Candle Beggar (Kertasníkir)

Merry Christmas! Gleðileg Jól!

Today is the last of the Santas :( But I´ve decided to continue to write on occassion about things going on with my masters project, Icelandic culture, and life. They will not be everyday but I hope you´ll continue to follow my blog.

Today´s santa is named Kertasníkir--Candle Beggar. He searches for candles to steal. I have conflicting sources on whether he likes to stare at their glowing light or eats them. I´m not sure what´s better. Either way it sounds like this santa might not be all there but he´s happy to be in town with his whole family of brothers. Starting tomorrow they will begin to make their way back to the mountains one-by-one and will finally be gone 13 days from now.

I forgot to tell you about what happened yesterday and will happen today and tomorrow. Yesterday was the day when everyone eats Skata or skate in English (pictured above). This is a fish that is apart of the ray family (sting rays, etc.) That doesn´t sound so gross or interesting but it is. Icelanders do not just eat the fish they like to place it under a rock and allow it to petrify and rot. If you do not wait the appropriate amount of time to let it rot then this fish can be toxic because it´s urine spreads throughout the flesh and undergoes a chemical change. Eating before the chemical change is not a good idea. Anyway, it tastes not as bad as people say as long as you have plenty of potato or bread to go with it. It is by no means to die for. I think the AWFUL smell that makes you instantly gag is the worst part.

Today, everyone stays in with their family and has a big meal and opens presents this evening. We are having duck. Well, speaking of this I should go get ready for tonight. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!

Gluggagægir (Peeping Tom/ Window Peeper)

Sæll everyone!

Today´s santa is kind of creepy. The yule lad makes his way down the mountain and likes to sneak from window to window to peep inside. We have a PEEPING TOM on our hands! Most versions do not clarify what he is interested in observing but a few versions write that he is only looking for objects to steal. I suppose these versions were trying to clear an perverted names this yule lad might be getting. Is stealing any better though? Anyway, this lad is trouble but I have to say he brought me an awesome gift! It´s a musical coffee mug! When the cup is not setting on a solid surface...it plays Christmas music. I cannot wait to try it out at work when I stop coughing up my lungs. I should be very popular ;) This is the tenth santa which means only 3 more santas will come to town! It´s almost over but to be honest, I will be happy to see the window peeper leave!

I won´t be sharing any additional Icelandic traditions today. I do want to tell you about yesterday. I was able to try an exciting selection of Belgian beers and German Merlot as well as yummy german cheesecake, cookies, and Belgian chocolates made by my friends Nora (from Germany) and Béatrice (from Belgium). It was wonderful and delicious! They are both leaving this week and that makes me very sad. They worked on the 4th floor at Læknagarður in the stem cell research unit (just down the hall from my desk). It was super fun to have English-speakers on the hall and they are the sweetest people. Just wanted to give a shout out to them and their delicious baked goods! This week I also tried Chinese bamboo salad from a Chinese master student up stairs. All I need now is something made by my friend Antón from Spain who works upstairs too and I will be culturally enlightened by the foreigners of Læknagarður (hint hint Antón if you are reading)! In the words of my now gone friends: Au revoir (bye in French) and Aufwiedersehen (bye in German) :)

Bjúgnakrækir (Sausage Snatcher)

Goðan daginn! I am feeling a little better today despite a heavy cough. It´s been very cold in Iceland this month and I´m surprised that this is my first cold of the winter. We´ve had snow on the ground since I got back to Iceland in mid-late November. I LOVE IT! It´s felt and looked like Christmas time for a month now. There is slight possibility the weather could go above freezing for a change but hopefully not before Christmas!! :)

Today the sausage snatcher (Bjúgnakrækir--picture above) came to bring me a small box of mint chocolates. Mmmmmm! Unfortunately though, this is yet another thief among the brothers. He loves all types of sausages and will steal as many as he can. In the old days people hung their meat from the rafters but today it´s as simple as opening the refrigerator to get what he wants. He has another meat loving brother (still to come) but what sets this guy apart is his particular love of one and only sausage meat. Luckily, I´m not a big fan of sausage so there was none for him to steal (insert evil laugh).

I was able to try laufabrauð this past weekend and I can say that I think it´s good but not something I´d eat often. It´s deep fried bread and I avoid deep fried anything as much as I can. It leaves a film coating in my mouth which I don´t like. I have a feeling this would go over well in the States though. Americans love fried stuff....maybe too much!


I want to leave you with another Icelandic tradition for you to think about. As an American I am use to a ham or turkey at the center of my Christmas day meal. Not in Iceland! It is popular for many families to eat rjúpur--pictured above (a wild fowl). They are small, like game hens, and are apparently quite delicious. Of course this is not the standard. Some families will have a turkey or lamb at the center of their meal. Finnur´s mother, whom we will be eating Christmas meal with, is making duck. I´ve never eaten duck for a meal and I am very excited to try something new! I´ll let you know how it tastes ;)

Bless, Bless!!

Door-slammer and Curd glutton have been in the house!

Thanks everyone for letting me call in sick yesterday! I am dealing with a very bad cold and struggled today to find the energy to get everything done. I will share two Santas with you today. The one that came yesterday and today´s.

Yesterday, was a noisy little lad. His name is Hurðaskellir (Door-slammer). Now this is a troll that I would find scary. He is always slamming doors, often repeatedly, and waking people. Could you imagine being a little kid and in the middle of the night a trollish lad is slamming doors? That would freak me out. At least this one doesn´t steal anything. That´s a change from his brothers.

Then there is today´s Santa and his name is Skyrgámur (Curd Glutton). He loves a popular diary product called skyr which I didn´t know until today is milk curd apparently. Despite how that sounds, I can say skyr is DELICIOUS! If or when I move back to the States, that is one thing I will surely miss. I think it´s similar to greek yogurt though. Back to topic. This Santa will eat all the skyr out of your fridge and leave the tubs behind. Sounds rude to me. I don´t think their parents have taught them manners from what I see so far, but what do you really expect from trolls and boogeyman type santas. FYI this santa brought me a heart shaped old-time looking alarm clock. I guess he read my blog about oversleeping too much this time of the year!!

I hope you find this blog enjoyable. Only 5 more yule lads to visit. Hopefully tomorrow I will be feeling much better and can teach you even more about Christmas in Iceland.

Askasleikir (Bowl-licker)

Hello everyone! I hope you are having a great weekend so far. Let´s get down to business...

The Santa which came to town today is Askasleikir or Bowl Licker. He is the sixth Yule Lad to make his way down from the mountains. Back in the old Icelandic turf farmhouses the family sat on the edge of their beds to eat. Some Icelanders still have turf on the roofs as a way to keep the culture alive. Each family member had their own bowl which had a lid to keep the food warm. Askasleikir likes to creep into a farmhouse and lies waiting under the bed of the unsuspecting person who innocently puts his or her "askur" down on the floor between bites - then the lad swipes it and licks it spotlessly clean. Sneaky little guy. I remember thinking about the boogeyman being under my bed but to also worry he´ll lick up your dinner must have been annoying! Luckily it is known exactly when this guy will be around so your food is safe the rest of the year.

Last night Christmas party was great. The Cancer Research Laboratory, won the competition! Woo Hoo! Two year champions of nerdy humor. I like it. I was able to try a traditional Icelandic Christmas drink called jólaglogg (it´s similar name to eggnog but tastes NOTHING like eggnog in the States. It´s a hot beverage made of red wine, vodka and spices. Often served with raisins or nuts in it. I think it´s DELICIOUS! Here is the recipe, you can make it non-alcoholic too. I think for fun please try it! Remember to drink it hot! Let me know if you try it and what you think ;)

1 bottle red wine
6 cl. (1/4 cup) vodka or gin
5 cloves
2 crushed cardamoms
2 cinnamon sticks
1-1 1/2 deciliters (1/2 to 2/3 cup) sugar
Peel from half an orange, peeled almonds and raisins

Cut the peel from half an orange into thin strips and leave the white bit. Heat the wine and spirits with the spice and let it stay warm for a few minutes without boiling it. Add sugar and orange peel, stir and keep warm for a few more minutes. Serve hot with raisins and almonds. This recipe was taken from the National agency of alcohol and tobacco here in Iceland.

Be back tomorrow :)

Don´t leave dirty dishes in the sink or do...Pottasleikir (Pot-licker) is in town!

Sæll og blessaður (Hello and blessings to you)! This is a greeting I often here within family gatherings. I am told it would be strange to use this warm greeting on someone you are meeting for the first time or don´t really know well.

Today another licking fanatic santa is in town. His name is Pottasleikir or translation to Pot-licker. When he is in town he searches for uncleaned pots and licks any leftover food. If you think about it though, these yule lads may be doing us a favor. That is less scrubbing we have to do to get the food off. I have to mention that he decided to have a sense of humor and leave me a whoopi cushion to play with as my gift. I love it! haha. I think the best gifts are funny or sentimental (I´m not saying a whoopi cushion is that but you know what I mean) and not always expensive. Remember that as you are thinking about what to get for everyone.
I have looked ahead into the santas and they get funnier but tomorrows (yet another lad who likes to lick), todays and yesterdays lickers...well, I find their stories lack luster in scarying little children. I do see how future Santas can seem scary so I´m looking forward to that. I might run into the next Santa as he visits since I will be coming home in the early hours of Saturday. Tonight is a Christmas party at Læknagarður where I do my work. There will be hangikjöt (mentioned the other day), Christmas punch, beer, sweet desserts and a competition between laboratories--you can cheer for the lab I am in (Áfram Rannsóknastofa í Krabbameinsfræðum--Let´s GO Cancer Research Laboratory). I cannot share any information on the competition but just know our idea is smart ;) Thanks so much for all the followers since I´ve started! If the new template and background are affecting your viewing pleasure, please comment so I can make adjustments.

Þvörusleikir (Spoon-licker)

I´m cutting it close today, so this will be a quick one. It´s already 23:30 (11:30 pm) here in Iceland and I´m just now doing the Santa blog. I overslept by 2 hours today! Before you judge me, first I forgot to set the alarm (that´ll do it!) and second the moon is still shining bright even at 11:00 am and is back in just a few hours. The daylight to nighttime ratio can really mess with your sleeping habits. In the summer when it´s sunny all day I am fine with 6 hours sleep but get me to the winter time and I´m desperate for at least 9 hours. I don´t always get those 9 (THAT'S FOR SURE!) but I want them. Ok, now let me get on topic!

The 4th santa to come to town is Þvörusleikir (Spoon-licker). This little troll/santa makes a trip all the way down from the mountains to search for dirty wooden spoons with leftover bits from meals. That´s right! This santa comes to your house to lick your spoons folks...I am not making this up. Either Grýla is not feeding her sons very well or they just have some weird fetish. Be aware....the santas´get more weird and a lot of licking and breaking laws happens in these stories. So stay tuned ladies and gentlemen ;)

On another side note. Today my dog, Stjarna, is 3 years old :D She´s so cute and good. I love her! Sjaumst á morgun...if you are following you should know what that means :)

"Stúfur" / Shorty represents today!

Hallo (Hello) everyone.

Today´s Santa is named Stúfur or translated is "Stubby", "Shorty" or "Itty Bitty". I cannot decide which one sounds cuter. Being little is not his only trait. He´s also a... dun dun dun PAN-SCRAPER! Today is not a day to turn your back on the pan as you are cooking because this little guy will scrape the food off the pans. Technically I found no sources explain what he does with the food but I´m assuming and hoping he just eats it. My friend stubby decided I was good enough to deserve a picture holder and a compact mirror (hmmmm interesting that he knew I recently lost my compact mirror). I have yet to have a bad enough day to get a potato but I still have 10 more yule lads to be good for.

Since my sources have such little information on our Santa "Itty Bitty", I thought I would share some more Icelandic tradition with you. Icelanders love laufabrauð or "leaf-bread" at Christmas. This is deep-fried, thin flatbread that Icelanders cut intricate patterns into. I announced the other day to Finnur that I was going to make it this year and was promptly informed that traditionally making of the laufabrauð is a family affair because it takes time and a lot of ingredients. Following this explanation I quickly announced I will NOT be making laufabruð this year because my masters thesis owns me right now ;) and I don´t have that kind of time. I WILL, however, purchase this at the store and eat it with butter on it (apparently this is THE WAY to eat it). I´ll report back on what I think about it :) Until tomorrow... Bless! (Bye! in Icelandic)

Giljagaur (Gully Imp/Gully Oaf) is in town!

Goðan daginn
(Good day!)!
It is the second day of Santa visits here in Iceland :D
Today good ole Gully Imp (pictured above) is painting the town red (not literally...you never know with these lads). Gully Imp was so kind as to bring me a lottery ticket. He must be a gambling man (or should I say troll?) Unfortunately, I cannot report any winnings. Oh well.
Our friend Gully/Giljagaur, much like his brother from yesterday Stekkjastaur, enjoys milk. In fact before days of milking machines, he would sneak into the cowshed, hide until everyone wasn´t looking and skim the froth off pails of milk but some versions say he just stole the milk. I cannot wait to see what tomorrows Santa will be up to. I´m learning on Santa at a time too, but I hear the antics of future Santas to come or more strange and humorous. We´ll have to wait and see.
The time is coming for Christmas parties. Most all work or schools have a party or jólaball. Læknagarður, where I do my work, is having one on Friday. There is sure to be hangikjöt which is a traditional smoked Icelandic lamb meat. Frankly, I´m not a fan of smoked meat, or usually meat in general. This meat is well loved by Icelanders. I am trying each time to acquire a taste for it. I hear it´s often served with potatoes and pickled red cabbage but I have only seen it on flatkökur (a type of flatbread...I cannot explain it because I don´t know an American equivilent). Also at these parties, you will most likely find Christmas Beer. It´s very popular in Iceland and I´m fairly certain all Icelandic beer companys produce one for the season. I think they are quite delicious and have decided to try a sip of each one this year. I´ll let you know which one is my favorite!
Thank you for reading today. I will leave you with a common Icelandic goodbye. "Sjaumst á morgun!" in other words "see you tomorrow!"

Stekkjarstaur--Gimpy/Sheepfold Stick

Sæl/ll (greetings)! This greeting is sæl to females and sæll for males. The "æ" Icelandic letter is a unique sound in the language and I think sounds like if you say the English letters "i" then "e" together in one sound. Try it!

Down to business now...The first yule lad/santa came to town today! He brought me a large block of peppermint chocolate, my favorite, and left it in my shoe! I wonder how he knew I love that chocolate ;) Typically, the gifts left in shoes are small like little toys and candies. I should mention that these 13 yule lads are trolls and boogeyman like creatures (top picture), just like their parents Grýla and Leppalúði. Although, over time the Icelandic culture has accepted a mild version where the santas seem friendly and less terrifying (bottom picture). They even have started wearing red clothes somewhat like the Santa I know and love. However, I think it´s fun to hear the scary version. Apparently in 1748, a law banned parents from scarying their children with stories of trolls and evil creatures. So the story was altered slightly. Despite that, when these yule lads come to town they like to bring chaos and disrupt joyful Christmas celebration and each lad does it in their own way.
The first santa´s, and also the eldest, name is "stekkjarstaur". This translates to "Gimpy" or "Sheepfold Stick" (some translations vary--Icelandic is a difficult language to translate these traditional names from. Maybe now you can understand why I often want to throw my Icelandic Language textbook across the room!). His pesky little activities are known the same through many translations. Stekkjarstaur has very stiff kness, which is where he gets "Gimpy". This could look quite terrifying to see a gimpy troll in your house! He tries to drink the milk from farmers ewes or if these days you live in the city...I suppose he just drinks your milk from the fridge! This can be annoying if you want to eat cereal in the morning ;) That is all I know about this lad, so until tomorrow when Santa #2 comes to town....

Santa´s father & the Christmas cat (Leppalúði og jólakötturinn)

Hæ hæ (hi, hi)! I find Icelanders sound cheerful when they use this hæ hæ greeting! I have become fond of using this one myself. So, my Christmas tree is up and decorated. I had to keep a little of my tradition this Christmas because otherwise according to Icelandic tradition, our tree wouldn´t go up until the 23rd and wouldn´t be decorated until the 24th. That´s too long for my American girl heart to wait for the Christmas tree! :)

Today´s blog will be short because there is little information on Grýla´s (see yesterday´s blog) 3rd husband.

Here is what I know. He is a troll like creature (pictured above is him Grýla and the cat) just as Grýla is, so maybe that´s their is a mutual troll-like attraction? He lives in the cave with Grýla, the 13 yule lads and their Christmas cat (jólakötturin). Leppalúði is a minor character in this story. His cat is one to be feared. According to my sources, you want to avoid "going to the cat", therefore, you must receive one new article of clothing in time for Christmas. Otherwise, the cat will come after you and eat you. There´s a lot of morbid child munching going on in this story. I´m not so sure how I feel about it but I have a theory of why this cat is included. If you have one too feel free to share. I suppose children´s excitement is not directed towards infamous sweaters and pajamas that are giving at Christmas. Of course as kids we want toys and gadgets. Maybe to get them more excited about grandma´s sweater, the story threatens them with being eaten by a cat.

That´s all for today. Tomorrow the first of the 13 Santa´s comes to town! Shoe in the windowsill...check!

Grýla--Mother of the Yule Lads

Gleðilega hátið (Happy Holidays in Icelandic)!
The days are getting so short! Literally! Today Iceland will see a mere 4ish hours of sunglight (that includes dusk and dawn) if it isn´t cloudy but in true Icelandic fashion...it most likely will be.
On a positive note...Today I am sharing about a woman, if you can call her that. She´s a frightening, some versions say she´s dead, creature that lives in the mountains with her 3rd husband Leppalúði (where the first 2 arranged? I mean no offense but look at that picture) and her 13 sons (the yule lads). So the 13 Santa´s mother is a zombie troll? I´m not making this up :) If you are a bad little boy or girl then you better watch out because Grýla will come looking for you and snatch you up then eat you! Yes I´m being serious. A zombie woman/creature will come and get you so it´s best to behave well throughout the year. That is a scary story to tell children around Christmas but apparently it works. So, if you have a child and he/she isn´t behaving perhaps you could share this little tidbit with them and say she´ll make a special trip from Iceland! Happy Saturday everyone :)

Iceland´s 13 Jólasveinar--Santa Clauses

Hello everyone! I hope you are having an awesome Friday. Here is where the story begins. I have collected information about Iceland´s jólasveinar (Santa's) from many sources and this seems to be the most agreed upon version....

The 13 Jólasveinar ("yule lads" is probably more accurate translation than Santa) first appeared in the 17th century as the sons of Grýla and Leppalúði (more on them in the next 2 days--and trust me they are nothing like Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus plus they have a Christmas cat--it´s not a cat to play with!) This strange family lives in the mountains of Iceland and one per day starting on the 12th of December (13 days before Christmas)comes to town with the last one arriving the morning of Christmas eve. Children leave a shoe in the window ledge each of the 13 nights, for the jólasveinar to leave little gifts in. The last day being a bit bigger than the previous nights. However, much like my childhood American version of coal in your stockings, if the child has been naughty then they get a rotten onion or potato in their shoe. Ewww! After Christmas they start leaving to return home one day at a time for 13 days--this last day of the Santas leaving is referred to þrettándinn...maybe they are happy to see the little rascals leave (this will make more sense in the days to come)? This adds up to the Christmas season in Iceland being 26 days!
The long season is probably my favorite thing about Iceland´s Christmas...It lasts a long time and people don´t just forget about Christmas on the 26th (most Icelanders are known to take a hefty 5 days off work (24-26th and 31st-1st for certain). In fact it´s not uncommon for someone to take the 23rd of Dec - 2nd of Jan. off. I LOVE IT! We should stop and relax for more than a day or 2. Although this year I will not be practicing this custom because my master´s thesis is breathing down my neck! For the most part though people are merry and relaxed as they participate in the many Icelandic Christmas traditions (I´ll share more along the way).
This story is intended to encourage young children to behave well around Christmas. Apparently terrifying them with thoughts of being eaten (wait until tomorrow) or receiving potatoes/onions instead of gifts is an effective method. I will be participating in putting my shoe in the window for the 13 days and hopefully my best behavior will earn some gifts(spoiler alert--my wonderful boyfriend has decided to play along with me on this). Stay tuned to learn more about Grýla tomorrow...

Icelandic Christmas blog to come!

Hey everyone. It´s been way too long since I last blogged. What can I say...I´m a little flaky when it comes to daily writing. I never could keep a diary/journal. Since I spend so much time these days writing for my masters thesis (maybe I´ll share more on that another time) I thought writing for fun could be therapeutic. This time I have a good reason to write everyday!
I have been living in Iceland since July 2009 and this Christmas is my second time in Iceland (I went home last Christmas). I have decided to share Icelandic traditions, one in particular, with all of you who wish to read this ;) Starting tomorrow I´m going to explain the story of Iceland´s 13 "Santa clauses". Spoiler alert: these Santa's are nothing like your typical American Santa (FYI many Icelanders refer to this Santa as the "coca-cola Santa" which I find strange but maybe that´s because to me it´s just Santa). Bring an open mind to this story because frankly I think it sounds more Halloween than Christmas but I like different...different´s good and of course being and American girl in Iceland...I have experienced different! Anyway, be ready tomorrow the story begins!