Why should every Icelander get something new to wear for Christmas?

The so-called Christmas Cat—Jólakötturinn—lurks in the Icelandic countryside throughout the Christmas period. It's known to eat anyone who has not received a new item of clothing by Christmas Eve.

What is Iceland's Christmas tradition?

What's more, Icelandic children don't just get presents from Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. On the 13 nights leading up to Christmas, Icelandic homes are visited by the 13 Yule Lads ("Jólasveinar") – creatures from festive Nordic folklore. Starting on 12 December, they descend one by one from the mountains.

What is the Icelandic Christmas shoe tradition?

The eve before December 12th, everyone who believes in the Yule Lads will put a shoe on the window sill and keep it there for 13 days. This particular number has to do with the number of Icelandic Jólasveinar (or Icelandic Santa Clauses if you prefer).

How do people in Iceland prepare for Christmas?

Decorations and preparations

Decorations are an important part of Christmas mood in Iceland. Almost everyone is getting a Christmas tree and dress it in the “traditional” way: Christmas balls, lights, ornaments, and garlands. People also prepare the houses, decorating them with many lights outside or in the windows.

How does Iceland decorate for Christmas?

Like other parts of Scandinavia, holiday decorations in Iceland are clean and natural. Many people bring "found" objects from nature, like fir branches, berries and pinecones. People decorate trees in their homes, some starting on the first Advent Sunday while others wait for December 23, the day before Christmas Eve.

5 DOS and DON'TS in Iceland 🇮🇸 Tips for visitors from a local Icelander 💡

Why should every Icelandic get something new to wear for Christmas?

The so-called Christmas Cat—Jólakötturinn—lurks in the Icelandic countryside throughout the Christmas period. It's known to eat anyone who has not received a new item of clothing by Christmas Eve.

What are 5 facts about Iceland?

Where is the Iceland Golden Circle?

The Golden Circle (Icelandic: Gullni hringurinn [ˈkʏtlnɪ ˈr̥iŋkʏrɪn]) is a tourist route in southern Iceland, covering about 300 kilometres (190 mi) looping from Reykjavík into the southern uplands of Iceland and back. It is the area that contains most tours and travel-related activities in Iceland.

What is Santa Claus called in Iceland?

What is Santa Claus called in Iceland? The short answer is that there is no Santa Claus. But, there are 13 Yule Lads! They're called "Jolasveinar" in Icelandic and named after their characteristics.

What does Gryla look like?

Depictions of Gryla often vary, but on the whole she is painted to be a monstrous female. Sometimes she is an 'ogress', sometimes she appears with hooves and a horned tail.

Does Iceland have 13 Santas?

In the case of Iceland, there is not one but 13 Santas who check out which children behave and who do not. The Yuletide season is full of festivities with stories and legends to delight the young and old.

What is the meaning of Jólabókaflóðið?

The Christmas book flood or Yule book flood (Icelandic: Jólabókaflóðið) is a term used in Iceland for the annual release of new books occurring in the months before Christmas. These books are then purchased as presents to be gifted on Christmas Eve.

What is Santa's culture?

Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Christmas Eve.

Which country is called Santa?

Santa Claus is associated with Saint Nicholas, who is the patron saint of children. The Americanized name Santa Claus dates back to 1765—75, and it originally comes from the Dutch name Sinterklaas.

Is Grýla real?

Interestingly, Gryla wasn't just invented by the writers of the screenplay, she has a long and infamous history as a mythological character from Icelandic folklore. Gryla, or, to refer to her correctly, Grýla, was a humongous witchy giant who lived in the icy wilderness.

What is the real name of Santa Claus in English?

Notes: Santa Claus's original name is Saint Nicholas. The name Saint Nicholas comes from a patron saint who was known for giving gifts to the poor. The Dutch pronunciation of Saint Nicholas is "Sinterklaas".

What are the myths about Gullfoss waterfall?

Gygur was such a miser that he couldn't bear the idea of giving his well-earned fortune to anyone else after his death. Instead he decided to throw all his gold into the waterfall, and it would be this gold that gave the waterfall its name.

Why was beer banned in Iceland?

But even then the ban remained in force for beer containing more than 2.25% alcohol (about half the strength of an average-strength beer). As beer was cheaper than wines or spirits, the fear was that legalising it would lead to a big rise in alcohol abuse.

What is Iceland number 1 in?

Ranked number one since 2008, Iceland remains the world's most peaceful nation, leading across all three domains: safety and security, ongoing conflict and militarisation. It even recorded a 2% improvement this year, widening the gap from the second-place country on the list.

Is there McDonald's in Iceland?

Hence, all McDonald's stores in Iceland were closed in October 2009, with no plans to revive McDonald's Iceland in the future. When the closure was announced on 26 October 2009, many concerned customers rushed in for the last-minute opportunity to have a meal at McDonald's.

What do the 13 Yule Lads do?

Yule Lads. A wooden askur, a lidded food bowl favored by the Bowl-Licker lad. The Yule Lads (sometimes known as Yuletide-lads or Yulemen) are the sons of Grýla and Leppalúði. They are a group of 13 mischievous pranksters who steal from or otherwise harass the population.

What clothes do you need for Iceland in December?

What gift do Icelandic people exchange on Christmas Eve?

Jólabókaflóð - the Christmas book flood

This is a fabulous Icelandic Christmas tradition which roughly translates as 'Christmas book flood'. On Christmas Eve, people exchange gifts of books and then read them straight away, snuggled up in front of the fire, eating chocolate or drinking hot chocolate. What a cosy idea!