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:
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:
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.
posted by Larry at 12:15 PM
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