Lögberg-Heimskringla - 18.06.2004, Page 4

4 • Lögberg-Heimskringia • i-riaay iö june zuua
Remember the past and
have faith in the future
Steinþór Guöbjartsson
Managing Editor
When you fly into Salt
Lake City and see the majestic
mountains that surround the
Utah Valley and the scenery,
you do not wonder why
Samúel Bjarnason, his wife
Margrét, and their friend
Helga Jónsdóttir emigrated to
Utah and settled in Spanish
Fork in 1855.
When you drive around
the mountains through Park
City and Sundance at the base
of Mount Timpanogos it
becomes clearer to you why
some Icelanders, Robert Red-
ford, the founder of Sundance,
and thousands of others, select
the area for skiing and hiking.
When you visit Spanish
Fork you remember the past
and get the feelings of the Ice-
landers when they built up the
first Icelandic settlement in
North America.
When you meet the
descendants of the settlers and
hear their stories, you realize
how much they have done to
preserve the Icelandic her-
itage and how proud they are
of their Icelandic heritage.
When you enter the Salt
Lake Tabemacle, the oldest
structure on Temple Square in
Salt Lake City, and listen to
the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
and the Orchestra, you are
more aware of why the Taber-
nacle, which was completed
in 1867 and has a capacity of
6,000, is full every Sunday
morning and why the pro-
grams are broadcast over
about 2,000 radio, television,
and cable stations worldwide.
When you visit American
horseowners and notice that
they have nothing but Ice-
landic horses, because they
are the best, you really believe
in the future of man and horse.
When you talk to Ice-
landic entrepreneurs or entre-
preneurs of Icelandic descent
running businesses in Salt
Lake City, you understand
why they selected the loca-
tion.
When you fly from Salt
Lake City you have faith in
the future, and you don’t want
to miss the Sesquicentennial
Celebration, June 23 - 26,
2005, of the Icelandic Associ-
ation of Utah, to honour those
Icelanders who immigrated to
Utah from 1855 to 1914.
Enjoy your visit to Utah. I
certainly did and I’m looking
forward to my next visit.
Letters to the Editor • Bréf til ritstjóra
Dear Editor:
I’m writing to express my
thanks for all the nice write-
ups and pictures that you have
put into our Lögberg-Heim-
skringla Icelandic paper.
It’s very interesting to read
about all the different places
and people, especially the
cooking recipes of both Iceland
and other countries. The
First Lutheran Church
580 Victor Street
Wittnipeg R3G 1R2
204-772-7444
www.mts.net/~flcwin

Worship with us
Sundays 10:30 a.m.
Pastor Michael Kurtz
recipes from Iceland are very
well received. Also the pictures
of Icelandic birds and different
places are very interesting.
Bertha Isfeld
Penticton, BC
* * *
Dear Editor:
I have just been looking at
your copy of Lögberg-Heim-
skringla dated May 21, 2004.
Thank you for featuring the
Icelandic presence in Nova
Scotia. It was very well done
and opened our eyes to the set-
tlements in Eastern Canada.
The pictures are great.
I just wanted to mention
that I have read the book,
Errand Boy in the Mooseland
Hills by Jóhann Magnús Bjar-
nason, translated by Borga
Jakobson. This is a great story
of Bjarnason’s life as a youth in
the Markland area. Jóhann
Magnús Bjarnason lived for
several years at Arn-
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heiðarstaðir in the Geysir area
east of Arborg, where he taught
school and wrote.
Several years ago, a fine
memorial to this man was
raised at his homestead at Arn-
heiðarstaðir by the local com-
munity and was offically
unveiled by the then President
of Iceland Vigdís Finnbogadót-
tir.
I would highlý recommend
reading this book, as Borga
does an excellent job in the
translation and I think Jóhann
Magnús would have been
pleased.
Einar Vigfusson
Arborg, MB
* * *
Editor’s note: We received
the following request for help
witli research and are printing
it so that interested readers can
contact Ms. Greenhill.
Dear L-H Readers:
Have you ever heard about
or participated in a shivaree?
I am a researcher at the
University of Winnipeg. I am
hoping to get in touch with
people in your community and
area who have heard about or
have participated in these
events.
You might know it by
another name: sometimes it’s
called a “charivari,” “sere-
nade,” “rough music,” “salut-
ing,” or “skimmington.” A
shivaree is a community gath-
ering that usually happens after
a wedding. A group of friends
and relatives get together and
celebrate a new marriage by
going to the couple's home and
playing tricks on them, often
beginning with making a lot of
noise.
You might also have heard
about shivarees in the past that
were a little less friendly. Tra-
ditionally, some communities
u§ed shivarees to indicate their
disapproval of a marriage. I am
also interested in talking to
people who have heard about
or remember these older shiva-
rees, either from their own
experiences or frorn having
heard older people talk about
them.
If you know about or have
been to shivarees, either in the
present or thé past, I would like
to talk with you. I am
researching all aspects of shiv-
arees, and would be interested
in hearing about what people in
your area think about the rea-
sons for shivarees, what kinds
of things happen or happened
at them, and how people react
or reacted to them.
If you have any informa-
tion or stories to share, please
contact me at the University of
Winnipeg at (204) 786-9439. I
accépt all collect calls, so
please phone through an opera-
tor. You can also get in touch
with me by email, at p.green-
hill@uwinnipeg.ca
Pauline Greenhill
University of Winnipeg
515 Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, MB
R3B 2E9 '
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