Lögberg-Heimskringla - 01.05.2015, Blaðsíða 4

4 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • May 1 2015
VISIT OUR WEBSITE WWW.LH-INC.CA
“It’s May! It’s May!
The lusty month of May!
That lovely month when
everyone goes
Blissfully astray.
It’s here! It’s here!
That shocking time of year
When tons of wicked little
thoughts
Merrily appear!”
– Alan Jay Lerner
There’s something about the arrival of May that makes those of us in
the northern hemisphere want
to sing and dance and frolic
about. Although astronomers
reckon the March equinox as
the beginning of spring, and
Icelanders mark the first day
of the ancient month called
Harpa, which arrives on the
Thursday falling from April 19
to 25, as Sumardagurinn fyrsti
(the First Day of Summer), my
heart skips a beat each year
with the arrival of May.
Early in the morning on
May 1st, I like to watch and
listen to Vanessa Redgrave
singing “the lusty month of
May” in her role as Guenevere
in the film version of Camelot.
And I croon along with her
– one time, two times, three
times – while the seasonal lust
rises in me like the sap of the
maple trees. While others may
muse about their inner child,
this is the day I discover my
inner pagan. This is the day
when I most deeply feel a kind
of mystical connection to the
earth. It is a day of hope and
anticipation as new life brims
all around me.
Like other countries
around the world, May Day
is celebrated in Iceland as
International Labour Day,
where it is both a public holiday
and an official flag day. Since
1923, the country’s unions
have marked the occasion with
solidarity marches, the first one
having wended its way down
Laugavegur and Bergstaðastræti
in Reykjavík with such diverse
banners as “Ban all alcohol,”
“Throw incompetents out of
office,” and “No night work!
Adequate day work!”*
Last year, I had the good
fortune to be in Reykjavík
on May Day, so I joined in
the parade and listened to the
speeches and the music – not
that I understood much, but
I was at least able to feel the
spirit of the occasion. The
hunger for social justice and
material well-being can be
at least as strong as life’s
other passions. Among the
many activities going on, I
was both startled and amused
to see what must have been
almost every motorcycle in the
country roar down Laugavegur
in thundering solidarity. And
unlike 1923, there was beer.
Still, it is May Day’s role
as the true gateway to spring
and the harbinger of the earth’s
greening that I find most
compelling. Having reached
an age where every reminder
that I’m still capable of
passion – let’s call it lust! – is
somehow reassuring, it’s sweet
to know that that I’m still able
to sing with the birds and the
troubadours at the prospect of
another summer upon this dear
and pleasant earth. For those
of us in northern climes, the
greening of the earth is upon
us and the promise of spring is
being fulfilled.
May we all enjoy a lust
for life – not only in May,
but throughout the year – and
should we happen to go astray
through shocking behaviours
and wicked little thoughts at
this threshold to summer, may
this lovely month nonetheless
prove to be blissful and merry.
* Source: Árni Björnsson,
High Days and Holidays in
Iceland (Reykjavík: Mál og
menning, 1995).
The lusty month of May
Lögberg-
Heimskringla
Published 24 times a year by
Lögberg-Heimskringla, Incorporated
Heimskringla stofnað 9. september 1886
Lögberg stofnað 14. janúar 1888
Sameinuð 1959
508-283 Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, MB R3B 2B5
Phone: (204) 284-5686
Toll free: 1-866-564-2374
Fax: (204) 284-7099
www.lh-inc.ca
lh@lh-inc.ca
Office Hours:
9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Mon. - Fri.
CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER
Audrey Juve Kwasnica
(204) 927-5645 • audrey@lh-inc.ca
EDITOR
Stefan Jonasson
stefan@lh-inc.ca
PRODUCTION MANAGER /
LAYOUT and DESIGN EDITOR
Catherine McConnell
(204) 927-5644 • catherine@lh-inc.ca
ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE /
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
Jodi Dunlop
(204) 927-5643 • jodi@lh-inc.ca
VOLUNTEER ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTS
Linda Hammersley and Alicyn Goodman
PRINTING: The Winnipeg Sun
Commercial Print Division
PM No. 40012014
The L-H gratefully acknowledges
the financial support of the Government of
Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of
the Department of Canadian Heritage
L-H gratefully acknowledges the generous
support of the Government of Iceland.
Please return undeliverable Canadian
addresses to:
508-283 Portage Ave., Wpg, MB R3B 2B5
Archived issues spanning 1886-2005
may be viewed at www.timarit.is
SUBSCRIPTIONS
SUBSCRIPTION: 24 issues/year
Canada: $60
USA: $60 US
International: $70 US
L-H online is free to all print subscribers
Online only: $45 CAD, payable in advance
DONATIONS
All donations to
Lögberg-Heimskringla Inc. are
tax-deductible under Canadian laws
Charitable Reg. # 10337 3635 RR001
Business # 10337 3635 RT 0001
FAMILY ANNOUNCEMENTS
First 200 words and a picture
are free of charge
over 200 and pic $25.00
300 words and pic $50.00
400 words and pic $75.00
500 words and pic $100.00
750 word maximum and pic $150.00
Send to catherine@lh-inc.ca
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
PRESIDENT: J. Peter Johnson
PAST PRESIDENT: Grant Stefanson
TREASURER: Dan Snidal
SECRETARY: Alicyn Goodman
BOARD MEMBERS
Shawn Bjornsson
Claire Eckley
Bruce Eyford
Elva Jónasson
Margaret Kernested
Garry Oddleifson
Erna Pomrenke
Robbie Rousseau
Oskar Sigvaldason
Helgi Gunnar
Thorvaldson
Brian Tomasson
Canada
Karen Botting Winnipeg MB
Joel Friðfinnsson Geysir MB
Margret Grisdale Calgary AB
Stuart Houston Saskatoon SK
Signý McInnis Arborg MB
Paul Park Ottawa ON
USA
Shirley J. Olgeirson Bismarck ND
Rob Olason Bellingham WA
Steingrimur Steinolfson Bloomington MN
Julie Summers Portland OR
ICELAND
Kent Björnsson Garðabær Ísland
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Stefan's Saga
Stefan Jonasson
Editor
L-H DEADLINES
EDITORIAL SUBMISSION
DEADLINES FOR
MAY 15, ISSUE 10
Monday, April 20
FINAL EDITORIAL DEADLINE –
BREAKING NEWS ONLY
Monday, May 4
Please advise the editor in advance if you are
sending a submission for the final deadline
FINAL ADVERTISING DEADLINE
Monday, May 4
EDITORIAL SUBMISSION
DEADLINES FOR
JUNE1, ISSUE 11
Monday, May 4
FINAL EDITORIAL DEADLINE –
BREAKING NEWS ONLY
Tuesday, May 19
Please advise the editor in advance if you are
sending a submission for the final deadline
FINAL ADVERTISING DEADLINE
Tuesday, May 19
Visit our website for more information or contact our INL office.Tel: 204-642-5897
Email: inl@mts.net If you don’t have a club in your area but are interested
in forming one, please call the INL office.
Wouldn’t your amma and afi be proud? www.inlofna.org
Are you proud of your Icelandic Heritage?
Do you want to see it preserved for your children and grandchildren?
Are you a member of your local Icelandic Club?
Don’t know where they are or who to contact?
o
o
o
The IcelandIc naTIonal league of norTh amerIca
ouldn’t your a a and afi be proud?
Icelandic Camp 2015
Íslenskar Sumarbúðir 2015
For over 30 years the Icelandic Camp has given young people a chance to study Icelandic language, learn about the Icelandic Culture, sing
Icelandic songs and create friendships and memories that will last a lifetime.
Just 2 miles north of Gimli, Manitoba, Canada – Camp Veselka overlooks
lovely Lake Winnipeg. With a huge recreation room, dining area, 6 cabins,
indoor showers and huge open fields, Camp Veselka offers a wonderful place
for Icelandic campers to gather.
WHEN Friday, July 24th - Friday, July 31st
WHERE Camp Veselka, Gimli MB
DAY CAMPERS Ages 5-8
FULL CAMPERS Ages 8-15
JR. COUNSELLORS Ages 15-17
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT
www.icelandiccamp.com
or icelandiccamp@gmail.com
Icelandic Language Classes I Saga Stories I Icelandic Culture & History I Arts & Crafts I Icelandic Music I Much More
Interlake Auto
& Tractor Parts Ltd.
CARS
TRUCKS
FARM EQUIPMENT
SNOWMOBILE
PARTS & ACCESSORIES
AGRICULTURAL BEARINGS BELTS
FILTERS
SPROCKETS
MACHINE SHOP
REBUILT ENGINES
CUSTOM MADE
HYDRAULIC HOSES
161 SUNSET BLVD. ARBORG, MB
376-2667
BRUCE SIGURDSON, OWNER
Greetings from
Gordon J. Reykdal
Honorary Consul of the
Republic of Iceland
Suite #205 10230 142 Street
Edmonton, Alberta
T5N 3Y6
Cell: 780.497.1480
E-mail: gjreykdal@gmail.com
PHOTOS: STEFAN JONASSON