When you travel in Iceland, you usually drive through either a valley surrounded by mountains or a desert plateau separating the valleys.
In Icelandic this plateau is called heidi. The valleys are usually inhabited. In them one can see in the distance some lonely farm, a white house with a red roof and next to it a green square of cultivated meadow. Heidi is always uninhabited. You won’t see anything on it except stones, moss, and heather. The earth here is as empty and formless as it was, according to biblical legend, on the first day of creation. And this alternation of the world where people live and the world where people do not live is emphasized by the fact that when you drive out of the valley on Heidi, the sky is usually hidden in a gray veil, and wisps of fog creeping from everywhere cover the distance. Through the fog, the stones begin to seem like unkind inhabitants of a deserted and silent kingdom. Sometimes in the middle of the heidi, near the pass, there is an uninhabited house where travelers can find shelter in bad weather or at night. True, according to legend, ghosts live in such a house. In Icelandic it is called Sailuhus literally a house built for the salvation of the soul. Such houses were built in Iceland eight hundred years ago. Back then, traveling through the heidi was a difficult undertaking, and building such a house was a charitable endeavor. As for Heidi, it was then, as it was many thousands of years before the settlement of Iceland, exactly the same as it is now.
But the alternation of the inhabited and uninhabited world is characteristic only of the coastal strip of Iceland. If you drive past the last farmstead, one of the farmsteads located on the border of the populated coastal strip, you find yourself in a world completely uninhabited. People do not live and never have lived in the depths of Iceland. True, in Icelandic folk tales It is often told how people who fled from their native places inland live there richly and happily in some blissful valleys.
Reality is far from these blissful valleys created by popular fantasy. Most of Iceland is a completely deserted plateau. Complete or almost complete absence of vegetation and exposed rock relief, cliffs, cracks, volcanic craters, glaciers, sands, lava fields, all this looks like a lunar landscape or the earth as it looked many millions of years ago, before life appeared on it.
But what makes Iceland most different from other countries are the lava fields. They are either smooth, like slabs, or similar to the sea, suddenly frozen during stormy waves; both bare and densely overgrown with moss or lichen; and black, and red, and bright green, and shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow. They occupy vast spaces in the country. Oudaudahrøin, the largest lava field in the world, occupies over three and a half thousand square kilometers. But the glaciers are even larger in Iceland. Vahtnajökutl, the largest glacier in Europe, occupies over eight thousand square kilometers south of Oudaudahröin. It is also home to the highest point in Iceland, the Erayvajökull volcano. It is not for nothing that the country was called the ice country (Island), and before that the snow country (Sn and). The snowy peak in the middle of the sky is the first thing you see when you approach Iceland by plane, and the last thing you see when you fly out.
Iceland is a large and diverse country. The sands of its southern coast, spread out at the foot of the snowy mountains and cut by countless channels, are unlike the rocky fjords of its northern or eastern coast, and the wide swamps of the southwestern lowland are unlike the narrow mountain valleys of the north and east of the country. Each valley in Iceland has its own physiognomy, which is determined by the mountains surrounding the valley, the river flowing through it, etc. Still, when you travel around Iceland and strive not so much to see the tourist sites - famous waterfalls with rainbows playing in them, geysers, volcano craters, the most bizarre piles of lava, but to understand what is typical for the average Icelandic landscape, then three features catch your eye: everywhere in Iceland you can see very far away, you can see mountains everywhere and almost nowhere are there any traces of human influence on nature.
You can see far away everywhere because the air in Iceland is very transparent and there are no forests, and in general there are almost no trees, only here and there rowan trees and birch trees near the houses, nothing obscures the distance. And the distance in Iceland is always mountains, black, brown, gray, and on clear days pink, purple, blue. Even in Reykjavik, the largest city and capital of Iceland, you can see the mountains surrounding it from the north, east and south. And from the upper floors of houses you can usually see the ocean. It approaches the city from the west and covers it with bays from the south and north. And against the backdrop of the ocean you can see the snowy peak of Snæfellsökull. It seems very close, although it is about one hundred and twenty kilometers from Reykjavik in a straight line! Lava still crunches under your feet here and there in Reykjavík, and in the lake located in the center of the city there are a lot of wild ducks and swans swimming, which fly here in the same way as they fly to the lakes and lagoons scattered along the Icelandic coast and teeming with wild water creatures. birds.
Geologists say that Iceland is a comparatively very young country: its oldest rocks were formed no more than sixty million years ago, much of its surface was formed within the last million years, and one tenth of its surface is covered with solidified lava flows that are less than ten thousand years old. . The forces that created Iceland continue to operate. In November 1963, an underwater volcano began to erupt off the southern coast of Iceland, creating the island of Surtsey. In June 1965, a second island, Sirtlingur, formed next to it, which then disappeared. The deep and swift rivers of Iceland carry a lot of sand from the mountains and, flowing through the sandy plains thus formed, spread into many channels that constantly change their course. What was once a cape jutting out into the ocean, or a coastal island, turns into a mountain rising among the sandy plain. But the amazing thing is not so much that Iceland continues to form, but that it all looks as if people have not yet appeared on it. The only trace of human influence on nature in Iceland is the tuns, fenced areas of cultivated meadow near farmsteads. But the tunas are insignificant specks on the surface of the country: farmsteads are found only in the coastal strip and are usually very far apart from each other, and on the southern coast they stretch along the foot of the mountains like a thread, which in some places is completely interrupted. The ocean coast itself in the south, where sands occupy vast spaces, is completely deserted. Only in the extreme south do the mountains come close to the shore, forming a rocky cape on which so many birds nest that their cries drown out the ocean surf. There are no bays convenient for navigation on the southern coast of Iceland. In the past, shipwrecks constantly occurred here, and stories about drowned people from lost ships still circulate among the local population...
The nature of Iceland is pristine and grandiose. Glaciers, waterfalls, volcanic eruptions, geysers, lava fields, everything is the largest in the world or at least in Europe. Iceland is more than twice the size of its former metropolis Denmark, three times the size of Holland, and significantly larger than Ireland or Hungary. A sharp contrast to the scale of the country is formed by the size of the Icelandic people. Only about one hundred and ninety thousand people live in Iceland, almost half of them in Reykjavik3. Icelandic society is so small that not only is everything much smaller than in other countries, but everything is different from other countries: quantity turns into quality.
There are so few Icelanders that they still do without surnames and even in the most official address they call each other by name, in the third person, for accuracy, also with the addition of the father’s name, as if by first name and patronymic.
Only very few Icelanders have surnames: in 1925, taking surnames was prohibited by a special law. What foreigners mistake for Icelandic surnames (Einarsson, Aurtnason or Einarsdouhtir, Aurtnadouhtir, etc.) are actually patronymics, and therefore they are different for father and son or father and daughter (son means son, douhtir daughter). Thus, the son of a noble or famous father does not inherit his nobility or fame. It's impossible to boast about your last name in Iceland. Everyone belongs as if to one big family, whose members differ only by first name or first name and patronymic.
In a small nation, one person has to perform several tasks that in a large nation are usually performed different people. The Icelandic pop author often has to not only perform at a concert as an entertainer, but also arrange the chairs for the performers himself. In Iceland, the scientist is often also a poet, and the politician is often also a scientist. Jón Sigurdsson, the most famous of Icelandic political figures, who for many years led the Icelanders' struggle for national liberation, was an outstanding historian. Hannes Hafstein, who first headed Icelandic self-government as Icelandic Minister, was a distinguished poet. In a small nation, the responsibility of an individual for a national cause and his participation in it is especially noticeable. It is customary in Icelandic newspapers to publish detailed obituaries about people who left a good memory, sailors, farmers, printers, agronomists, doctors, teachers, etc., although they did not occupy any prominent position. In a small nation, the individual is not lost in the mass. Even the events of his private life have a certain resonance: Icelandic newspapers publish, for example, reports about all marriages concluded in the country, and there is also a photograph of the groom with a flower in his buttonhole and the bride with a bouquet of flowers in her hands. The distance between people of different positions in a small nation is shorter than in a large one. In Iceland, the famous writer does not stand out from mere mortals: everyone sees him all the time and therefore does not pay attention to him special attention. An ordinary Icelander and a celebrity are often close to each other, perhaps they are schoolmates or neighbors. Sometimes even the leader of a political party, accusing his parliamentary opponent, addresses him as if they were fighting in childhood, and not according to the parliamentary code.
In a country where everyone knows each other, there is no need to be afraid of thieves. If you want to go to a cafe on the main street of Reykjavik, you can leave your briefcase on the street, leaning it against the wall: no one will take it. You can approach any farm in Iceland without fear of a dog: Icelandic dogs do not bite, their barking is only a greeting to a stranger. The patriarchal morals characteristic of a small nation is also reflected in the fact that Iceland is probably the only country in the world where tipping is not accepted at all. It goes without saying that in a country where there are not even two hundred thousand people, there is no basis for bureaucracy. The size of the government apparatus in Iceland can be judged by the fact that the government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are located in a small one-story house with a mezzanine. There are only a few dozen police officers in the country. There is no armed guard anywhere: neither in the most important institutions, nor at power plants, nor at the port. No passes are needed anywhere. Foreigners mistake Icelandic police officers in black uniforms with silver buttons and a cap with a white top for naval officers, and bus drivers in khaki uniforms and caps of the same color for land officers. But there are no officers in Iceland at all, since there is no army and never has been. And this is perhaps the strangest thing about Iceland.
For almost eleven centuries since the first settlers appeared in Iceland, its inhabitants know only by hearsay what an army and war are...
The seven centuries during which Iceland belonged first to Norway and then to Denmark were an era of stagnation and decline. The population not only did not increase, but at one time even decreased. There were no significant changes in the economic life of the country. The basis of the Icelandic economy has long been sheep breeding, and because of this they settled not in villages, but in farmsteads far apart from each other. There were no cities at all. The first city of Reykjavik arose only at the end of the 18th century, but it was not until the beginning of the 20th century. looked more like a village than a city. Natural disasters have ravaged the country many times. Plague and other epidemics raged, turning entire areas into deserts. Violent volcanic eruptions, accompanied by ash rain and earthquakes, destroyed pastures and caused livestock deaths and famine. polar ice blocked the coast, as a result of which grass did not grow in the summer. Glaciers advanced on populated areas. The climatic conditions were especially harsh in the 16th and 18th centuries. During these centuries, the country became virtually unsuitable for peasant farming. To top all the troubles, the Danish merchants, having a monopoly of trade, sold essential goods for the people at exorbitant prices and bought the products of an already poor peasant economy for next to nothing, and if an Icelandic peasant dared to trade not with a Danish merchant, but, for example, with a Dutch one, then he was imprisoned to prison as a criminal...
Only in the second half of the 19th century. There has been an economic recovery in Iceland. However, at the beginning of the 20th century. the country remained largely peasant and economically very backward. The country had no bridges over the rivers, or even roads. More than half of the trade was in the hands of foreigners. Reykjavik, the only city, was then still a small village of wooden houses, and only about six thousand people lived in it. There were no port facilities, no industry there.
In just a few decades, Iceland has become a country with very high level life in the complete absence of unemployment... All new houses are built of concrete, and many of them are single-family. Structural architecture dominates, sparkling with glass and metal. Even churches are built in a constructive style. The roofs of the houses are usually bright red or bright green. All old wooden houses are covered with corrugated iron and painted in bright colors. On the asphalt streets of the city there are glittering cars, of which there are more than passers-by. Bright colors also dominate the clothes of children, of whom there are a lot on the streets of Reykjavik, especially near the lake located in its center. The city became bright and colorful. The mountains, blue in the distance, and the ocean surrounding the city on three sides highlight its colorfulness.
New concrete houses have also been built everywhere on the farmsteads. Old buildings are preserved on farmsteads only as museum objects or used as warehouses. The sharp contrast between pristine nature and modern civilization is striking everywhere in Iceland today. As soon as you leave Reykjavik and the buildings of concrete, glass and metal disappear from view, you find yourself in an area where everything is as it was thousands of years ago. There is not a single piece of cultivated land anywhere, only solidified lava everywhere. And suddenly, in the middle of this desert, you see a farm with modern buildings, cars sparkling with enamel, and you find out that there is electricity, telephone, running water, and even a swimming pool with hot water from the nearest geyser...
But in a strange way, modern Iceland combines something that is not usually found at the same stage of development. Planes of different times are crossed and combined. On the one hand, modern Iceland is characterized by the popularity of the latest achievements modern technology, the widespread dissemination of the ideas of socialism, the highest percentage of printed matter per capita in the world, on the other hand, the amazing vitality of ancient superstitions, the enormous popularity of ghost stories, the passion for genealogies, like people of an unliterate society.
Based on the book: Icelandic Culture. L.: Nauka, 1967
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1 In modern transcription Vatnajökull.
2 Nowadays it is believed that the highest point in Iceland is the Hvannadalshnukur volcano (2119 m).
3 Population of Iceland at the beginning of the 21st century. less than 300 thousand people, in Reykjavik 111 thousand people.
Whenever you come to Iceland, you will certainly find yourself on some kind of national holiday! It is interesting that almost all holidays are held in accordance with historical or religious (often with pagan roots) events, and therefore their implementation often results in a real demonstration folk traditions and rituals.
The year begins with the “cultural season”: Iceland is ablaze with musical, cultural, theatrical and artistic events. The coolest holiday of this season is called Trettaundinn- a long, difficult-to-pronounce abbreviation stands for approximately “The Thirteenth-Day-After-Christmas,” which implies the departure of the last of the many local Santa Clauses in these parts to the mountains and, accordingly, public joy on this occasion, accompanied by giant bonfires from last year’s garbage and explosions of fireworks across all over Iceland.
The Winter Festival begins immediately after Trettaundinn. The main feature of the Winter Festival is the opportunity for visitors to accept the generosity of the Icelanders and treat themselves to boiled sheep’s heads and “tasty” shark meat - I can’t believe it, but at one time this was the best delicacy for the ancient Vikings. And in February there is again a festival of food, or rather culinary art - Food&Fun– annual international chef competition in Reykjavik. Masters of their craft from different cuisines around the world come to participate in it. And if you are a real gourmet, then about a week before the delicious event in many restaurants in the city you can try the culinary delights of invited celebrities. In fact, winning Food&Fun is comparable in prestige to the Cannes Palme d'Or in cinema. In turn, Food&Fun smoothly flows into the spring beer festival - and believe me, this holiday is in no way comparable to our beer fest - in addition to the popular drinking of beer in Iceland, almost everyone takes part in snowmobile races and the snow figure festival.
Summer in Iceland begins in April with carnivals and holidays, namely on the third Thursday of April. It’s just that on this day the long polar Icelandic night ends and a completely different series of Icelandic holidays begins - already summer ones. The “first day of summer” is celebrated, a national holiday and carnival – Sumardagurinn Fyrsti. The first of the summer events is the Festival of the Sea – Sjomannadagurinn. Another difficult to read and pronounce Icelandic proper name deciphers a holiday based on the old traditional Icelandic Fisherman's Day. The festival begins in the first week of June in honor of those who dedicated their lives to the sea and is accompanied by various water sports competitions and military-historical dramatizations dedicated to a particular geographical event. This holiday includes a bunch of cultural events, parades, food fairs, and sailing competitions.
The country's largest national festival is held in Iceland Independence Day, which began on June 17, 1944. The rather bright ceremony is accompanied by colorful parades, street musical performances and dance groups, theaters on the streets, theatrical shows and general fun.
In mid-July, Midsummer is celebrated - the summer solstice, a time in which the night acquires magical healing powers and can cure 19 different diseases.
One of the most important sporting events Iceland is Reykjavik Marathon. Every year, thousands of runners from the country itself, as well as guests from abroad, take part in the marathon. In addition to the full marathon distance, there is a race for a “half marathon” distance - for those who take the matter less seriously and just want to have fun.
Several big events take place in August. The festival is a celebration of family reunions and a cultural night during which bookshops, museums and galleries remain open throughout Saturday night, artistic performances are staged on the streets, in cafes, bars and restaurants throughout the capital, culminating in a large fireworks display.
During three autumn festivals, Iceland breathes music. One of them - Iceland Airwaves, an annual October festival in Reykjavik. Concerts take place in very small clubs in Reykjavik in the second half of October. The concept of the festival: do without big names and pave the way for everything new and original. In terms of the number of interesting musicians per capita, which in Iceland is only a little over three hundred thousand people, this country ranks first in the world. In a country with a minimal population - five world music stars: Bjork, Sigur Ros, Gus Gus, MUM, Mugison, about a dozen more famous artists in Europe, and hundreds of just good bands, which have every chance of becoming popular not only in their own country.
The year ends Merry Christmas. And the most important feature of Icelandic Christmas is the exit from the “hidden world” of trolls, gnomes and elves, in the existence of which you will begin to believe from the first day spent in this super-mysterious country. Santa Claus (in Icelandic he will be “Joulasveinn”), there are as many as 13 of them here, lives in the mountains and comes to people 13 days before Christmas Eve, one Santa for every day. If you noticed, he leaves 13 days after the New Year.
Standing apart are the numerous community holidays at the end of the fishing season (dates vary in different localities in Iceland), when almost the entire population celebrates the end of the fishing season (although in fact it does not end at all - fish are caught here all year round). Such fun is not surprising - almost everyone goes to sea during Putin - from the mayor and teacher to the church watchman and policeman. Therefore, its ending is completely legal.
The most famous and popular national holidays in the country are held in accordance with various historical or religious (often having pagan roots) events, and therefore their implementation often results in a real demonstration of folk traditions and rituals.
The holiday "Trettaundinn" ("The Thirteenth Day After Christmas", usually on January 6) celebrates the departure of the last of the many local Santa Clauses to the mountains. On this day, on the outskirts of cities and in specially prepared areas, giant bonfires are lit from last year's garbage and fireworks are set off. Beer Day (March) is celebrated in honor of the passage of the Strong Beer Law, which lifted the ban on the production and consumption of this drink, which had been in effect in Iceland for 75 years. During the holiday, an almost nationwide beer festival is held, as well as snowmobile races and a snow sculpture festival. "Sumardagurinn Firtsi" (third Thursday of April) is a real carnival of the "first day of summer" (on this day the long polar night really ends). The capital hosts a traditional folklore Arts Festival every two years.
The festival "Sjomannadagurinn" (the first week of June) is dedicated to seafarers and is accompanied by various water sports competitions and military-historical dramatizations, dedicated to this or another geographical event (preference is given, of course, to the “discovery” of the island by the Vikings in 874). On Independence Day (June 17), the largest National Festival, accompanied by colorful parades, performances of street music and dance groups, theatrical shows and general fun. The midsummer festival "Midsummer" (June 24) is considered a day of magical powers and healing from illnesses. The festival "Pyodhatio Vestmannajar" (August) is accompanied by "fiery fun" around huge bonfires, trips to the bosom of nature, as well as numerous dance and song performances. Almost in parallel with it, “Verslunarmannahelgi” is celebrated - a holiday of family reunion, also accompanied by numerous concerts, shows and general fun.
Of particular note are the numerous community holidays of the end of the fishing season (dates vary in different localities of the country), when almost the entire population celebrates the end of the fishing season (although in fact it does not end at all - fish are caught here all year round). Such fun is not surprising - almost everyone goes to sea during Putin - from the mayor and teacher to the church watchman and policeman. Therefore, the end of it quite legitimately becomes a general holiday, ending the difficult “suffering”.
Christmas in Iceland has its own, very unusual, features - they still believe in the existence of trolls, gnomes and elves, who New Year leave their “hidden world” and can meet people. Even “Joulasveinn” (Father Frost in Icelandic, there are as many as 13 of them here!) is a descendant of mountain trolls. “Santa Clauses” live in the mountains and begin to come to people’s homes 13 days before Christmas Eve, one Santa for each day, bringing gifts to red boots prepared in advance. Therefore, Icelanders begin to celebrate Christmas 13 days before the New Year, and continue to celebrate it for the same amount of time after. On the slopes of the extinct volcano Esja near the capital, before Christmas, a “congress” of Icelandic pagans takes place, accompanied by numerous festive events.
Life for the first Icelandic settlers in the winter was terrible, because it was even more boring and gloomy than today. Five long winter months became a real test for the minds of the ancient Scandinavians. To keep their sanity, Icelanders are old good times They organized celebrations, the most significant of which was the mid-winter festival Juorrablut. Its name goes back to the name of one of the months of the ancient northern calendar, Yuorri. The celebration began in the last week of modern January and ended at the end of the third week of February, just a couple of weeks before the current calendar end of winter, when the days become longer and the approach of spring is already felt.
Icelanders mark the beginning of this holiday by sticking only one leg into just one pant leg and jumping barefoot on one leg around the yard. The church repeatedly tried to oppose the practice of the pagan cult (perhaps due to dissatisfaction with the mass coming to church of parishioners on crutches - due to one foot frostbitten while jumping barefoot in the snow), but during the Danish rule this holiday was declared a national holiday. And today, Icelanders celebrate midwinter with no less enthusiasm than their ancestors - quite possibly for the same reason as in ancient times. At this time, the tables are laden with traditional dishes, and alcohol flows like a river. Jumping in the snow is not necessary, but is not prohibited - provided that the legs are lubricated with modern medicines.
One of the main holidays in Iceland is New Year. During the New Year, Icelanders light bonfires, sing and dance around them. After the New Year, Icelanders celebrate the most important traditional holiday - Yule. This holiday has many names. It is called the "Bonfire Festival" because on this day Icelanders burn large bonfires in special places; “Mother of all nights”, since the holiday is dedicated to the diss - goddesses of fate, “Trettaundinn”, which translates as “thirteenth day” (symbolizing the thirteenth day after Christmas). Yule traditions are close to Christmas traditions. On Yule, they decorate the Christmas tree and put gifts under it. There has long been a belief in Iceland that on this day you must wear new woolen clothes, otherwise the Yule Cat will come and take away the festive dinner, expensive things or even children.
Another winter holiday- Valentine's Day. Although this holiday is Christian and church, the Icelanders added national flavor to it. In Iceland, Valentine's Day is dedicated to Odin's son Vali, however, this holiday, like everywhere else in the world, is related to the romance of love. In Iceland, there is a funny custom: on this day, girls hang firebrands on guys’ necks, and in return they try to hang pebbles on the girls’ necks. The meaning of this ritual is easier to understand if you consider that to light a fire on Vali's Day, you must strike a spark by striking a stone against a stone.
Another favorite holiday in Iceland, combining ancient pagan and Christian traditions, falls on Wednesday of the first week of Lent. On this day, all Icelandic children put on carnival outfits and pester adults with pranks from morning to evening.
The culmination of the holiday is kattarslogur, when children use homemade swords or clubs to cut a rope thrown over a beam. Not so long ago, at one end of this rope - no one knows why - there was a dead cat hanging. These days, by various reasons- including
One of the newest holidays is Beer Day. It is celebrated on March 1 - on this day the beer law was adopted, which was in force in this country until 1989. This act abolished Prohibition, which had been in force in the country for almost a century. Beer Day is celebrated in bars and restaurants. The parties continue until the morning. Concerts and a special beer festival are organized.
Lutheran Easter is one of the most, if not the most main holiday for Icelanders. At Easter, Icelanders bake pies and make chocolate eggs. The only Icelandic tradition associated with Easter is the belief that on Easter the sun dances, moving in different directions, but in order to witness this spectacle, the date of Easter must coincide with the date when Jesus was resurrected.
Sumardagurinn Firsti - the holiday of the first day of summer is celebrated on a special scale. There are a lot of beliefs associated with this day, as it is pagan holiday. For example, it was believed that if there was frost on the night of a holiday, it was for the best. This phenomenon was called “summer frozen to winter.” It was also believed that the layer of cream on the milk in the new year would correspond to the layer of ice that formed on the water that night. So if the night was frosty, then the milk would be fatty.
June Icelanders celebrate midsummer - a midsummer festival. This holiday is also pagan and has been preserved since the times when the ancient Vikings divided the year into two parts - summer and winter and celebrated mid-summer and mid-winter. On this day, the Summer Solstice Festival is organized in modern Iceland. There are many traditions associated with this day. For example, Icelanders believe that the most short night per year has magical powers and can cure 19 different diseases, so they hold religious events related to this belief.
Vetrnetr - Celebration of the first day of winter or Winter Day. On this day, Icelanders burn bonfires and hold various competitions. In modern Iceland, many festivals are organized in Vätrnetr, the most famous of which are Iceland Airwaves and the Youth Arts Festival.
In December, Icelanders celebrate the Catholic Day of St. Nicholas and the Nativity of Christ. In Iceland, as in many other countries, the holiday of the Nativity of Christ was introduced to replace the winter solstice, on which sacrifices were made. Although this holiday is Christian, there are many beliefs associated with it. For example, Icelanders believe that on this day the elves move to another place and those who wanted to take possession of their wealth stood at crossroads at night and waited for the elves to bargain with them for as long as possible - until dawn came and the elves will not dissolve into the air, leaving all the good on earth.
The most important public holidays- Independence Day of Iceland, which is celebrated on December 1, President's Day of Iceland and Proclamation Day of the Icelandic Republic, which is celebrated on June 17.
Trettaundinn Festival(“The Thirteenth Day After Christmas,” usually January 6) marks the departure of the last of the many local Santa Clauses to the mountains.
On this day, on the outskirts of cities and in specially prepared areas, giant bonfires are lit from last year's garbage and fireworks are set off.
Beer Day(March) is held in honor of the adoption of the “Strong Beer Law”, which lifted the ban on the production and consumption of this drink, which had been in force in Iceland for 75 years.
During the holiday, an almost nationwide beer festival is held, as well as snowmobile races and a snow sculpture festival.
"Sumardagurinn Firtsi" (the third Thursday of April) is a real carnival of the "first day of summer" (on this day the long polar night really ends). The traditional folklore Arts Festival is held in the capital every two years.
Festival "Sjomannadagurinn"(the first week of June) is dedicated to seafarers and is accompanied by various competitions in water sports and military-historical performances dedicated to one or another geographical event (preference is given, of course, to the “discovery” of the island by the Vikings in 874).
IN Independence Day(June 17) the largest National Festival takes place, accompanied by colorful parades, performances of street music and dance groups, theatrical shows and general fun.
Midsummer Festival" Midsummer"(June 24) is considered the day of magical powers and healing from illnesses. The festival "Pyodhatio Vestmannayar" (August) is accompanied by "fiery fun" around huge bonfires, trips of everyone and everything into the bosom of nature, as well as numerous dance and song performances.
Almost parallel to it is celebrated " Verslunarmannahelgi" is a family reunion holiday, also accompanied by numerous concerts, shows and general fun.
Numerous communal holidays of the end of Putin(dates vary in different localities of the country), when almost the entire population celebrates the end of the fishing season (although in fact it does not end at all - fish are caught here all year round).
Such fun is not surprising - almost everyone goes to sea during Putin - from the mayor and teacher to the church watchman and policeman. Therefore, the end of it quite legitimately becomes a general holiday, ending the difficult “suffering”.
Christmas in Iceland has its own, very unusual, features - they still believe in the existence of trolls, gnomes and elves, who leave their “hidden world” on New Year’s Eve and can meet people.
Even " Joulasveinn"(Santa Claus in Icelandic, there are as many as 13 of them here!) and he is a descendant of mountain trolls. "Santa Clauses" live in the mountains and begin to come to human habitation 13 days before Christmas Eve, one Santa for every day , bringing gifts to red boots prepared in advance.
Therefore, Icelanders begin to celebrate Christmas 13 days before the New Year, and continue to celebrate it for the same amount of time after. On the slopes of the extinct volcano Esya near the capital, before Christmas, "congress" of Icelandic pagans accompanied by numerous festive events.
