Icelandic traditions – from Christmas celebrations to Þorrablót

Writer: Helena Bergström

Updated: August 2026 | Iceland has traditions that are unlike any other. There are thirteen Santa Claus, a terrifying giantess who eats children, fermented shark and winter parties where sheep's heads end up on the dinner table. I have celebrated both Christmas and Þorrablót in Iceland myself – and Þorrablót several times, both in Iceland and in Sweden.

Icelandic traditions – a part of my own Icelandic history

When I was 17, I moved to Iceland as an exchange student and lived for almost an entire school year on Heimaey, the largest of the Westman Islands. I attended Icelandic high school, learned the language, and not only got to experience Iceland as a visitor, but also partake in everyday life and traditions.

One of the great experiences was celebrating Christmas in Iceland. I got to know the thirteen Icelandic Santas, Grýla and the Christmas cat and had an advent calendar where a new Santa appeared every day before Christmas. That calendar actually came home with me and went until Christmas for several years afterwards.

I also got to experience Þorrablót, the Icelandic midwinter feast with traditional food like sheep's head, fermented shark and sheep's testicles. Since then, there have been more Þorrablóts – both in Iceland and together with Icelanders in Sweden. So some Icelandic traditions have become almost a bit personal to me.

Christmas in Iceland – Christmas

Christmas is one of the big holidays of the year in Iceland. Just like in Sweden, Christmas Eve is celebrated on December 24th with family, Christmas food and Christmas presents, but many of the traditions around look different.

Above all, it is much more crowded on the Santa Claus front. In Iceland there is not only one Santa Claus but thirteen Christmas trees, or Santa Claus. They come down from the mountains one by one during the thirteen nights before Christmas. Children place a shoe in the window and may receive a small gift in it – or something less pleasant if they have not behaved.

The 13 Icelandic Santas

Icelandic Santas aren't exactly like our friendly, red-robed Santa Claus. Originally, they were much scarier figures, and their names still reveal what they're up to.

Here you will find, among others: Games of chance, The Spoon Licker, Hurdaskellir, The Door Slammer, Bjúgnakrækir, The Sausage Thief, and Window peepers, The Window Viewer.

The first Santa Claus arrives on December 12th, and then a new one arrives every day until Christmas Eve. After that, they leave Iceland in the same order, one per day, until the last one disappears on January 6th. We have a separate article where you can familiarize yourself with all 13 Icelandic Santas and their peculiarities.

Grýla, Leppalúði and the Christmas cat

As if thirteen strange Santas weren't enough, Iceland also has some considerably scarier Christmas figures.

The Santas' mother Grýla is an old sorceress who, according to the stories, comes down from the mountains to catch and eat disobedient children. Her husband is called Lippalúði and plays a much more hidden role in the stories. And of course the family has a pet: Christmas meat, the Christmas cat.

It's not a cute little kitten lying in front of the fire. The giant Christmas cat is said to eat people who didn't get any new clothes for Christmas. Behind the strange story is a connection to the work with wool: anyone who had done their part of the work before Christmas could be rewarded with a new garment – and thus escaped the Christmas cat.

In other words, Icelandic Christmas folklore is not only cozy. It's also quite dark – and that's part of its charm.

Þorláksmessa – the day before Christmas Eve

December 23rd is celebrated Þorlák's Mass, Saint Þorlák's Day. For many Icelanders, today is a day for final Christmas preparations, shopping and meeting people in town.

A much more peculiar tradition is to eat dear magpie, fermented rockfish. The smell is noticeable to say the least and tends to linger on both clothes and premises. It may not be the right choice in the first place to create a fragrant Christmas atmosphere – but traditions don't always have to be rational.

What do people eat on Christmas Eve in Iceland?

The Icelandic Christmas dinner is quite different from our Swedish Christmas table. Instead of a large smorgasbord, it is common to have a dinner where a main course takes center stage.

Classic Christmas dishes include: ham, smoked lamb, and hamburger rib, glazed pork roast. Partridge has also traditionally appeared on the Christmas table. The food can be served with, for example, potatoes, gravy and red cabbage.

When I celebrated Christmas in Iceland, we ate lamb with boiled potatoes and red cabbage. So it was both familiar and different at the same time. Another Icelandic Christmas classic is leaf bread, very thin bread that is decorated by cutting elaborate patterns into the dough before frying.

READ MORE: What do you eat in Iceland? – Classic dishes to try

Þorrablót – Icelandic midwinter festival

Once Christmas is over, it won't be long until it's time for the next very Icelandic tradition: Þorrablót.

Þorrablót is celebrated during the old Icelandic winter month Thorri, approximately from mid-January to mid-February. The name has roots far back in Old Norse culture, but the Þorrablót celebrated today have primarily emerged since the 19th century.

Today it's about meeting, eating traditional food, singing, giving speeches, socializing and, of course, drinking the occasional schnapps. And the food is a story in itself.

Þorramatur – sheep's head, shark and sheep's testicles

The traditional food served at Þorrablót is called sørramatur and consists of old Icelandic dishes and preservation methods. Here you can find, among other things:

• Shark – fermented shark
• Svið – seared and boiled sheep's heads
• Súrsaðir hrútspungar – pickled sheep testicles
• Bloody Mary – blood sausage
• Liver sausage – liver sausage
• Chicken meat – smoked lamb
• Hardfish – dried fish
• Rye bread – dark rye bread
• Flatbread – thin Icelandic bread

This is of course suitable for brandy, the classic Icelandic brandy. Þorramatur is still served during Þorri and is a way of keeping older Icelandic food traditions alive.

My own Þorrablót

I experienced my first Þorrablót when I lived in Iceland. I still remember how older Icelandic uncles ate the sheep's heads with much greater enthusiasm than I did, even sucking their eyes out with obvious pleasure. I can personally attest that some parts of Þorramatur are tastier than others.

But I like the tradition. Since my year in Iceland, I have been to Þorrablót several times, both in Iceland and in Sweden, and for me the experience is just as much about the people, the atmosphere and the culture as it is about the food itself.

And perhaps that's exactly how Þorrablót should be viewed. You don't have to long for fermented shark for dinner to appreciate a tradition that tells us something about how people have lived on a barren island where historically they had to make do with what was available and find ways to preserve food through the winter.

Old traditions that still live on

Perhaps that's what I find so fascinating about Iceland. The country is in many ways hypermodern, but at the same time the fairy tales, the language, the food and the old stories are always present.

Children still wait for the thirteen Santa Clauses. Grýla and the Yule Cat still appear before Christmas. And in the middle of winter, people still gather around barrels of hákarl, svið and hrútspungar.

Traditions change over time, of course, just like our Swedish traditions do. But they live on. And after all my trips to Iceland, maybe that's what makes the country still feel so special to me.

More about Iceland

There is so much more to see and experience in Iceland. Here you will find more tips and reports:

• Facts about Iceland
• The Icelandic language
• Things to do in Iceland – our best tips

Top image in the post: Photo: Iceland.is