Reykjavík Grapevine - 06.12.2019, Qupperneq 18

Celebrate (Before
The Yule Cat Eats You)
How to Christmas like an Icelander
Words: Hannah Jane Cohen & Valur Grettisson Photo: Art Bicnick
If there’s anything Iceland loves,
it’s taking Christmas to the next
level. And hell no—we’re not talk-
ing about the Yule Lads or some
Christmas cat, we’re talking about
cheesy star-studded Christmas
concerts, pop-up ice skating rinks,
and, of course, those iconic Icelan-
dic Christmas buffets, which you
can learn more about on page 34.
Here’s how you can Christmas like
an Icelander.
Ice Skating at Ingólfstorg
Until Dec. 24th - Ingólfstorg – 12:00-
22:00 – Free! (990 ISK to rent skates)
The next Winter Olympics might
not be until 2022 but that doesn’t
mean you can’t start practising
now. Get on the path to win Ice-
land’s first figure skating medal
with a spin around Reykjavík’s
beloved annual Ingólfstorg skat-
ing rink. Bring your kids, lover, or
adrenaline-junkie Grandma and
take over the city’s central square
on some razor-sharp shoes. Grab a
Hlölli afterwards for a true Reykja-
vík afternoon. HJC
Jülevenner Emmsjé Gauta
2019
Dec. 22nd & 23rd - 16:00, 20:00,
23:00 - Háskólabíó - 4,990-6,990 ISK
There are so many cheesy Icelan-
dic Christmas concerts—where
local celebrities gather to perform
songs, skits, and more—that we
couldn’t possibly name them all.
Our personal favourite is curated
by Iceland’s hip-hop prince Emms-
jé Gauti. It’s a fresh take on the
trope featuring young pop stars
like Bríet and Aron Can along with
old favourites like the flamboyant
Páll Óskar. There’s a special family
show on the 23rd at 16:00, which we
imagine will be the talking point at
all the Gen Xer parties. VG
Hei$mörk Christmas
Market
Weekends until December 22nd -
12:00-17:00 - Hei#mörk - Free!
Nearly every Icelandic venue/store
has its own version of a holiday
market, but the one in the old hunt-
ing lodge at Elli!avatn is a not-to-
miss experience. On a frozen lake in
a gorgeous forest, sit the kids into a
beautiful grove for some Christmas
stories—most in Icelandic. After-
wards, cut down your own Christ-
mas tree, enjoy some hot chocolate,
and just be merry. Oh, and don’t
forget to buy a ton of handmade
stuff. What more is Christmas
than capitalism wrapped in a bow?
VG/HJC
Baggalútur
Dec. 6th, 7th, 8th, 13, 14, 15th, 19th,
20th, 21st - 17:00, 21:00 - Háskólabíó
- 9,559 ISK
Ok, this concert is literally as Ice-
landic as you can get. Warning: it
will be in Icelandic, but we think
the show is crazy enough that even
foreigners will have fun. The light-
hearted comedy band Baggalútur
essentially invented the Icelandic
Christmas concert a decade ago
and are still the fiercest act around.
If you’re into Icelandic dad-hu-
mour—think ballads from the per-
spective of Gr"la’s long-suffering
husband Leppalú!i—you’ll find it
here. HJC
Christmas Screening: Love
Actually
Dec. 23rd - 20:00 - Bíó Paradís -
1,000-1,600 ISK
The best way to find out if your
friend or partner isn’t a psycho-
path is the good old did-you-feel-
anything test when Liam Neeson’s
son, Sam, runs through the airport
to confess his love to his American
crush. If the partner feels nothing,
run and hide. Anyway, Bíó Paradís
hosts a ton of special Christmas
screenings each year, but let’s be
real: ‘Love Actually’ is not only the
best love story of all time, but it’s
also the best Christmas movie ever.
Do you feel it in your fingers? Do you
feel it in your toes? Because Christ-
mas is all around us, so c’mon and
let it snow. VG
BEST OF REYKJAVÍK
Best Book
Translations
Hotel Silence
Au!ur Ava Ólafsdóttir
Winner of the 2018 Nordic
Council Literature Prize, ‘Hotel
Silence’ is characterised by the
bleak humour it applies to the
tragedy of human existence. In
the novel, Au!ur Ava interro-
gates the more benevolent as-
pects of traditional masculine
values through her protagonist:
a solemn middle-aged handy-
man whose only means of com-
municating love is by installing
kitchens, tiling bathrooms and
being useful to his relations and
compatriots. After an emotional
blow, he sets off on a journey to
an unspecified location with the
aim of committing suicide in
as quiet and polite a manner as
possible. BH
Woman at
1000 Degrees
Hallgrímur Helgason
Hallgrímur Helgason’s subject
matters are so varied that if it
wasn’t for his florid and exuber-
ant prose style it might be diffi-
cult to see his books as belonging
within the same oeuvre. In this
work of fiction, a vivacious and
foul-mouthed octogenarian nar-
rates her life from the islands of
Brei!afjör!ur, living as a bedrid-
den invalid in a suburban garage.
As she spends her time catfish-
ing gullible men in distant lands
with pictures of Icelandic beauty
queens, her only companion is
a live hand grenade; her final
means of maintaining control
over her fate. BH
18The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 21— 2019Best of Reykjavík
Has anyone seen this kid by the way? We think that the Yule Cat grabbed him
Joy, Sustainability
& Honesty
Kaupvangur 17 - Egilsstadir
tel: +354-471-2450
Happy Hour
all days 15 - 19
Best selection of Icelandic
Beers in the East
Private rooms & dorms
Homemade cakes & soups,
vegan & friendly food
I T ' S N O T T R U E
S K A F T F E L L
Elvar Már Kjartansson
& L i tt e n Ny s t rOm :
O p e n i n g 2 1 . 0 9 . 2 0 1 9 1 6 h - 1 8 h
2 1 . 0 9 - 2 8 . 1 0 2 0 1 9
Skaftfell - Center for Visual Art, Sey!isfjör!ur
www.skaftfell . is · mail@skaftfell . info