Árbók Hins íslenzka fornleifafélags - 01.01.1970, Page 119

SUMARDAGURINN FYRSTI
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various regions preferred to start some work, even if merely symbolically. Quite
often they started fertilizing the home-field. In one part of the south-east the
farmers tried to finish some hard spring work on this day.
On many farms it was customary that the house-wife visited the sheep cot on
this day and inspected the sheep. This is explained by the fact that in olden
times the sheep were milked and the farmer’s wife was responsible for the
dairy work.
Entertainment. It was usual for the children on neighbouring farms to come
together and play. Also grown-up people used the day for visits. Dances or other
organized forms for entertainment were rare until after 1890, but after 1900
the newly founded Young People’s League made this day a sort of festival for
whole districts with speeches, poetry-reading, singing, theatrical performances,
sport and dancing.
Religious observance. Clergymen used to preach in many churches on First
Day of Summer until first half of the 18th century, at least in the north of
Iceland. This was forbidden by the king in 1744. But in practically every home
people used to gather and listen to reading from the Bible or some postil. Hymns
also were sung.
This research is not comprehensive enough to allow us to attempt any division
of Iceland into „cultural areas“ in former times. But it seems clear, however,
that people’s customs were not so uniform as might possibly be expected, cons-
idering a fact like the practical absence of dialects. On the whole the difference
between south and north is not so marked as between east and west. The West-
fjord peninsula is the central part of the west area, but the same customs are
found both to the south and east of it. The Skagafjörður and Eyjafjörður
districts are the most homogenous areas in the north. Fljótsdalshérað con-
stitutes the central part of the east, but the north-east area seems to be the
poorest one as far as customs and celebrations are concerned. The south-eastern
parts, between the great sandar, vary in some ways, but the south-west shows
the greatest mixture of all customs and hence a certain lack of individuality.