Believe it or not - a significant portion of Icelanders still believe in the existence of elves and ghosts according to a recent study on superstition. The study was done in 2006 and 2007 by the University of Iceland's Faculty of Social Sciences and about 1000 people took part.
Elves possibly exist according to 37% of participants and only 13% deemed it impossible. More in Iceland Review magazine: Iceland Still Believes in Elves and Ghosts.
Photo from Reykjanes peninsula.
Our team of thirteen Icelandic Yule lads is quite naughty and each and every one of them has a bad habit! Therefore they all have some strange names such as Door Sniffer, Candle Beggar, Bowl Licker....
But we wouldn’t do without them, they have been with us since the 16th century and luckily for us they have become somewhat nicer during the last century. They’ve even started to leave small gifts in children’s shoes. My own children left their shoes in the window every December until they were at least 10 or 11 years old ...
Icelandic Yule Lads from Wikipedia
We live in the land of elves, together with dwarfs and other hidden people (álfar, dvergar, huldufólk).The idea of elves in Iceland is not far fetched for many Icelanders.
We have long believed that rocks and cliffs are the homes of elves and dwarfs. If you have the opportunity to see our geysers, volcanoes and lava deserts... you’ll understand why we have no difficulty at all believing there are some “invisible people” around.
Around 80% of Icelanders admit that they believe in elves and when answering surveys, few Icelanders rule out the existence of elves, dwarfs, light-fairies, trolls and “hidden folk”.
Don’t go against their wishes, they can get upset and put a spell on you!
Our most interesting “elf town” is Hafnarfjörður, a few kilometers from Reykjavík, a town built on lava. The elves are believed to live in some strange and dramatic lava shapes and rock formations. It is very hard to destroy these homes according to popular mythology. “Hamarinn” is believed to be an elven palace.
There are amazingly many stories in Iceland of road-building operations being changed or even stopped because of accidents which are said to have been caused by elves objecting to the development of course.
Hafnafjörður offers walking tour of elven sites, 1 ½ - 2 hours. You can even get a Hidden Worlds Map at the information center in Hafnarfjörður’s town hall.
Photo: Lava shapes at Djupalonssandur, Snaefellsnes - perhaps the home of elves?
Swimming in Iceland is "a must" during your stay. Icelanders love their spas - swimming-pools and hot pots. You will definitely have to visit at least one spa!
Swimming pools in every Icelandic town
Reykjavík has many swimming pools/thermal pools (swimming pool = sundlaug) which are heated entirely by subterranean thermal water and their various hot pots (at different temperatures) offer guests a relaxing atmosphere. In fact, every town in Iceland boasts of a swimming pool, indoor or outdoor, often with special sauna rooms.
"Meetings" in the hot pots (hot tubs)
In the hot pots (hot tubs) people of all ages meet and often there are lively discussions there about politics or other interesting topics! Especially among people who happen to go more or less every day at the same time.
The very best thing to do when it rains or snows, is to head for one of the outdoor swimming pools and coddle yourself in a blanket of steam in a hot pot while the cold rain or snow drips on your face... Try it!
Swimming pools in Reykjavik
One thing not expensive in Iceland is swimming. It’s a luxury for almost no money at all. I suggest you try various swimming pools in Reykjavik e.g. Árbæjarlaug is fabulous for kids and families with big slides and also an indoor pool.
Seltjarnarneslaug uses seawater which means less chlorine and Laugardalslaug is a fantastic swimming pool for all ages, competition sized, with comfortable hot pots for both children and adults. Kopavogslaug is my personal favorite - not too big but very cozy.
Easter starts with the Holy Thursday when everything is closed, except a few grocery shops. A lot of people go out of town that day and stay until after Easter. On Good Friday the shops are mostly closed too. Cinemas stay open however during the Easter holidays.
On Easter Sunday all children receive an Easter egg (made of chocolate) from their parents and even from the grandparents too.
Easter is when the families get together and have a good lunch or dinner. Some people go on vacation abroad.
New Year's Eve is one of the great traditions in Iceland. It is almost as "holy" as Christmas Eve.
New Year's Eve in Iceland starts at 6.00 pm with the mass at Reykjavík's Cathedral with many people attending. Those who cannot attend the mass itself are listening to it on the radio while having a big family dinner or preparing the dinner.
After dinner, families with children usually go together to attend a big fire in the neighbourhood. People without children also like to go to meet friends, neighbours and acquaintances. In Reykjavik there are several such fires and in every town in Iceland you can be sure to find at least one. People bring fireworks with them and and sometimes there is singing.
After visiting such a fire, people return to their homes and continue the festivities either with family or friends. At midnight most families have their own private fireworks show at home in the garden or in front of their houses and the sky over Reykjavík and every town in Iceland seems to be on fire. A spectacular show!
If there are any fireworks left, they are used on the 6th of January which is the last day of Christmas in Iceland. After that most Christmas decorations disappear.
Photo: New Year's Eve - people attending a fire.
It is customary in Iceland to say thank you after having had dinner or lunch: "Takk fyrir mig". The thanks go to the host or hosts of course. We don't say anything like "buon appetit" before the dining starts, unlike the French and the Italians. It is however customary for the host to say "gjörið þið svo vel" (please) when the meal starts.
There are a lot of traditions in Iceland around Christmas and Christmas is generally a very festive occation.
The 23rd of December is called Þorláksmessa. Many do their last Christmas shopping until midnight and eat the fish "skate" either at lunch or at dinner.
Many people who never enter a church during the year, are known to go to mass at 6.00 pm or at midnight on the 24th of December, Christmas Eve, which is the main day at Christmas for Icelanders and a big day for the children who get to open their presents in the evening by the Christmas tree.
In Iceland there are 13 "Santas", Yule Lads or Yulemen according to the traditions in Iceland. They are the proud sons of two trolls, Grýla and Leppalúði. The Santas tend to be rather naughty when they come to town in December, one by one, starting 13 days before Christmas.
Photo: An Icelandic Christmas tree.
