April 25: Flag Day in the Faroe Islands
Prayer Idea
Pray for the people and government of the Faroe Islands.
History Note
The Faroes are a group of 18 islands—17 of them inhabited—to the north of Scotland and situated between Norway and Iceland in the North Atlantic Ocean. The islands are home to about 50,000 people. Double that number of tourists go there each year. A network of ferries, bridges, and undersea tunnels facilitate transportation between the islands.
Norwegian Vikings settled the islands in the 800s, though some people may have arrived earlier. Norway ruled the islands until 1380, when the thrones of Norway and Denmark were combined. After that point, the Faroes became more closely associated with Denmark.
The Faroese language developed from Old Norse and has similarities to modern Icelandic and Norwegian. A majority of Faroese people are members of the Evangelical Lutheran church.
Roykstovan is among the oldest wooden houses in the world that is still inhabited. Originally built around 1100 as part of the local bishop’s residence, it became a farm house in the 1500s. Since then, the same extended family has lived in the house for seventeen generations. Part of the complex is open to the public as a museum.
After World War II, both Danish and Faroese political leaders saw the wisdom of giving the islands greater independence. Denmark accomplished this with the Home Rule Act of 1948. The Faroes have their own parliament and their own flag. They rule themselves except in the areas of justice, defense, and foreign affairs. However, Denmark provides about one-third of the Faroese government’s funding, and the Faroes hold two seats in the Danish parliament. Denmark is a member of the European Union, but the Faroe Islands are not.
Faroese university students created a flag for the islands in 1919. During World War II, while Germany occupied Denmark, the British exercised control over the Faroes to protect them. On April 25, 1940, the British government instructed the Faroese to use their own flag on their vessels at sea instead of the flag of Denmark. The Faroese celebrate April 25 as a national holiday called Flag Day (“Flaggdagur”).
The flag of the Faroe Islands in the capital of Tórshavn. Photo by LouieLea / Shutterstock.com
Learn More
Enjoy drone footage of the Faroe Islands.
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