One of the most commonly used sources for Scandinavian research is church records. The church was the governing power on the local level in Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Sweden. They kept track of when people were born, married, and died. Since the priest knew “everybody” in their parish, they often recorded who needed to pay tax in the earlier tax days and might even help with census records, especially the Swedish household examinations. So involved was the church in the local society that segregation of church and state didn’t happen until 2000 in Sweden and 2017 in Norway, while Denmark and Finland still have a state church.
The Reformation happened in the early 1500s in the Scandinavian countries. All four countries converted from Catholicism to the Lutheran faith, establishing state-supported churches; “Folkekirken” (The People’s Church) in Denmark, Den norske kirke (The Church of Norway), Suomen evankelis-luterilainen kirkko (Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland), and Svenska Kyrkan (The Church of Sweden). A carry-over from the Catholic church was using Latin in services and church records. The common man didn’t speak or understand Latin, which gave the priest power and status. With time, however, the churches mostly adopted the local language to include the congregation except for dates in church books – they were still commonly in Latin.
The church calendar is unlike any other calendar. The calendar is built around three main events – the birth of Christ (Christmas), his death and resurrection (Easter), and Christ’s disciples receiving the Holy Ghost (Pentecost). These three events, and the days leading up to them and afterward, cover around half the calendar days. Other feast days commemorate Christian martyrs, seasons (sowing and harvesting), etc.
Why is understanding this information important in our research? Dates are key to uniquely identifying our ancestors, especially in Scandinavia, where patronymic naming patterns resulted in many people of the same name. In these countries, the minister would often record the event date using the Feast Date’s name. These can be fixed, meaning they always occur on the same date. For example, January 6 is celebrated as “Holy Three Kings Day.” Alternatively, a feast day may be moveable. For example, Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas.
Learning more about the Feast days and when they occur will help us attach the correct dates to our ancestors’ timelines.
Seasons

“Kirkeåret;” online image, Den norske kirke (kirken.no : accessed 2 February 2024).
Adventstiden (Advent)
The church year starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day and follows the New Testament’s chronology for Christ’s life and works. The first Sunday of the new church year is the first Sunday of Advent. The four Sundays of Advent represent the waiting time and preparation for the birth of Christ.
Because the first Sunday in Advent was the beginning of the new church year, older church books might include the next year’s “heading” already in December of the previous year.
Juletiden (Christmas)
Advent is followed by Christmas, which lasts until January 6th, also known as the Three Kings Day or Epiphany Domini.
Åpenbaringstiden (Revelations and Miracles)
Epiphan Domini was celebrated as early as the second century and represents Jesus’ birth, christening, and his first miracle.1 The following five Sundays represent Christ receiving revelations and performing miracles.
Fastetiden (Lent)
Lent lasts for 40 days (Sundays not included), starting with Ash Wednesday. Those who had committed grave sins that needed public absolution, started their absolution time on Ash Wednesday.2 They would dress in sack clothing, and the priest would sprinkle them with ashes representing “From dust to dust.” The sinners were then driven out of the church (like Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden), and not permitted to return until Maundy Thursday. The commandment to fast was taken seriously, and many ‘non-sinners’ used this time to fast and prepare for Easter. Today, the fast is considered a time for quiet and meditation. The fast includes Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday leading up to Easter.
Påsketiden (Easter)
The Lutheran church calendar includes seven weeks of Easter messages, starting on Easter Sunday. Easter is the celebration of Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection. The Christian church is believed to have chosen this time based on when Christ celebrated Passover with his disciples days before his crucifixion.
Pinsetiden (Pentecost)
Pentecost is celebrated 50 days after Easter. It is a celebration of Christ’s disciples receiving the Holy Ghost. As with Easter, Pentecost builds on a Jewish celebration marking the end of the Passover and Moses receiving the 10 commandments.
Treenighetstiden (Trinity)
The period of Trinity covers most of the summer, all of fall, and into early winter, ending as Advent starts. The church sermons cover topics on becoming disciples of Christ, forgiving, working in the Lord’s vineyard, and following God’s will and commandments.
Feast Days
The following table provides the Latin name for the feast day, how the name is written in records, the common name, if there is one, and the fixed date.
Eod: or Eodem die – The same day
Dominica – Sunday, usually shortened to Dom
Feria or Festo– feast day. Feria was often shortened to Fer
On 26 October 1770, King Christian VII of Denmark-Norway signed a decree reducing feast days recognized by the church. The decree stated that although the feast days were supposed to be devoted to God, they were mostly used for idleness and bad habits. Hence, it was better to use them for work and useful service.
Calculating Feast Days
The calculation of the moveable feast days is quite complicated. Fortunately, there are many tools online. Click on the links below to access FamilySearch.org’s online feast day calendars for the different Scandinavian countries. Note that Finland was under Swedish reign until 1809. Once you get to the page, click on the year in question.
Norway also has a separate online feast day calendar where you enter the year, and it will pull up all the different feast days. You’ll find it at https://trinitatis.no/
Sources
- “Åpenbaringstiden, Kristi åpenbaring; ” webpage, Prekenhjelp (Prekenhjelp.net : accessed 7 December 2023).
- “Faste – en tid for stillhet;” webpage, Den norske kirke (Kirken.no : accessed 7 December 2023).
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