23 February to 6 March 2011 in Oslo, Norway, at the Holmenkollen National Arena. This is the fifth time these championships have been hosted in Holmenkollen, having been done previously in 1930, the 1952 Winter Olympics, 1966, and 1982. On 25 May 2006, the 45th FIS Congress in Vilamoura, Portugal selected the Holmenkollen area over both Val di Fiemme, Italy and Zakopane, Poland with a vote of 12 to 4 to 0. These games will coincide with the Holmenkollen Ski Festival as they have previously in 1930, 1952, 1966, and 1982. [Read more on Wikipedia]

Official logo for the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2011.

Father's Day

Source: http://www.google.no/logos/2010/fathersday2010-ps.jpg

Holmenkollen Ski Festival

Source: http://www.google.com/logos/holmenkollen2010-hp.gif

Holmenkollrennene or Holmenkollen skifestival, in English Holmenkollen ski festival, is a traditional annual ski event in Holmenkollen, Oslo, Norway. The full official name of the event is Holmenkollen FIS World Cup Nordic. The event is taking place in March and except for 1898 and the war years 1941–1945 it has been arranged every year since 1892. It is arranged by Skiforeningen.

Sami National Day

Source: http://www.google.com/logos/saminationalday10-hp.gif

The Sami National Day falls on February 6 as this date was when the first Sámi congress was held in 1917 in Trondheim, Norway. This congress was the first time that Norwegian and Swedish Sámi came together across their national borders to work together to find solutions for common problems.

In 1992, at the 15th Sámi Conference in Helsinki, a resolution was passed that Sámi National Day should be celebrated on February 6 to commemorate the 1st Sámi congress in 1917. Sami National Day is for all Sámi, regardless of where they live and on that day the Sámi flag should be flown and the Song of the Sami People is sung in the local Sámi language. The first time Sami National Day was celebrated was in 1993, when the International Year of Indigenous People was proclaimed open in Jokkmokk, Sweden by the United Nations.

Since then, celebrating the day has become increasingly popular. In Norway it is compulsory for municipal administrative buildings to fly the Sami flag on February 6. Particularly notable is the celebration in Norway's capital Oslo, where the bells in the highest tower of Oslo City Hall play the Sámi soga lávlla as the flags go up. Some larger places have taken to arranging festivities also in the week around the Sami National Day.

Through pure synchronicity, this date also happened to be when representatives of the Sámi of the Kola Peninsula used to gather annually, meeting with Russian bureucrats to debate and decide on issues of relevance to them. This organ, called the Koladak Sobbar, has been dubbed the 'first Sámi Parliament' by the researcher Johan Albert Kalstad. This did not influence the choice of the date as the Sámi People's Day, since the people present did not know about it - the Koladak Sobbar only existed during the late 19th century, and was only 'rediscovered' by Kalstad in the current Millennium

St. Lucy's Day

Source: http://www.google.com/logos/stlucy09-hp.gif

Santa Lucia

Google logo - Santa Lucia

Saint Lucy, also known as Saint Lucia, (283 – 304) was a wealthy young Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint by Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and Orthodox Christians. Her feast day in the West is 13 December, by the unreformed Julian calendar the longest night of the year; with a name derived from lux, lucis "light", she is the patron saint of those who are blind. Saint Lucy is one of the very few saints celebrated by members of the Lutheran Church among the Scandinavian peoples, who take part in Saint Lucy's Day celebrations that retain many elements of Germanic paganism. Saint Lucy is one of seven women, aside from the Blessed Virgin Mary, commemorated by name in the Canon of the Mass.

via wikipedia

Norway National Day

Norway National Day