Wisconsin city honors Norway constitution anniversary

Postmark Pursuit by Linn’s Staff

Stoughton, Wis., a city 20 miles southeast of Madison, is offering a postmark featuring a sailing ship in tribute to its Syttende Mai festival and rich Norwegian heritage. Stoughton’s Norwegian roots date back to the mid-1800s, just a few decades after the first organized immigration of Norwegians to the United States in 1825. That immigration bicentennial anniversary is noted in the postmark with “200” on the ship’s sail.

Among Norwegians Syttende Mai, or Constitution Day, is the national day of Norway and is an official public holiday observed on May 17 each year. Syttende Mai is Norwegian for “seventeenth of May.”

In the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars, Norwegians came together on May 17, 1814, in the small village of Eidsvoll, to ratify their own constitution, the second oldest written constitution still in use, to establish Norway as an independent country. Norwegians throughout the world continue to celebrate that historic event.

In Stoughton, the annual Syttende Mai festival is held each year on the weekend closest to May 17. From the late 1800s to the early 1900s, Stoughton enjoyed an influx of Norwegians. At one time, as many as 75 percent of its residents spoke Norwegian.

At first these immigrants celebrated the day unofficially, but it eventually became an annual citywide tradition. The Stoughton Chamber of Commerce took over the festival in 1953 and has planned the event every year since.

Stoughton’s Syttende Mai festival remains a celebration of Norwegian heritage featuring various activities and cultural experiences, including parades, traditional arts and music, athletic competitions, and children’s activities. As many as 20,000 people attend the festival annually to celebrate Norway’s national day and Stoughton’s deep Norwegian roots.

To obtain the postmark, address your request to:

SYTTENDE MAI Station, Postmaster, 246 E. Main St., Stoughton, WI 53589-9998, May 17.

Share information by writing to Postmark Pursuit, Box 4129, Sidney, OH 45365.

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