Lögberg-Heimskringla - 20.08.1999, Blaðsíða 7

Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 20. ágúst 1999 • 7
ISLENDIN G AD AGURINN 1999
An Assembly of All
Svavar
Gestsson
Consul General
of lceland
WHEN Ice-
landers es-
tablished Alþingi,
in 930, the
world’s first
Parliament, it was
not just an ordinary Legislative
Assembly, as it is today—the kind no
one cares for except perhaps during
elections. This assembly was truly an
assembly of all: an assembly where all
could gather—an all-thing.
They all gathered in one place—the
lawmakers as well as the lawspeakers,
who had memorized the law to recite it
verbatim at the Assembly. Then there
were the juries that rendered judgement
and separated the guilty from the inno-
cent. And finally all others; that is those
who supported the Members of the
Legislative Assembly, the voters, at
least many of them, and those awaiting
sentencing. Alþingi was a national cel-
ebration; that is where beautiful women
went looking for a husband, and young
men, commoners and noble men alike,
rode to for the same purpose. It was a
merry gathering, with singing, dancing,
and sleepless nights for a week. It was a
national celebration. It was Alþingi—
an assembly of all.
Islendingadagurinn in Gimli is a
type of Alþingi. Here people gather by
the tens of thousands for entertainment.
Surely lasting friendships between men
and women are made here, as they were
at Þingvellir long ago. Leaders from the
Icelandic communities in Canada meet
here, as Canadians of Icelandic descent
usually come here from all over
Canada. The only difference between
this celebration and Alþingi of old is
the absence of legislative debates and
sentencing. However, we have judges
and Members of the Legislature here
among us, who have come to listen, to
see, to leam, to enjoy the fellowship,
and to be entertained. And of course we
are constantly judging each other, and
we also continually set rules for our-
selves and our surroundings, every day.
Also when we gather here. As a result
this is much like Alþingi; Gimli is to
you what Þingvellir was to Icelanders
in former times, as Neil Bardal pointed
out in his speech when he accepted the
appointment of Consul General for
Iceland in Gimli. And of course Iceland
is the only country with a Consul
General in Gimli. How else should it
be?
We can look forward to a remark-
ably eventful year in Iceland-Canada
relations. A year of festivities is
approaching which will bring celebra-
tions all across this large country.
Iceland now has a Consul General in
Gimli; none too soon, and before long
the Icelandic government aims to open
an Embassy in Canada. Next year
Icelanders are going to send many cul-
tural events to Canada; and a viking
ship. Yes, and of course, they will send
manuscripts from Iceland, our greatest
national treasures. What else can we do
if we want to show you our best? We
cannot send you the mountains and the
waterfalls to show you, by air-mail, fax,
or e-mail. You must travel to Iceland to
see the mountains and the waterfalls.
But we can send you samples of manu-
scripts. We will do that. And we rejoice
greatly over your ambitious undertak-
ing of building a cultural center in
Gimli, and we look forward to attend-
ing the opening of improved facilities
for the Icelandic Library as well as
improved facilities for the Icelandic
Department at the University of
Manitoba.
All this is happening in just one
year; and many events are on stage
already as the Snorri Program; twenty
young Canadians are now in Iceland
experiencing the land of their forefa-
thers and foremothers as it is today. We
see in these young people the friends of
Iceland of the future in Canada.
And to íslendingadagurinn again:
should you perhaps think about it to
bring Islendingadagurinn even closer to
the old Icelandic parliament than it is
today? Should we perhaps have meet-
ings, a decision making body, with rep-
resenatives from the Icelandic commu-
nities from all over North America?
Last week my wife Guðrún and I
travelled in Alberta and Saskatchewan
with the President of Iceland, and from
there to Winnipeg and to Mountain,
North Dakota. To sum it up, it was won-
derful to witness the interest in Iceland
and the joy over the President’s visit to
the Icelandic settlements.
In conclusion, I bring you all best
wishes from the government of Iceland.
The Prime Minister, Davíð Oddsson,
and the Foreign Minister, Halldór
Asgrímsson, asked me to bring you
warm greetings at Islendingadagurinn.
The President of Iceland, Olafur Ragnar
Grímsson, asked me to bring you spe-
cial greetings. We look forward to cele-
brating an Icelandic year in Canada.
Happy íslendingadagur, a celebra-
tion lasting for many days and nights,
like Alþingi of old. Our next celebra-
tion is a year long; it begins today.
Happy íslendingadagur.
Gleðilega hátíð.
Festival Highlights
Beloware glimpses from íslendingadagurinn 1999 in Gimli,
which was blessed with sunny skies, crowds of people,
and much visiting.
mmmmmm
lcelandic Consul Svavar Gestsson and his wife Guðrún Agústsdóttir took part
the parade. photo: i. is
i
Karlakor Kjalnesinga, visiting from Iceland for the festival, sang for an appre-
ciative audience. Photo,-1. isfrhi
| Fjallkona Helga Anderson attended by her handmaidens Lara Arnason (left) and
| Jennifer Kristin Rebillard. Phou,: i. h/eid
nnn i# rnim hmi duu á? wm wi mi mm rmi *n MrN ni ni im