Chinese Couples Want To Conceive Kids Under Northern Lights

Jónína Guðrún Óskarsdóttir, manager of the Northern Lights House of Iceland, has seen an increase in Chinese people paying the site a visit, and she believes it has to do with superstition.

RÚV reports that the Northern Light House – located in Fáskrúðsfjörður, east Iceland – opened two days ago. The house exhibits pictures taken by Jóhanna Kristín Hauksdóttir and Jónína Guðrún Óskarsdóttir, along with everything there is to know about the northern lights.

Jónína hopes that this will attract tourists, and not just when the northern lights are more easily visible, such as in the winter. If tourists spread their visits more over the whole year, she believes, the country will be less crowded for everyone.

She has also noticed an increase in Chinese people visiting the place. In China and Japan, some abide the myth that conceiving kids under the northern lights will bring good luck.

“I have heard stories that they are very open about this,” she said. “Guides, drivers and fellow travelers have witnessed pairs making love at places where people view the northern lights.”

Jónína speculates that this may have to do with the fact that Chinese couples are only allowed to have one child (although this policy ended last year) and they want to make sure their child is happy and has all the luck in the world. This, she believes, is what attracts them to Iceland, and to the northern lights especially.