Lögberg-Heimskringla - 21.12.1972, Blaðsíða 7

LÖGBERG-HEIMSKRINGLA, FIMMTUDAGINN 21. DESEMBER 1972
7
Eyjum
Christmas In lceland
Bréf úr
Framhald af bls. 1.
báta og veiðarfæri. Ólafur var
bókamaður og bækur um
þjóðleg fræði voru honum
mest að skapi. Björn Sigurðs-
son var útgerðarmaður lengi.
Hann átti part í mótorbát, svo
var títt í Eyjum áður fyrr,
kannski áttu sex til átta menn
saman lítinn bát. Margir báta-
eigendur vildu einir ráða
kaupi sjómanna og þeirra sem
unnu í landi. Bjöm virti rétt
hinna síðarnefndu ekki síður
en sinna samtaka. Hann vissi,
að verður er verkamaðurinn
launanna. — Björn var einn
Þ r i g g j a næstu nágranna
minna um árabil. Á það ná-
grenni bar aldrei skugga. Hin-
ir nágrannarnir voru Ólafur í
Baldri, ættaður úr Fljótshlíð,
og skáldið Ágúst í Núpsdal.
Björn heitinn átti heima í
Heiðarhól, ég á Hnjúki. Sú
var venja í Eyjum allt fram
til 1940, að hvert hús hafði
sitt nafn, oft sveitabæja.
Stundum hittumst við allir
kallarnir fjórir á baklóð ein-
hvers okkar á sumarmorgni,
fengum okkur sæti í ilmandi
grasinu, spjölluðum um dag
og veg og kannski lét skáldið
okkur heyra síðustu stökuna
sína. Þetta voru skemmtilegir
dagar. Björn var sá síðasti
þessara góðu granna, sem
kvaddi jarðlífið. —
Halldór Eyjólfsson vélstjóri
var einn hinna þriggja sóma-
manna, sem kvaddur var í
Landakirkju fyrrnefndan dag.
Hann var í áratugi vélstjóri
hjá ísfélagi Vestmannaeyja,
Gjafir til Höfn —
Frá ágúsl líl Október — 1972
í minningu um Aslu Jonsson
Mr. og Mrs. O. W. Philip-
son ................. $5.00
Mr. og Mrs. R. Philipson $5.00
* * *
í minningu um S. Holm,
Lundar, Man.
Mr. og Mrs. G. Cale,
Sacramento ...........$10.00
:J: % *
í minningu um Mrs. Maria
Bjornson
Mrs. Laura Laxdal....$25.00
* * *
í minningu um O. W. Jonsson
Mr. og Mrs. W. K. Halldorson,
Ganges, B.C....... $10.00
* * *
í minningu um Jón Laxdal
Mrs. G. Stefansson...$10.00
* * *
í minningu um John Sigurd-
s°n
9
Mr. og Mrs. A. Car-
michael ............ $7.50
* * *
í minningu um John Sigurd-
son
sem er fyrsta vélfrystihús
landsins. Isfélagið og frysti-
hús þess, hefur haft og hefur
ómetanlega þýðingu fyrir út-
gerðina í Eyjum. Halldór var
afar vel fær maður í sínu
starfi. En hann var meira,
einskonar þúsund þjalasmið-
ur, hin vandasömustu verk
léku í höndum hans.
Hinn 28. október s. 1. andað-
ist Sigurður Jónsson, er var
oft f y r r u m kenndur við
Hólmahjáleigu í Landeyjum.
Sigurður var elzti borgari
Vestmannaeyjabæjar, fædd-
ur þjóðhátíðarárið 1874. Sig-
urður var við góða heilsu
fram til hins síðasta og las
gleraugnalaus ef svo bar und-
ir. Við sem þekktum Sigurð
vel, vorum jafnvel að vona,
að honum auðnaðist að lifa
þjóðhátíð 1974, enda ekki
langt irndan. Nú skulum við
vona, að þjóðhátíðín verði
sönn þjóðhátíð, en ekki
skrautsýning borin uppi af
sýndarmennsku. — Sigurður
ólst upp með móður sinni á
ýmsum bæjum í Landeyjum.
Þau áttu heimili hjá Jóni
Brandssyni er hann fórst með
áhöfn sinni 1893. Hann var
mikill sjósóknari og aflamað-
ur. — Sigurður fluttist til
Vestmanneyja 1912, stundaði
sjóróðra og landvinnu, en 1933
varð hann umsjónarmaður
samkomuhúss KFUM og K
unz hann lét af því starfi fyr-
ir nokkrum árum.
Haraldur Guðnason.
Vancouver, B.C.
Mr. og Mrs. G. Cale,
Sacramento ........ $10.00
* * ❖
í minningu um Dr. Steinsson
Mr. og Mrs. Albert Sveinsson,
Victoria............$10.00
* * *
í minningu um Mrs. A. H.
Dumont
Mrs. Constance Bell .... $10.00
❖ :J: Hs
í minningu um móðir, Krist-
ínu Johnson
Mr. Johann Johnson,
Edmonton............ $50.00
* * *
í minningu um Malta Fred-
erickson, Eileen Smith and
Laura Johnson
Mrs. Thora Orr ..... $25.00
* * ❖
25th Afmæli Höfn — okt lst.,
1972
Kvenfélagið Sólskin $1250.00
Veitingar..........$180.00
* * *
Dr. B. T. H. Martein-
son .............. $100.00
Mrs. Emily Thorson .... $100.00
Mrs. G. Sanders .... $50.00
Framhald á bls. 8.
Continued from page 2.
“Ellen, do the cows have
Christmas too,” said little Jón
to the serving maid. “Well, I
should think so. You may be
sure that Einar, sees to it that
they get a special treat at this
time, and all the animals are
remembered.” All the work is
finished early on December
24, the milk brought in
the dishes polished and ready
for the evening. Now the
household gets ready to put
on their best clothes, which
have been so carefully brush-
ed, washed or aired. Every-
one must be ready well be-
fore six o’clock, for that is
the holy time when Christ-
mas begins, and it is to be
devoted to remembrance of
the sacred event of Christ-
mas the birth of the Christ
Child. The whole household
assembles in the “Baðstofa” —
the living room — and the
children sit quietly in joyous
wonder on the low stools or
on the beds w h i c h line
the walls. They love to feel
the richness of their good
clothes, possibly new this
very evening — the sturdy
homespun of the boys’ trous-
ers, the good feel of the warm
new dresses the girls wear.
Father takes down the Bible
from the elaborately carved
shelf above the bed. The
candles and whale oil lamps
have been lit, and the lovely
story of the Nativity is sol-
emnly read and avidly listen-
ed to. Then the grand old
Christmas hymns are sung,
and a reverent prayer said.
Now we can begin to move.
Mamma and the maid go out
to bring in the festive meal.
Hangikjöt, bread, doughnuts
(kleinur), jólakaka, laufa-
brauð, pönnukökur with hot
coffee, and chocolate. It would
not be Christmas if you did
not have rich creamy choco-
late to drink. Father slyly
opens his precious bottle and
pours a wee drop of the pun-
gent brandy into each coffee
cup for the men! Oh, it is in-
deed a wondrous night. Then
the little gifts are presented
and there are joyous exclama-
tions from the children, and
the more staid adults too.
Little Jón gets a nice new
pair of stockings, and a small
package of figs, sent by the
good merchant, when his fath-
er went to market. Einar gets
a glamourous pair of new
sheepskin shoes, and a pack
of cards. He is anxíous to try
out the cards, but no, Christ-
mas Eve, is too holy, you can-
not play cards — there will
be plenty of time, between
Christmas and New Year to
enjoy card-playing. And cer-
tainly on Epiphany it will be
fun to use the playing cards.
But the children are allowed
to play some quiet games, and
the grown-ups talk about the
blessing God has given them,
after all have kissed each oth-
er with the hearty greeting
“Gleðileg jól”.
If the household is near
enough to go to a church ser-
vice, and the weather is not
impossible, most of the house-
hold attend church. But the
ones left at home must be very
careful of any untoward visi-
tor that might arrive on this
dark night. The elves of dark-
ness, are most active at this
time, they do not like to admit
to the birth of Christ, the
Saviour of the world, for they
are fallen spirits, banished
from the grace of God. If
the children are left home
alone during the Christmas
service or with a young maid
servant, strict instructions are
given not to open the door to
anyone, but it has been re-
ported that this has been dis-
obeyed with dire results. The
maid has been carried away,
by a mischievous elf who
wanted the companionship of
a pretty young girl. Perhaps
the children have been fright-
ened out of their wits or even
become changlings. The elves
having stolen them and left
instead, their own ugly off-
spring.
Visitors who came to an
Icélandic homestead in the
dead of winter, and especial-
ly at Christmas time, were
careful to employ a special
ritual. They did not go to the
door and knock, but climbed
up on the low turf roof, and
tapped on the window pane
of the small window, and they
said: “Here be God” to let the
householder know that they
were true Christian human
beings and not some being
from outer darkness. The peo-
ple in the home then knew
that all was safe, and they
carefully e a s e d themselves
along the dark corridor, open-
ed the door and admitted this
visitor, who had by now made
his way to the door. He was
welcomed with warmth and
hospitality, given dry cloth-
ing, divested of his wet shoes
and stockings and treated to
the best the household had to
offer. Not only at Christmas
but all through the year this
gracious hospitality extended
to all, no matter how poor
the household.
In our humble pioneer home
where I grew up, Christmas
was celebrated in a similar
simple manner, except that
we could get bought candles,
and it was easier for the
neighbors to come and visit.
But the general feeling was
one of reverence, and thank-
fulness for the necessities of
life, and joy in the few little
extras that could be obtained
for the children, who were
always gratefull to their par-
ents for caring for them and
lavishing love and protection
on them, even if there was a
lack of many material things.
Hagstæð tíð
Veðráttan í Skagafirði hef-
ir verið bændum og landbún-
aði hagstæð í sumar. Heyskap
var nærri lokið um miðjan
ágúst, og heyskapur líklegast
aldrei verið eins mikill, segir
í fréttum að norðan. Berja-
spretta var talin með ágætum,
og nýjar íslenzkar kartöflur
komnar á borð hjá mönnum
óvenju snemma.
Garlic-laukur er heilnæmur
G-arlic-laukur er sóttvamarmeðal, sem hreinsar blóðið og
hamlar gegn rotnunarsýklum. í Adams Garlic Pearles er
sérstök Garlic-olía er notuð hefir verið til lækninga árum sam-
an. Milljónir manna hafa um aldir neytt Garlic-lauks sér til
heilsubótar og trúað á hollustu hans og lækningamátt. Eflið
og styrkið heilsu ykkar. Fáið ykkur í dag í lyfjabúð einn pakka
af Adams Garlic Pearles. Ykkur mun líða betur og finnast þið
styrkari, auk þess sem þið kvefist sjaldnar. Laukurinn er í
hylkjum, lyktarlaus og bragðlaus.
Runólíur Marteinsson
I
ÆVISAGA
SÉRA JÓNS BJARNARSONAR
Bókaútgáfan Edda,
Akureyri.
VERÐ — TÓLF DOLLARA
Fáanilegt frá
JÓN L. MARTEINSSON
Box 238 Keewatin, Ont.
B. T. H. MARTEINSSON
Ste. 8-7184 Neal Sl., Vancouver 14, B.C.