The White Falcon - 13.06.1986, Blaðsíða 5

TUB ARMS OF ICELAND
By JOC John Petersen
Iceland celebrates its Independence Day—the
equivalent of our Fourth of July—on June 17. This
was the day in 1944 that Iceland finally shucked off
the final ties with Denmark. Twenty-five thousand
people celebrated the occasion 42 years ago at
Thingvellir.
By presidential order, on that day, it was
decreed that the Icelandic Coat of Arms should be a
shield with the Icelandic flag on it. The shield,
resting on a slab of basalt, is held by a dragon, a
vulture, a bull and a giant.
Iceland's flag is a red cross bordered with white
in a blue field. Blue has been considered the
national color of Iceland since olden times. The
blue field is divided by both crosses into four
parts, of which the two nearest the staff are
square.
The National Anthem
One thousand years after the arrival of the first
settler to Iceland in 874, a celebration was held.
For the occasion, a poet, Matthias Jochumsson,
wrote a song of praise "0 gud vors lands' (Our
Country's God). The melody was composed by
Photo of the Week
A hut made of grass.
by Ed Baker
Sveinbjorn Sveinbjornsson. This song has become
the national anthem but, like our own 'Star
Spangled Banner,' it is rather difficult to sing and
other patriotic songs with easier melodies are
frequently sung.
The Order of the Falcon
Svein Eiriksson, the deceased Fire Chief of the
Naval Air Station (see page 1), was a recipient of
Iceland's highest order ‘Falkaordan (The Order of
the Falcon). It Is the only award Iceland has. Five
members of an Order Council submit nominations
to the Grand Master of the Order, the president of
Iceland. When the order is conferred on an
Icelander it must always be publicly stated what the
citizen did to merit the honor. The Order of the
Falcon has four classes: Grand Cross, Grand Knight
with a Star, Grand Knight and Knight. Chief
Eiriksson was a Knight of the Order.
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Snndag
8:30 a. m. Lutheran Communion Service
(First and third Sundays)
9:15 a. m. Protestant Sunday School
(Child Care Center, Family
Services &, High School)
9:30 a.m. Catholic Mass
11:00 a. m. CCD (Sept, thru May, Child
Care Center, Family
Services & Chapel Hall)
Schedule of religious services
11:00 a. m. Protestant Morning Worship
(Communion-First Sundays)
12:30 p. m. Catholic Mass
lav Reader Services
9:30 a. m. Church of Christ, Elementary
School
10:00 a. m. The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-Day Saints,
Elementary School
12:00 p.m. Gospel Service, Elementary
School
2:00 p.m. Christian Science, Chapel
3:00 p.m. Pentecostal Full Gospel
Fellowship, Chapel
5:30 p.m. Fourth Sunday, Episcopal
(Anglican) Evening Prayer,
Chapel
Fridag
7:30 p.m. Jewish Sabbath, Chapel
Weekdags
11:30 a.m. Catholic Mass (Mon.-
Thurs.) Chapel
5:00 p.m. Catholic Mass (Sat.)
(Oct. thru April)
Contact the Chape) at 4)))/
42) ) for other activities.
God Bless
June 13, 1986 The White Falcon
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