I love the Icelandic people – they give us such a different way of looking at things, especially holidays! So when I read this latest entry in a travel blog, I had to share it with you all. Yes, the Icelandic celebrate New Year’s in a big way, and in some very unexpected ways!
I’ve written about Iceland before and some of their surprising beliefs. I’ll include links to those articles in the reference section below. But tonight, we are going to explore what happens in Iceland during the New Year’s celebration. Besides good food and fireworks, it gets a little different.
Traditional Festivities
According to the travel blog, Iceland Travel, their celebrations start off normally. Families share an evening meal, the last one of the current year and they enjoy a lot of delicious food like most of us do around the world.
The article continues describing how Iceland tends to go a little overboard with their fireworks, setting off 700 tons of imported fireworks, “which means almost 2 kg – more than 4 pounds per person!” The author explains that at this time of year, there are only 4 hours of daylight, so they figure all those fireworks will offset the dreariness of those long, cold winter nights.
The effect is really beautiful, don’t you think? (Image courtesy of Iceland Travel.)
Many people gather around bonfires in their neighborhoods and spend time socializing with friends and neighbors. Although it has to be said, that bonfire looks more like a conflagration needing the fire department! (Image courtesy of Iceland Travel.)
Then around 10:30 PM they gather around their TVs to watch a political satire compilation of the old year’s news stories called Aramotaskaupid (Year-meeting-joke). After that hour of comedy, they get out their beverage of choice, and head outside to watch the fireworks displays.
The article declares that you can turn in a complete circle and see fireworks going off all around the country! By 1 AM, most people head back inside, but the young folk head into town to party the night away.
Enter the Mysterious Folklore
The article further explains that, “A lot of things can happen on this magical night that are not visible to our own eyes, and they happen all around us.” Of course it does! Remember my article on the belief in Elves and other creatures roaming the wilds of Iceland?
Apparently, these same elves (and other “hidden people”) use this night to relocate their homes. Seals are believed to shed their skin, taking on human form for a while. And it’s highly recommended that people pay close attention to their dreams this night or they may miss some important news or direction.
Further, cows are believed to be able to speak on this night only and they’re able to converse about many topics intelligently. But it’s best not to listen to them because they have driven some people mad with their conversations.
Not to be outdone by the cows, the dead rise from their graves and supposedly go to church and attend Mass, only to disappear again. Even stranger, the souls of people destined to die in the coming year go to the graveyard to visit the now empty graves and decide which one they’ll be wanting.
There’s also a legendary killer cat roaming the countryside too this time of year, so it sounds like it’s probably safest to just stay inside, lock your doors, and watch the fireworks on TV!
Still, that said, I’d love to visit Iceland someday. They have such a colorful culture despite the hardships of weather, sea, and strange creatures that roam their countryside. How much of this is true? Probably not a lot, but remember (from my past article), many Icelandic people believe in the existence of these elves. Maybe there is something to that.
Thank you for visiting CryptoVille this year! Wishing you all a safe, Happy & Healthy New Year!
… Susan (Curator of CryptoVille)
Please stop by our Facebook page, CryptoVille, where we share all manner of strange, beautiful, and sometimes silly things related to the world of Cryptozoology! Please like our page while you’re there.
References
https://visitcryptoville.com/2016/12/18/3633/
https://visitcryptoville.com/2014/01/16/the-lure-of-the-lore-icelandic-elves/
https://visitcryptoville.com/2014/03/05/anthropologist-held-hostage-by-elves-really/