WORDS: Íris Gylfadottir
PICTURES: Abi Prowse
Connect with Íris on Instagram @gudmundairis | @iris.gylfa
Christmas in Iceland (or Jól) is a magical time of year. Invariably, the snow-topped mountains of the summer and autumn have given way to snow-dusted streets and snow-capped roofs, and the Northern Lights shine a brilliant green-blue hue through the long winter nights.
CHRISTMAS CHARACTERS
Christmas in Iceland can come across as a little odd to an outsider (or so I’ve been told), but it truly is a magical time. In Iceland, we have a troop of thirteen gift-giving pranksters known as the Yule Lads who each act as a pseudo-Santa Claus. These Yule Lads are the sons of a child-eating Giantess, called Grýla (pronounced Grilla) and her lazy husband Leppalúði (Leppa-loothe-ee) who live with their children in a cave. Grýla manages to detect children that have misbehaved and she takes them home to cook and eat in a stew. After all, what’s more Christmassy than the threat of being cooked and eaten?!
The Yule lads are mischievous creatures that each steal or misbehave in their own special ways. Each of them brings you a present, if you’ve been good, or a potato, if you’ve been bad. They begin to arrive on the 12th December and each stay for thirteen days. They are:
Stekkjastaur (The Sheep Botherer)
Literally harasses sheep, but is held back by his unnaturally-stiff legs which look like pegs.
Giljagaur (The Gully Gawk)
He hides in gullies, hoping to steal the fresh and foamy milk.
Stúfur (Stubby)
He is really short, and has the strange habit of stealing pans to eat the crusty left overs (tasty!)
Þvörusleikir (Spoon Licker)
Steals wooden spoons to lick. This is the only way he eats, so he is very thin!
Pottaskefill (Pot Scraper)
He steals leftovers from pots (yum!)
Askasleikir (Bowl Licker)
He hides under beds waiting for people to put down their bowls that he can steal and lick.
Hurðaskellir (Door Slammer)
Enjoys slamming doors and being very annoying and waking people up.
Skyrgámur (Skyr Gobbler)
Loves to eat Skyr (the Icelandic yoghurt/cheese that has grown in popularity recently).
Bjúgnakrækir (Sausage Swiper)
He hides in the roofs of houses and steals the sausages that are being smoked.
Gluggagægir (Window Peeper)
He looks through windows in his search for things to steal. His name also is easier for babies to say.
Gáttaþefur (Doorway Sniffer)
He likes to stand in doorways and use his massive nose to try find laufabrauð (leaf bread) that is typically cooked over Christmas.
Ketkrókur (Meat Hook)
Steals meat using his meat hook. He will eat and try to take any type of meat that he can find.
Kertasníkir (Candle Stealer)
He follows children to steal their candles to eat. This was because candles used to be made from tallow (a type of meat fat that stays solid).
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There is also one other mythical creature that turns up for Christmas in Iceland: the terrifying Yule Cat. He turns up to eat anyone that has not received clothes before Christmas. This usually means that one of your presents from one of the Yule Lads is socks or underwear, or a set of pyjamas – seriously, the terror is real! The Yule Cat was originally used as a way of ‘encouraging’ farm workers to process the wool gathered during the autumn. The ones that managed to work hard received clothes from the farmer, while those that did not received nothing.
CHRISTMAS DAY TRADITIONS
We celebrate Christmas, like most other Scandinavian countries, on 24th December, which is when we eat our Christmas dinner. This means that our main celebration takes place a day earlier than most other nations, so we get to open our presents a whole day earlier than everyone else! Our typical Christmas dinner is usually lamb or a cut of gammon called Hamborgarhyrggur (glazed ham), which can be cooked in a variety of different ways. This is often served with a mixture of vegetables. The bells of the big cathedral in Reykjavik ring at 6pm to signal the start of Christmas, which is when dinner (in my house at least) is served, and the church service starts. It is only when everything has been cleaned away and all the washing up has been done that Christmas presents can be opened (a great incentive for eager children to help with the cleaning up)!
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On 25th December, it is accepted that whilst many kids will wake up early, we let our parents sleep in! We always made great use of the time to play with our gifts and enjoy ourselves. Once our parents woke up, we would make special bread to eat on the day, that has ham and cheese inside, and we would drink hot chocolate. Afterwards, we would go for a walk together as a family and enjoy the snow. If the horses were in the stables, we would also go horse riding.
There is, however, one other celebration that takes place on the 23rd called Þorláksmessa (Thor-locks-messa), named after Þorlákur who is the patron saint of Iceland. In celebration of his generous donation of fish to the poor, we celebrate his day by eating pickled and putrefied skate with potatoes (yes, it is as delicious as it sounds). Some people go to a restaurant to eat it as it is very smelly and can make the house smell of ammonia for days or even weeks after it has been cooked. This has been adopted as part of the Christmas celebration, and for families to finish decorating the tree, late gift buyers are also known to run around the stores buying presents. It’s also very popular to go for a walk along the main street in Reykjavik called Laugavegur and go for hot chocolate, food, and to see christmas lights – unless you don’t live near Reykjavik, of course.
Christmas is always a wonderful time of the year, full of magic and mystery. But I think you will agree that an Icelandic Christmas is one that has many myths and legends that make it that much more magical. If you want guaranteed snow and something a little more out-there than the Christmas you are used to, why not fly over to Iceland and enjoy a very unique holiday?
