Janesville May 17 Celebration (Syttende Mai)

May 17th Celebration in Atlanta 2008

Sons of Norway Will Celebrate

May 17 Is Their National Holiday, and All Loyal Norsemen Will Rejoice.

The residents of Janesville and vicinity who are of Norwegian birth or parentage are making extensive preparations for the celebration of May 17, the national holiday of Norway.

The festivities that are to be held by Norwegians all over the United States as well as at home this year will surpass by far any of the previous years, for not only have the Norwegians an additional reason for making merry on account of having obtained a flag of their own for the merchant marine, but the women are preparing to celebrate female suffrage that has just been granted in Norway in municipal matters.

During years past, the Norwegians have been making strenuous efforts to obtain permission to use their own flag in the foreign service. This flag has been recently granted to them ad is of a red ground with a blue cross over a white cross in the center. Formerly the colors of the union were in the center. These colors were yellow and blue in addition to the red and white in the right hand upper corner.

The law just passed in the Storthing allows females of age, who pay taxes on 30 kroner ($81) in the city and taxes on 400 kroner in the country, to vote on all municipal matters.

These additions are thought to be of great importance by the Norwegians, and letters from the old country dwell on the elaborate preparations that are being made to celebrate the two concessions just obtained.

Source: Janesville Daily Gazette, May 14, 1902 Page 2, Janesville, Wisconsin.

 
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