Today we'll be talking about Icelandic traditions here at FREEDOMtravel. A while ago we wrote about travelling Around Iceland by car, and now I would like to follow up by telling you about two important holidays in Iceland: Christmas and Þorrablót (utt: thorrablot).
Icelandic traditions: Christmas
When I (Helena) lived in Iceland as a 17-year-old exchange student, I learnt early on about the two evil trolls Grýla and Leppalúði. These two horrible creatures are the parents of no less than 13 (!) Icelandic Santas.
Grýla and Leppalúði eat children who don't behave properly, and many Icelandic children throughout history have probably been frightened by these scary creatures. And as if that wasn't enough, they have a cat, jólakötturinn, who also eats people who don't behave or work properly...
13 Santa Claus
The 13 the gnomes then? Fortunately, they are not quite as bad, but mostly a bit annoying in general. They have names along the lines of Sleigh Lickers, Door Slammers, Window Peepers and Light Thieves, which may give a description of their characters. Thirteen days before Christmas they begin to come down from the mountains, one by one, and after Christmas they disappear again at the same rate, the last one being gone on 6 January.
Christmas celebrations and food
Just like in Sweden, Christmas in Iceland is celebrated on 24 December, and just like here, Christmas presents are distributed and Christmas food is eaten with family and friends. Icelandic Christmas food is not at all similar to Swedish Christmas food. Instead of a Christmas table, people eat a dinner at a set table.
The Christmas dinner I experienced in Iceland consisted of lamb, boiled potatoes and red cabbage, but I have read that smoked ham or grouse can also be served as an alternative. On 23 December, Þorláksmass is celebrated, and you can also eat rotten skate to celebrate what was traditionally the end of Lent.
Icelandic traditions: Þorrablót
Þorrablót is originally a pagan sacrificial festival held in the Old Norse month of Þorra, which roughly corresponds to February. On this occasion, people have a big party, sing, drink spirits, eat (rather strange) food and have fun.
What about the food? Yes, it consists of hákarl (sour shark/fermented shark), svið (boiled sheep's head), hangikjöt (smoked sheep meat), blóðmör (a kind of blood pudding), lifrapylsa (liver sausage), hrútspungar (sheep testicles), rúgbrauð (rye bread) and flatbrauð (a kind of flat bread).
When I lived in Iceland, the older uncles greedily sucked the sheep's eyes with a pleasurable sound. Today, it is said that the young people do not want this food. A bit of a shame, I think! I have participated in several Þorrablót, both in Iceland and in Sweden, and even though I was not think everything on the platters is amazing, it's a great experience to be part of this tradition!
Christmas and Þorrablót are the two traditions I remember most strongly from my year in Iceland, but if you want to read about even more Icelandic traditions, you can read more at Iceland.is.
Top image in the post: Photo: Iceland.is
You might also like:
Christmas table and food in Sweden - traditional, new and local
Facts about Santa Claus - 10 things you (may) not know
Christmas presents - Christmas gift tips and 15 interesting facts
Christmas markets in Europe - 12 cosy markets at Christmas time
Christmas markets in Sweden - 12 Christmas markets
Christmas rhymes - 25 tips for Christmas presents with rhymes
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Monet says:
God's twilight! Now you'll have to forgive me, but I couldn't get much of that food down. I have a good friend - Norwegian and used to surströmming - who was served rotten shark and Black Death brandy in Iceland and it was a near-death experience for him. He thought he burped the rotten shark a week afterwards! But thanks for the interesting story!
21 November 2017 - 9:12
Helena says:
How fun that you use the expression "twilight of the gods"! I have a colleague who uses that expression very often 🙂 The shark route is no big deal, possibly an interesting experience ... 😉 Smoked mutton on the other hand tastes good!
21 November 2017 - 12:32
Solan says:
Rutten rocka attracts! Good reading Helena ... so much that you have no idea about ?
21 November 2017 - 9:33
Helena says:
Haha right ... a little rotten stingray for the weekend ...? 😉
21 November 2017 - 17:45
Sandra Lifsresor.se says:
Not really my taste in food but fun with 13 gnomes. Why settle for one...? 🙂
21 November 2017 - 10:07
Helena says:
I also don't understand why it has to be only one Santa 😉.
21 November 2017 - 17:45
Steve says:
Very interesting reading you offer.
It seems adventurously worse with the Christmas food in Iceland, but we eat some strange things here at home too.
Those two trolls with their cat were a cruel bunch, but on the other hand they have 13 elves who seem pretty harmless.
21 November 2017 - 11:13
Helena says:
I guess you are referring to the thorramate, which is eaten in February, it is really special if you say so!
21 November 2017 - 17:46
BP says:
What an incredibly interesting post! Love it! Like the story of the 13 elves, no "father Christmas" and baby Jesus in the manger there not;-)
As for the food, it's not exactly eye candy, but since I've eaten sheep's testicles in Morocco, I would probably try most of the Icelandic "Christmas table", but would probably refrain from sucking out sheep's eyes. In France it is a delicacy to eat calf's head and there they also suck out the eyes... So much fun with such traditions that are dying out.
21 November 2017 - 13:15
Helena says:
Glad you like today's post! 🙂 The food is not necessarily super good, but I think it is very interesting and fun with these traditions! Interesting that they eat calf's head in France, I didn't know that!
21 November 2017 - 17:48
annar aas says:
Hi there, nice to hear about Iceland. I'm married to an Icelandic woman who just became a grandmother, so we're going there next week and staying until Christmas. I recognise all the food you write about and I think some of it is OK to eat, but I have also taken a bet where I somewhat boldly indicated that no food is foreign to me. The sour and rotten food I can't handle. If mutton steaks are fried with garlic and wrapped in bacon, they are edible. Let's see if the volcano stays quiet and we'll leave next Wednesday.
22 November 2017 - 14:41
Helena says:
How nice that you are married to an Icelandic woman, Annar! And great that you are going to Iceland soon! I completely agree with you about the food. Some of it is perfectly ok to eat. Others, especially rotten shark, are difficult. Interesting with mutton sticks in bacon 😉 Say hello to Iceland!!!!
22 November 2017 - 17:01
Henny says:
Rutten shark, maybe it tastes like our surströmming? I was told in Hawaii that they also ate a kind of fermented fish. It is probably the necessity of saving food for future days that has made eating habits similar in different parts of the world.
25 November 2017 - 15:39
Anonymous says:
Whaaaaat???
13 March 2018 - 21:38
Marias Memoarer says:
The mullet and sheep's clothing feels like that... But what fun traditions they have in Iceland, I must say, the one with the gnomes was especially interesting, never heard of it before! I think in many countries there are things that the younger generations don't really have a taste for anymore. In Finland, such things might be e.g. lutefisk. But some things can also be things that you only start to appreciate when you get older as well.
23 December 2019 - 10:39