Atlantica - 01.11.2002, Qupperneq 36

34 A T L A N T I C A
What are your fondest memories of Christmas?
Unpacking all the glittering wonders that my mother used to hang
around the house and on the Christmas tree. My favourites were
the glittering glass jólakúlur (Christmas bulbs) which were so deli-
cate that I believed they could break just by looking at them.
What do you do on Christmas Eve?
Just before 6:00 pm I light the candles and when the church bells
start echoing I say a little prayer of gratitude.
Where, how and with whom would you spend your ideal
Christmas?
My ideal Christmases are the ones I spend with my family.
What sort of food do you typically eat at Christmas?
Since we are vegetarians, my husband and brother-in-law spend
Christmas Eve cooking a special Christmas loaf made out of rice,
almonds, whole tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, mushrooms and
fresh herbs with a wild mushroom sauce. Yum, I can hardly wait
for Christmas.
What's the most bizarre present you have ever received?
Nothing really comes to mind except the wonderful and beautiful
people who have shared gifts with me in the past.
When and why did you stop believing in Santa Claus?
As far as I remember, I learned it from the kids in the street – so
many uncomfortable, revealing truths you learn from the kids in
the street.
What do you want for Christmas?
Rest, calm and tranquillity.
What's your favourite Christmas movie or story?
The Nightmare Before Christmas by Tim Burton
What do you wish for this Christmas?
Love, peace and happiness for all.
What are your fondest Christmas memories?
My dearest Christmas memories are from way back: Christmas at
my grandparents’ house, where the whole family would get
together. That’s when I waited impatiently to see which books I’d
receive for Christmas.
What sort of food do you typically eat at Christmas?
The foods we eat at Christmas are a very important part of the
Christmas festivities, as all ceremonies are based on repetition –
doing the same thing year after year. At Christmas, December 21
that is, at the winter solstice, Norse pagans eat pork, for the pig is
the animal sacred to Freyr, the god of fertility. On Christmas Eve,
however, I eat ptarmigan. Christmas food traditions all over
Europe are based on ancient pagan traditions, where the family
would gather at least once a year to eat together. Daily eating
habits have, of course, changed. In the past, the wealthy Icelanders
would eat soup meat at Christmas whereas the poorer people
would eat hangikjöt (smoked lamb). Those who had nothing at all
ate ptarmigan, for it was the only thing they could find. Seeing as
Icelanders were mostly poor, hangikjöt and ptarmigan became our
traditional Christmas foods.
Who do you hope doesn’t show up for Christmas?
The Christmas Cat, or the Christmas Goat, as our ancestors called
the ogre Grýla, are the visitors I would definitely not like to have
over at Christmas. The Christmas Goat (or the Christmas Cat) is the
symbol of darkness, which moves closer and closer until
Christmas night, or höku-night, for haka means goat in Old Norse.
This night is also called “Mother Night” in England, for it is per-
haps the “mother of all nights”, and Grýla is the mother of dark-
ness. In ancient times, men believed that if all the ceremonies were
not respected at Christmas, such as lighting candles everywhere,
the Christmas Goat would be able to enter human habitation,
which would end in terror.
What’s your Christmas wish?
I wish that the nine Yule Lads would go to Baghdad rather than the
Christmas Goat (George Bush).
KOLBRÚN HALLDÓRSDÓTTIR IS A MEMBER OF
ICELAND’S PARLIAMENT (ALTHINGI). SHE LIGHTS
CANDLES ON CHRISTMAS EVE AND OFFERS A PRAYER
OF GRATITUDE.
JÖRMUNDUR INGI IS THE FORMER NORSE PAGAN
LEADER OF ICELAND, AND AT WINTER SOLSTICE
(I.E. CHRISTMAS) HE HOPES THAT THE “CHRISTMAS
GOAT” DOESN’T GET HIM.
Silent Night
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