YULETIDE on ICELAND  
the yuletide lads

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DECEMBER 19th  Skyrgámur's favourite dish is Skyr, an Icelandic type of yoghurt. The only problem is that he eats too much of it............... Skyr Gobbler, the eighth one, Was a terrible bull. The lid off the skyr tub With his fist he smashed. Then he gobbled up As much as he could, Till he was close to bursting And moaned and grunted.

DECEMBER 21st  Gluggagægir is not only a window peeper......... Tenth was Window Peeper A grumpy lad, Who sneaked to the window And looked through it. If anything was inside Nice to look at, He usually later Tried to get that.

DECEMBER 23rd Ketkrókur is named after his instrument, a meat hook. Meat Hooker, the twelfth one, Knew a thing or two. - He marched into the country On St. Thorlak's Day. He hooked a bit of meat Whenever he could. But often a little short was at times his staff.

Þorláksmessa - St. Thorlak's Day.
Iceland's major native Saint is heilagur Þorlákur Þórhallsson, or St. Thorlakur Thorhallsson, Bishop of Skálholt. He has two days dedicated to him: December 23rd, which commemorates his death in 1193, and his other day, July 20th, which celebrates the exhumation of his bones. The main custom associated with Þorláksmessa is the partaking of a simple meal of skata. This custom, which originated in the West Fjords, has become traditional all over Iceland. The Yule tree is usually decorated on this evening.

The Jól or Yule celebrations start in Iceland at 6 p.m. on Aðfangadagur, Christmas Eve/Yule Eve. This may have descended from the old days, when a new day began not at midnight but at 6pm. So in Iceland there are thirteen rather than twelve days in the Yuletide season.
It is the day that all Icelandic children await impatiently, as after the evening meal they can open their Yule presents. TV transmissions stop in Iceland around 5 p.m. on Aðfangadagur and only restarts at 10 p.m. It is usually the immediate family that spends Aðfangadagur together.
Traditional Yule food is Hangikjöt, smoked mutton. In times past a sheep was often slaughtered before the beginning of the Yuletide season and a rich Kjötsúpa or mutton soup served. Another traditional delicacy, the Rjúpa or rock ptarmigan, started out as the poor man's dinner but is now an expensive meal. Grautur, porridge, on the other hand, was in past times a delicacy in Iceland because of the scarcity of grain. Another Yuletide specialty is Laufabrauð or leaf bread. This is very thin sheets of dough cut into intricate patterns and fried.
When the presents are opened, according to the children, the real Yule begins.

Jóladagur, Christmas Day/Yule Day, is usually reserved for the extended family. On this day the first of the Jólasveinir goes back home. He will be followed each day by another one, until they are all back in the mountains.

Annar Jóladagur, Boxing Day, is yet another day of feasting; usually siblings or close friends visit each other and partake in even more sumptuous food and pastry. The period between Yule and New Year's is usually a time of recuperation in Iceland.

Gamlárskvöld/Nýársdagur, New Year's Eve/New Year's Day, is one of the most magical nights of the year, the night when the old year changes into the new. This night was also the eighth night of Yule: cows gain human speech, seals take on human form, the dead rise from their graves, and the Elves move house.

Þrettándinn, Twelfth Night, is on January 6th. It's the last day of the Yule period, celebrated in latter years with bonfires and Elfin dances. Many of the magical happenings associated with New Year's Eve are also supposed to occur on Þrettándinn.

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