Tradition
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The Bookish Tradition Of Christmas Eve
As yuletide approaches, the thoughts of Icelanders turn to books. And we’re talking real books here; the ones made from paper. The ones with actual pages that, when fresh and new, waft the promise of discovery as you turn them. Have you…
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PHOTOS: Icelandic Children Celebrate Öskudagur
As reported, Ash Wednesday in Iceland, or Öskudagur (“Ashes Day”), is a holiday for either religious adults or children of any or no faith. On this day, children typically dress up in costumes, visit local businesses, and then sing in order to…
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The Eccentric Trad Society of Ölsmiðjan
Once a week, after schoolyards fall quiet and workdays end, a handful of musicians climb the stairs of a whitewashed Reykjavík pub. They hail from England, Scotland, France, the United States, and Iceland too, and the cases under their arms hold guitars,…
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Þorrablót: A Fabricated Tradition
It’s Þorrablót time in Iceland. You could have one too. Let me save you some trouble: the Þorramatur menu isn’t terrible. It’s not an accomplishment to ingest. It really isn’t much, at all. Curing the meat–be that sheep entrails or head, or…
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You Might Not Know Oliver, But He’s Throwing You A Party
Icelanders hang with their families on New Years Eve. At least until midnight. You can’t convince them to do otherwise. Just ask Oliver Luckett, who flew over from Los Angeles to throw a massive party for Icelanders and their friends on New…
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Artificial Christmas Trees More Popular Than Actual Pine
If you spend your holidays at an Icelandic household, you will most likely see the living room decorated, or perhaps occupied, by green plastic in the shape of a pine tree. The artificial Christmas tree seems to be taking over. It is…
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Orable Tradition
Nostalgia marketing is big money but it is around the Holidays that it is most expertly wielded. Shady mega-conglomerates and unashamed monopolies doff their Christmas caps and electrocute their army of Yuletide lab monkeys into screeching Christmas carols. But it wasn’t until…
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Good Ol’ Traditions
One of last week’s loudest debates has to do with next year’s State Treasury budget, which Alþingi has been debating, as tradition has it, these last days before Christmas. Among the proposed changes in taxation is the lowering of VAT on electric…
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Gathering Sheep: They’re Bloody Stubborn!
It was a tough climb to the top of the hill, and I was tired from the ascent. Luckily it wasn’t raining. Once we reached the top, I turned around and looked across the valley and found that, yes, autumn had set…
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Wedding Ring Found In Blood Pudding
First, context: Slátur, etymologically related to slaughter for a reason, is a traditional meat-product somewhere between a sausage and Scottish haggis. It comes in two varieties: blóðmör and lifrarpylsa, blood pudding and liver sausage. The blood pudding could be categorized among other…
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So What’s This Hazing I Keep Hearing About?
Like young people the world over, Icelandic youths like to humiliate younger kids for fun. This behaviour takes many forms, but the one that has been in the news lately is secondary school hazing. In Iceland, primary school ends at sixteen and…
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RÚV Backtracks, Prayers Back On Air
Iceland’s National Broadcasting Service, RÚV, have backtracked their recent decision to take prayers off air following a meeting with the Bishop of Iceland. As reported, RÚV planned to remove daily morning and evening prayers, plus programmes in which scripture is read out and replace…
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Screaming Jumpers
There are not many things that scream “cultural heritage” as loudly as the humble Icelandic woollen sweater or “lopapeysa” as us natives refer to it. Having one on is like wearing knitted Iceland. It resembles the country’s rugged nature and reminds us of…
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Ram’s Balls, And Sheep’s Heads, And Smoked Horse, Oh My!
At the end of January, mere weeks after most Icelanders have packed away their Christmas decorations and returned to the daily grind, the midwinter festival of Þorri arrives to bolster spirits and brace stomachs. A celebration of bygone traditions and an opportunity…
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VIDEO! Special Rotted Skate Special!
Your friends at The Reykjavík Grapevine sure love them some fermented skate. We dropped in at a rotten lunch party earlier and got the skinny on skate from a verified skate expert. https://youtube.com/watch?v=7YP2vqmdaQE%3Ffs%3D1%26hl%3Den_US As you will probably know, today is December 23rd,…