Reykjavík Grapevine - 04.12.2015, Side 61

The Reykjavík Grapevine X-mas Special 5
one might buy chocolate) in a double boiler
with 1–2 cups of water. In a separate con-
tainer, heat one litre of milk to the boiling
point. Slowly stir melted chocolate into
boiling milk. Enjoy.
Jólaball
(yo!-la-baahl)
See also: Jólaboð
The jólaball, or Christmas dance, is a lon
standing tradition where children are herd-
ed by their parents or schools to hang out,
eat cake and candy and dance around a deco-
rated tree while singing some classic Christ-
mas tunes. More often than not, one or more
of the Yule lads will make an appearance and
disburse small gift bags of candy.

Jóladagatal
(yo!-la-dae-gah-taahl)
The jóladagatal (“Christmas calendar”)
is used to count down the days from De-
cember 1 until the 24th, and is a must for
children of all ages—some adults like to
indulge as well. The most common variety
has a differently shaped piece of chocolate
for each day, although some of the crappier
ones just have dumb, holiday related pic-
tures (seriously mom?). Some families like
to craft their own, wrapping small gifts for
each day.
Jólaboð
(yo!-la-boeth)
The Icelandic Xmas party—jólaboð—is
traditionally a family gathering that in-
volves copious amounts of eating Christ-
mas fare such as hangikjöt and cookies,
drinking coffee and chocolate, talking
about the weather and engaging in the lat-
est board games (although Trivial Pursuit
is always a classic).
Jóladagur
(yo!-la-daguer)
See also: Jólaboð
Jóladagur—Christmas Day—is the big
day for family gatherings and Christmas
parties. Many like to sleep in and relax be-
fore putting on formal attire and heading
out to a friend’s house to indulge in some
hangikjöt or hot chocolate. Everything is
closed. A very relaxed day, for most.
Jólaglögg
(yo!-la-gluhg)
See also: Jólahlaðborð, drinking
A hot beverage consisting of red wine,
vodka, and spices (kind of like mulled
wine, really). Often served with raisins.
The word can also just mean a party of
friends around Christmas time who get
together under the pretext that they will
drink Jólaglögg, when all they really want
to do is drink anything with alcohol in it.
You know, because of the dark.
Jólahlaðborð
(yo!-la-hlaeth-boerth)
See also: Christmas dining, eating out, Ham-
borgarhryggur
A fairly new tradition in Iceland. A
Jólahlaðborð is a Christmas buffet that
people attend in groups, usually coworkers
go together for a night of eating, but most-
ly drinking. Many a marriage has been put
to a serious strain after a drunken night at
a Jólahlaðborð.
Jólakort
(yo!-la-kowrt)
Many Icelanders choose to parlay greet-
ings to their friends and loved ones over
the holidays via the mailing of Christmas
cards, or jólakort. They will most often
feature a generic Christmassy motif and
some standard well wishes, although some
use the opportunities to send along pic-
tures of the family.

Jólakötturinn
(yo!-la-koett-ur-enn)
To avoid, as the saying goes, “going to the
Christmas cat,” children are required to re-
ceive at least one piece of new clothing in time
for Christmas each year. Otherwise, the cat
will eat them.
Jólamatur
(yo!-la-maw-tuer)
See also: Christmas buffets, rjúpur, kæst
skata, hangikjöt, jólaöl, jólasmákökur
Like in most other places, nourishing one-
self over the holidays is all about indulgence.
When it comes to jólamatur (“Christmas
food”): the richer, sweeter, fattier and saltier,
the better.
Jólaöl
(yo!-la-oel)
See also: Christmas dining
The ultimate Christmas drink, Jólaöl (or:
“Christmas ale”) is created by mixing an
elusive ratio of Malt and Appelsín orange
soda. Although you can now buy this drink
premixed,
it’s way more fun to mix it yourself, according
to taste (try two parts Appelsín to one part
Malt, in that order). Note that it contains no
alcohol. Which is nice for a change.
Jólasmákökur
(yo!-la-smouw-koek-er)
See also: Dining
Jólasmákökur (“Christmas cookies”) are an
essential part of the Icelandic holiday experi-
ence. Most households bake their own cook-
ies in the weeks leading up to Christmas,
making an average of three to five different
types. They are then consumed at Christmas
gatherings or while lounging about with one’s
new presents. Some classic types include:
Piparkökur (“ginger snaps”), Mömmukökur
(ginger snap-type cookies sandwiched
around white frosting), súkkulaðibitakökur
(chocolate chip cookies) and hálfmánar (rhu-
barb preserves wrapped in dough), although
the varieties are endless.
Jólatré
(yo!-lah-tr-yeah!)
See also: Þorláksmessa, Christmas presents
Icelanders’ Christmas trees are usually in-
stalled on December 23, with the actual deco-
rating taking place on the 24th (although this
does differ between households). Various or-
ganisations, such as the local rescue squads,
sell live trees to fund their operations, al-
though private companies also partake. Fake
plastic trees aren’t very popular, although
some folks prefer them.

Kæst skata
(kjae-st skaaah-taaaah)
See also: Þorláksmessa
The consumption of kæst skata, or rotted
skate, on December 23 is a holiday tradition
derived from the Westfjords of Iceland. The
dish—which many swear by, and others find
especially foul—is most often imbibed at
special skate gatherings around noon on the
23rd, and is often served along with pota-
toes, butter, rye bread and shots of brennivín
(most Westfjörds experts recommend drink-
ing milk with the skate, as the fish is “intoxi-
cating in and of itself”).
The skate is a chondrichyte, and there-
fore ferments when allowed to rot, as its
urine is distributed through its flesh and
goes through a chemical change over time.
They are in fact poisonous if eaten before the
fermentation process is complete. It is fer-
mented by throwing it in a box and letting it
lie for three weeks.
Laufabrauð
(loi-fa-brau-eth)
See also: Aðventan
The making of laufabrauð, or “leaf-bread,” is
usually a family-affair that takes place early
in December. People gather together to cut
intricate patterns into this deep-fried, thin
flatbread, which is then enjoyed as a tasty
snack to accompany any Christmas event or
meal. It goes exceedingly well with butter.
Nýársdagur
(knee-ouwrs-da-guer)
See also: Drinking
Icelanders like to spend most of New Year’s
Day feeling hung-over and sorry for them-
selves. As the evening approaches, many will
start pulling themselves together and dress-
ing up for New Year’s Day banquets or par-
ties that have grown popular lately. Others
will stay in watching DVDs or something.
Presents
See also: Aðfangadagur, jólatré
Of course Xmas is all about the presents, and
a lot of debt is incurred during the season.
There are no specific guidelines for Xmas gift
giving in Iceland, but a good rule of thumb is
to avoid being extravagant in your gift choic-
es, unless maybe something extravagant is
called for or expected on the other end. Gen-
erally most folks tend to stick with bestow-
ing presents upon their immediate family
and loved ones, although some like to spread
the joy to their entire group of friends. In
any case, there’s nothing wrong with asking.
Xmas presents are stored under the Xmas
tree until they’re due to be opened.
Religion and church
Even though around 80% of them are enrolle-
din the State Church, Icelanders have never
been known to be particularly enthusiastic
churchgoers or observers of religious cus-
toms. Indeed, Christmas isn’t a particularly
religious holiday in Iceland. However, many
folks like to attend Church services and con-
certs during the holidays, particularly on the
24th and the 31st. Check with your tourist in-
formation centre for complete church listings.
The ringing of the church bells of Reykja-
vík’s Lutheran Cathedral is broadcast on all
major television and radio stations through-
out the country promptly at 18:00 on Christ-
mas Eve, at which point everyone wishes
each other a Merry Christmas and sits down
to eat.
Returning gifts
See also: Commerce
Exchanging one’s Xmas gifts in favour
of something more desirable is a common
practice in Iceland. Most stores will accept
returns until the second week of January, al-
though policies differ.
Rjúpur
(ryooh-purr)
See also: Jólamatur
Wild fowl rjúpur, or ptarmigan, are a popu-
lar main course for many families Christmas
meals. The small birds can be delicious if
handled properly, and have a rich, gamey sort
of taste. The Grapevine recommends trying
some if you have the chance.
Santa Claus
See also: Jólasveinar
We have no need for your international big,
fat, jolly, capitalist greed-mongering Coca
Cola Santa Claus in Iceland, as we have thir-
teen of our own that are much cooler. He still
makes an appearance from time to time. Oh
we like him fine enough, he’s a jolly good fel-
low and all.
Vacations
Icelanders usually take pretty hefty Xmas
vacations, with December 24, 25 and 26 all
legal holidays, as well as December 31st and
January 1st. A lot of folks actually take Dec
23–Jan 2 off entirely—so don’t expect a lot to
get done during the Xmas season.
Þorláksmessa
(thoer-louwks-mess-ah)
See also: Kæst skata
In celebration of one of only two Icelandic
saints, St. Þorlákur, Icelanders eat ferment-
ed skate, which is often enjoyed with copious
amounts of Icelandic Brennivín. Then, they
will traditionally gather on the shopping
street Laugavegur to do some last minute
shopping (although some do the bulk of their
shopping on that day), drink Christmas beer
or hot chocolate and have a merry ol’ time.
Also, this is traditionally the day that chil-
dren are allowed to decorate the Christmas
tree.
Þrettándinn
(thu-rhett-ouwn-din-n)
January 6 is Þrettándinn (“the thirteenth”),
the thirteenth and final day of Christmas a
cording to Icelandic tradition. The event is
celebrated with torch processions, bonfires,
fireworks. The king and queen of the hidden
people traditionally join the festivities. Back
in olden times, it was a scary time to be out
and about, as the hidden people can be sur-
prisingly sinister.