Árbók Hins íslenzka fornleifafélags - 01.01.2009, Page 98

„ALLTAF VAR ÞAR EITTHVAÐ SEM HÖFÐAÐI TIL FÓLKSINS“ 97
-[Ásmundur Guðmundsson], „Yfirlitsskýrsla“, bls. 322-323.
205 Árni Björnsson, Saga daganna, bls. 352.
206 Ragnar Jóhannesson, Jólavísur, [bls. 11].
207 Tölvup. Guðrún Ragnarsdóttir, 6. nóv. 2008. - Guðrún er dóttir Ragnars
Jóhannessonar.
208 Hljómpl. Hátíð í bæ; Jólaboð; Hátíð í bæ [endurútgáfa].
209 Ari Páll Kristinsson, „Tjáningartæki“, bls. 4-5, 8. – Sjá ennfremur Ara Pál Kristinsson,
Í fréttum er þetta helst.
210 RÚV. Skjalasafn. Gerðabók útvarpsráðs, 1765. fundur, 11. júní 1968. - Baldur
Pálmason, „Jónas Þorbergsson“, bls. 12.
211 Stjórnartíðindi 2000 A, bls. 369. Sbr. Stjórnartíðindi 1985 A, bls. 214.
212 Gunnar Stefánsson, Útvarp Reykjavík, bls. 404. - Um menningarlegt hlutverk
Ríkisútvarpsins sjá ennfremur Robert Hampf, Nytta och nöje, bls. 103-105.
Summary
Saturday the 20th of December 1930 The Icelandic National Broadcasting Service
started operations, it remained the only Icelandic radio station for over half a century.
On the second day it broadcast two masses and since that time church services have
been broadcast on Sundays and feast days. From early on, the church was involved in
the radio, as it was the general consensus that the radio was important for spreading
and strengthening the Christian faith in the country. Since 1950, the Bishop’s office
selected the masses as well as the order in which they were broadcast – evidencing the
significant inf luence the church has had on the society.
Radio masses were practical for those that could not attend church, e.g. people who
were ill, elderly or infirm. Also, in the countryside, there were various reasons that
might hinder people from attending or conducting mass. Radio masses also benefited
the sparsely inhabited areas of the country with churches where masses were rarely
held.
In 1950 the National Broadcasting Service started using tape recording equipment
and services were recorded in many country churches and broadcast later. Since
1966, the National Broadcasting Service has broadcasted televised church services on
Christmas Eve, Easter and Pentecost. Evensong has been broadcasted on a privately
owned TV station since 2007; and a Christian TV station has been operating since
1995. There have been four Christian radio stations in Iceland. The first began in
1986 and two are still operating. There are a little over 100 websites in Iceland that are
connected with church and religion. Among those, are the web pages of individual
churches, parishes and congregations.
The Christmas Eve Evensong has acquired a special status in the nation’s Christmas
celebrations and long ago became an institution among the other Icelandic Christmas
traditions. Also, since 1944, the Passion Psalms, have been read during Lent – a
tradition that survives today and still holds a special meaning for the Icelanders. Later
morning prayers and a prayer at late evening were also broadcast.
The first funeral broadcast was that of Mayer of Reykjavík in March 1935. Originally,
the plan was to only broadcast the funerals of famous individuals, but as early as 1936
the broadcasting of “ordinary” peoples’ funerals started and became more common
with time. In October 1967, the last funeral of an ordinary individual was broadcasted.
Since 1968, the State is the only one to carry-out broadcasted funerals and those have