Iceland New Year's

A report from the The White Falcon

One of the most magical nights of the year is the night when the old year changes into the new. Bonfires on New Year's Eve have been lit in Iceland since the late 18th century. In this century the custom of "sprengja út árið", "blowing out the year" has been observed by detonating fireworks, and many families spend a small fortune on them. It is usually a night of great merriment, with the family spending the first part of the evening together. However, dances start a little before midnight and young people usually go to a dance.


(Photo by: LI2 Luke Basset)

For a long time bonfires and Elf dances have been the main celebrations in Iceland on New Years Eve.

The oldest example of a New Year’s bonfire is from 1791 when students from Hólavallaschool in Reykjavík lit a fire on Landakotshill where the Catholic Cathedral is located today. The bonfire was there so that people could see it from miles away.

In the latter half of the 19th century the custom of a New Year’s bonfire spread throughout the country along with torch parades.

Around this time people started to have Elf dances because of the people’s belief in Elves, the Elf dancing took place on the pond (the lake in the city of Reykjavík). When people were dancing and dressed like elves they sang some songs. Many of those songs are well known and Sæmundur Eyjólfsson calls one of the most popular songs “Elf Dance”. Here is the first verse:

There is joy in every hill,
everybody loudly sings.
This last Christmas night we will
celebrate with elf - begins.

The darkness is beautiful,
when filled with mystic songs.
Singing loud and dancing
and joyful, all night long.

The first elf dance dates back to 1871. One of the best-known scenes on New Year’s Eve is the Elf Ride that could be seen because the elves were moving that day from one location to another. More likely is that on Christmas and New Year’s Eve people went to church and then you were able to see a group of people moving around in the dark mistaking them for elves. Because the elves chose to move that day the lady of the house would clean the farm and put light in every corner to drive out the shadows. After all the cleaning was done it was supposed to be more effective if the lady of the farm walked around the farm saying:

Come, whoever wants to come, stay, whoever wants to stay, go, whoever wants to go, without harm to me and mine.

Burning lights were left on thru the night and for a long time it was considered very important to leave at least one light burning on Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

There are many stories about the hidden people visiting farms on those days when only one person is home. Both on Christmas and New Year’s Eve people attended church and someone was left behind to take care of the farm. When the hidden people came they entertained themselves by eating the food, drinking the wine, singing, dancing and playing music.

When this was happening, it was very important for the person taking care of the farm to take no part in the fun with the hidden people, but just wait until morning and then by surprise try to scare the hidden people with the sentence; Thank God, morning is coming! or something similar. When the hidden people heard that morning was coming, they rushed away and forgot to take all their belongings with them. If that happened, the person who stayed at the farm was allowed to keep everything that belonged to the hidden people and usually that was a lot.

Other stories say that often the lady of the house decided to stay home on Christmas or New Year’s Eve when all the others went to church. Actually she was one of the hidden people herself and was only able to pay her hidden people family a visit in the hidden people world once a year and only that night.

It has been common belief in Iceland that elves move on New Year’s Eve, that night was chosen for sitting out on crossroads in order to be in their way. The elves cannot get past the man sitting on the roads and therefore make him all kinds of offers, gold and treasures. If the man keeps silent all thru the night the treasures will remain his. Few came unscathed from lying on crossroads. The best-known story is of a man who had persevered almost through the night despite offers of gold and silver. Shortly before dawn an elf woman finally came along with a ladleful of hot drippings, which to him was the most delectable kind of nourishment. When this happened, he could not help glancing at the ladle and uttering the words that have since become an adage for those giving in to temptations:

Seldom have I passed up drippings. Thereby, he lost all the treasures and half his wisdom to boot and he remained strange for the rest of his life.

Icelandic Yule Lads

Icelanders have not one, but thirteen Santas, or Yule Lads. These lads are not related to Santa Claus in any way. They are descendants of trolls and were originally used to scare children. In the last century, however, they have become a lot friendlier.

They often make appearances at Christmas dances, which are very popular among Icelandic children. Children (adults are of course welcome to join them) dance around a Christmas tree and sing carols. The highlight of the dance is when one of the Yule Lads joins the celebration and dances and sings with the kids and usually gives them a goody bag before he leaves.



Pot Licker is the 5th of the Icelandic Yule Lad to make his journey from the montains and he arrives on the 16th of December.



Spoon Licker is the 4th of the Icelandic Yule Lad to make his journey from the montains and he arrives on the 15th of December.

The day after Christmas the first yule lad returns to the mountains. Then they leave, one by one, until the last one leaves on January 6th, the last day of the Christmas season.

Source:

Season Greetings

Today the "sun stands still." Winter solstice occurs across the Northern Hemisphere. Solstice is Latin for "sun standing still."

The sun doesn’t actually stand still however it is the shortest day in the year for daylight in our hemisphere. This is especially true in Iceland where you will find only about 4 hours of daylight today.

On the bright side the days start getting longer tomorrow.

Winter Solstice has all kinds of meanings throughout the world depending on your religion, culture, or beliefs. Celebrations date back for at least 5,000 years.

From Iceland comes the legend of the sinister and gargantuan Yule Cat, who, it seems, is ready to eat lazy humans. Those who did not help with the work of their village to finish all work on the autumn wool by Yule time got a double whammy -- they missed out on the Yule reward of a new article of clothing, and they were threatened with becoming sacrifices for the dreaded . This tidbit from a lovely Web site on Yule in Iceland, complete with a poem on the Yule Cat.

No matter how you celebrate this time of year I wish to extend all A.T. Mahan Alumni and families "Season Greetings".

The 13 Yuletide Lads

Thirteen days before Christmas the Yulemen begin to arrive at farms and in towns. These 13 brothers are strange creatures, part troll and part prankster in human form.

Actually, they are much meeker today than they were in former times, when according to Icelandic lore, they could be quite dangerous. Their father and mother, Grýla and Leppalúði, were terrible trolls who caught and ate disobedient children. Even the family cat was a monster.

On Christmas Day it searched out any child that didn't get a new piece of clothing for Christmas and ate, if not the child, at least his ration of Christmas food. The Yulemen played pranks on people and stole from them.

Each had his special Christmas preference--food, or candles for example - and a distinctive way of getting his hands on it which was reflected in his name.

Today's prosperity has softened the lads a bit and now they are good-natured boys who come bearing gifts.

They used to dress in warm woolen clothes in tones of black white gray and brown. These days they sometimes put on red suits, which they claim are their best clothes. The night before the first Yuleman arrives (December 12th) there are suddenly little shoes on the windowsills of the bedrooms of all Icelandic children. The reason for the shoes is that the children know that if they have behaved well, they can expect the Yuleman to sneak a little treat into the shoe while they are asleep.

If they have not behaved well, however, they may find only a potato or nothing at all in the shoe when they wake up. Sometimes the children leave a little something in the shoe for the Yuleman to find - a sausage for "Sausage Snatcher" or maybe a candle for "Candle Beggar".

Source: www.jolahusid.com