Sunday Post - 22.12.1940, Síða 1

CHRISTMAS NUMBER
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Sunday, Dec. 22nd, 1940 Price 1,00 krona.
Icelandic Christmas Customs
by Sigur3ur Einarsson
Reader in theology at the University of Iceland.
CHRISTMAS in Iceland is
quiite unique. This is parti-
cularly so in the minds of the
older generation and the country
people. In the towns Christmas
has got an international atmos-
phere, which makes it much less
interesting.
Let us imagine, that we are
staying out in the country in Ice-
land some 40 years ago. Christ-
mas is getting near. In every
home people work hard at the
preparation for Christmas. A-
mong other things, every member
of the household has to get a
new piece of clothing to take on.
If he does not get it, he will be
seized by the Christmas cat. This
is a monster which nobody has
seen, but everybody is neverthe-
less soi afraid of it, that they
will not risk anything. Therefore
all spinningwheels and looms
aTe kept busy, and the lady of
the house and her maids sew
Until late night.
Just before Christmas, you be-
gin to prepare the Christmas
food, a very important event.
First you bake bread and flat-
bread, and in many districts you
make the &0' called „leave bread"
peculiarly carved cakes boiled in
fat, and you find them very deli-
cious. On St. Pariahs Day (23rd
December) the main quantity of
the Christmas food is prepared.
The traditional dish is smoked
lamb, and you boil as much as
you can afford, and if you are
well enough off, you boil so
much that it will last during all
the Christmas festivities. After
boiling, the meat is put in vessels
for cooling, and on Christmas Eve
the lady of the house divides' it
between her household.
On Christmas eve the whole
house is cleaned, and that must
be finished not later than 5 o’-
clock, and at that time too, all
work outside the bouse and the
attending of the cattle had to be
finished. Just after 5 o’clock
everybody was gathered in the
house, and you now started to
change into your best clothes.
This had to be finished by 6 o’-
clock, when Christmas really be-
gan, but where there were many
children, the lady of the house
and her maids as a rule were
a little late. When everybody
was dressed, all lamps which
SigurSur Einarsson.
were to be found in the bouse
were lighted, and after that no-
body was allowed to touch any
work, except those absolutely
necessary, such as serving of
meals.
At this hour, those who went
to church, left their homes, but
owing to bad weather and a great
distance from the church this was
impossible in some districts.
Christmas Eve was the most
sacred part of Christmas. When
everybody had dressed and taken
on some new piece of clothing
so it was apparent, that the
Christmas cat had nothing to do
in that farm, all the people sat
down on their beds, and the hus-
band took the book of sermons
and read the Christmas gospel
and a sermon. After that ;all
members of the family and
household said aloud: “Thank
you for the reading” and then
wished each other happy Christ-
mas.
This finished, the lady of the
house went to the pantry, and
put the finishing touch to the
dividing of the Christmas meal,
but the maids serve the meal for
every member, and each af them
gets his portion on a large
plate. The division was carried
oiut according to fixed rules,
which have been unchanged for
centuries. Every grown up man
was to get a smoked leg of a
lamb, smoked side of mutton,
some fats, three or four pieces
of flatbread, a piece of bread
baked in a pot, two „leavebread”
cakes, and on top of this he got
a large candle. On the more
well-to-do farms, where there
were many cows, you got a large
portion of butter as well.
Grown up women got a
shoulder in stead of a leg, and
their piece of smoked side of
mutton was considerably less
than that of the men. Their por-
tion of bread was very much the
same and so: was their candle.
Children were given their por-
tions in proportion to their age
and sex, and there was always
a marked difference as between
boys and girls. Apart from this,
it was a custom on the more
well-to-do farms, that the hus-
band got the so called guest por-
tion, a particularly selected piece
of smoked mutton, and this he
had ready in case he got visitors
during Christmas, whom he
wanted to1 give some refresh-
ment without calling for the
assistance of his wife or maids,
as they were not bound to do
any work except those you could
not do without.
Wines' were not found except
on relatively rich farms and they
were never touched on Christmas
eve. When the employees had
finished their meal, they all went
to the lady of the house and said:
“May God bless me and my food
in the name of Jesus, amen.” So
solemn a phrase was never used
except on this sole occasion, and
it was also meant to be a sort of
an acknowledgement, that they
had been well treated in her em-
ployment. It was also a kind of
promise, that they would do their
best, and understand her position
during the inevitable scarcity of
food in the late wintermonths.
The rest of the evening was
spent in a quiet way. Weather-
beaten shepherds lighted their
candles, took less snuff than
usual and played with the child-
ren and offered help if anybody
had to do something. In the
homes there was a rest instead of
toil, and a peace instead of un-"
certainty, a rest so profond, that
it was almost blasphemy if any-
body dared to mention any dis-
agreement, which might spoil this
sacred hour.
But in all this, Christmas has
been to the Icelanders, who have
professed the Christian faith
since the year 1000, a heathen
festival.
In the morning on Christmas
Day, the lady of the house got
up first of all, and served all
the members of her household
with coffee and small thick pan-
cakes. It made no difference
whether she was rich or poor,
whether she had no maid or ten
maids. After that, the cattle and
sheep were attended as quickly
as possible. Those who wanted
k> attend church, had to leave in
good time, and they were given
some Light refreshments when
they had finished their outdoor-
work. If they had to wade
through deep sinow or if the
church was faraway, they also
had a little from their portion of
the preceding evening. Then they
left for church, often two hours
walk 'through deep snow, and
attended the service in a cold
church. After service the church-
goers stayed a bit if there was
fine weather, but otherwise ev-
erybody hurried home. In going
to church, the religious and the
social aspects were so strangely
interwoven, that my home; from
which nobody attended church,
felt tljat something had been lost,
which otherwise was to be theirs
as a matter af fact. From large
Wines there went many to church
buit from the smaller ones only
one but this one, on his return,
had to retell the sermon for the
people at home. This was a great
sport, and people of average in-
telligence did it easily.
When the churchgoers returned
home, the rest of. the people
(Please turn to page 11.)