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The
Christmas Meeting of 1888
[1]
[2]
(Faroese:
Jolafundurin 1888
) is considered to be the official start of the
Faroese National Movement
.
On
December 22
, 1888 the only newspaper at that time in the
Faroe Islands
,
Dimmalætting
, carried the following notice:
ALL AND EACH
are invited to gather in the
house of Parliament
on the second day of
Christmas at 3 o’clock in the afternoon where we will discuss
how to defend the
Faroese language
and Faroese traditions.
The invitation, signed by nine prominent Faroemen, marked the inception of a new era in
Faroese history
- the rise of the National Movement.
In spite of a raging storm and slushy roads, a large crowd of people gathered in the house of the Løgting that afternoon. Speeches were made and patriotic songs were sung. The highlight of the meeting came when the poet
Rasmus Effersøe
recited a battle hymn written for the occasion by young
Joannes Patursson
. The message of the lengthy poem was evident in the first stanza:
- Now the hour has come,
- when we must join hands
- and rally around
- our native tongue.
Resolution
[
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]
The meeting ended with the acceptance of a six-point resolution:
- As soon as there were enough Faroese schoolbooks available, Faroese should be used as an educational language in schools.
- In history, the emphasis must be on Faroese national history.
- In religion, all Danish rote learning should be abolished and the subject matter rendered in Faroese.
- Priests must be free to use Faroese in and outside the Church.
- Faroese should be used for all official ends and purposes.
- Finally, the resolution stressed the necessity of establishing a Faroese Folk High School.
Stamps
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]
Barður Jakupsson made the stamps above right which show the nine people who sent out the invitation to the Christmas Meeting in 1888.
- 3.00 kr stamp ? Notice in Dimmalætting
December 22
1888
, which is mentioned in the text.
- 3.20 kr stamp ? Drawing of meeting in Reynsmulalag in 1908 by
William Heinesen
.
- 12.00 kr stamp ? First verse of poem by
Joannes Patursson
.
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Joensen, Joan Pauli. 2009.
Pilot Whaling in the Faroe Islands: History, Ethnography, Symbol
. Torshavn: Faroe University Press, p. 198.
- ^
Benati, Chiara. 2009. Faroese: A National Language under Siege? In: Susanna Pertot et al. (eds.),
Rights, Promotion and Integration Issues for Minority Languages in Europe
, pp. 189?196. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, p. 191.
External links
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]