Öskudagur, a.k.a. Ash Wednesday 2022 Is Here

Today Iceland celebrates Öskudagur or Ash Wednesday. This is a holiday that marks the first day of Lent, or 46 days until Easter. Öskudagur has also been known as the Icelandic Carnival.

Easter is drawing closer and now we have Icelandic Easter Eggs back in stock!

The holiday has a religious history but has taken a more fun angle in Iceland. On this day, Icelandic kids dress up in costumes and ask for candy in exchange for e.g. singing a song or telling a joke.

Grown-ups, often take ashes from the church to bless their homes. There’s also a tradition of hanging small bags with ash on men, and small bags with pebbles on women that you fancy.

See the video of Icelandic children celebrating Öskudagur in 2020.

Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted completely in Iceland last Friday, so hopefully, you can see dressed-up kids around in Iceland today.

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