A Modern Twist on Icelandic Christmas & New Year Traditions

The Icelandic Christmas season is so much fun. Well, it’s normally a lot of fun but we are doing the best to enjoy it even though COVID is keeping many of us from our loved ones. While I have done an episode about Icelandic Christmas way back in the day of the podcast, I wanted to share with you the full breakdown of this time from the point of view of an Icelander. My lovely friend Íris Stefanía joined me for this episode to share her modern take on Icelandic Christmas traditions.

We filmed this at her place and a link to the video on the All Things Iceland YouTube channel will be available in the show notes of this episode. During our chat we go over what is happening in Iceland from the start of advent until the last day of Christmas here, which is January 6th. I love that Íris still does some traditional things with her family but has also found ways to mix in her own style and add a modern touch. We had a lot of fun eating piparköku (gingerbread) and laufabrauð, drinking malt og appelsín (a popular mix that is available only during holidays here), and eating mondlugrautinn, which is a rice porridge. Why that is done will be explained during our chat.

Icelandic Christmas & New Year Traditions Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2myOZ_sYqo The 13 Icelandic Yule Lads

1. Stekkjastaur (Sheep-Cote Clod): He tries to suckle female sheep in farmer’s sheds
2. Giljagaur (Gully Gawk): He steals foam from buckets of cow milk
3. Stúfur (Stubby): He’s short and steals food from frying pans
4. Þvörusleikir (Spoon Licker): He licks spoons
5. Pottaskefill (Pot Scraper or Pot Licke)r: He steals unwashed pots and licks them clean
6. Askasleikir (Bowl Licker): He steals bowls of food from under the bed (back in the old days, Icelanders used to sometimes store bowls of food there – convenient for midnight snacking?)
7. Hurðaskellir (Door Slammer): He stomps around and slams doors, keeping everyone awake
8. Skyrgámur (Skyr Gobbler): He eats up all the Icelandic yogurt (skyr)
9. Bjúgnakrækir (Sausage Swiper): He loves stolen sausages
10. Gluggagægir (Window Peeper): He likes to creep outside windows and sometimes steal the stuff he sees inside
11. Gáttaþefur (Door Sniffer): He has a huge nose and an insatiable appetite for stolen baked goods
12. Ketkrókur (Meat Hook): He snatches up any meat left out, especially smoked lamb
13. Kertasníkir (Candle Stealer): He steals candles, which used to be sought-after items in Iceland

Join the All Things Iceland Patreon Community

Some of you might be aware that one of my goals for the podcast is to travel around Iceland more to interview different people in each region. In July, I set up the All Things Iceland community on Patreon. It’s a membership platform that was founded in 2013. It allows for creators like me to provide exclusive content to listeners like you in exchange for a monthly subscription.

Each month I am doing Ask Me Anything videos, Live Chats, and Folklore Friday each week. Sometimes I do updates about my life in Iceland. I do not share this content on any other channel. The support from my patrons on the All Things Iceland community on Patreon will help to evolve All Things Iceland. There are several membership tiers to choose from and each tier has a variety of benefits.

If you would like to join the community, go to patreon.com/allthingsiceland. I look forward to having you join.

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Þakka þér kærlega fyrir að hlusta (og að lesa) og sjáumst fljótlega

Thank you kindly for listening (and reading) and see you soon!