Iceland review - 2013, Qupperneq 48

46 ICELAND REVIEW
CULTURE
Eco-FRIENdLy TRAITS
Suðureyri has been described as possibly the country’s most eco-
friendly fishing village. It’s the only village in the northwestern
West Fjords to have its own supply of geothermal heat, used to
heat the houses and swimming pool. Plus, the fishing grounds
are located not far offshore, resulting in less fuel used per kilo of
catch. And the village boasts zero waste in its processing of fish:
the heads and spines are dried and sent to Nigeria, the cutoffs
minced and used in making fish sticks and fish balls for the U.K.
and U.S. markets, the skins are used in foot ointment and bio ban-
dages and other parts are transformed into fox feed.
“Ten years ago, no one [in Suðureyri] was talking about an envi-
ronmentally-friendly fishing village. But now people have seen
that we have an opportunity to sell products and travel services
around that,” Elías comments. “However, it was not something we
set out to do as a marketing tool. The way of thinking has changed
here. Tourists had been telling us that we were probably the most
eco-friendly fishing village in the world. Eventually we realized
that we had actually been doing something special here.”
In contrast to most fishing villages in Iceland, the population of
Suðureyri is young with many residents under 30, Ársæll says. The
village is not immune to regional trends in population decline,
though, losing about 17 percent of its population in the last three
years. Still, things are looking up with demand for housing and all
buildings occupied, says ceramicist Ólöf Björk Oddsdóttir, who is
on the lookout for a workspace. “It is starting to be difficult to get
properties here now,” Elías agrees.
PREPARING FoR THE BIG EVENT
The men and women of the community take turns in prepar-
ing the annual banquet, or mid-winter feast, held between the
old Norse winter months of Þorri and Góa. Known as Þorrablót
when the women host the event every other year on the occasion
of Bóndadagur, or ‘Husbands’ Day,’ and Góublót when the men
repay them on the eve of Konudagur or ‘Wives’ Day,’ it’s a tradition
which has existed here since 1936.
This year, it’s the women’s turn to be pampered. Hairdresser
Sólveig Leifsdóttir takes another sip from her glass of wine. She has
eight bookings to get through before tonight’s big bash. Originally
from Suðureyri but based in Kópavogur near Reykjavík, Sólveig,
who has multiple hairdressing titles to her name—both from
Iceland and abroad—works in the West Fjords village one week
out of every month. The women sit back, relax and enjoy having
their hair done, and they’re not sparing anything.
Meanwhile, Ársæll is busy plating freshly baked hveitikökur, liter-
ally ‘wheat cakes,’ a local version of flat bread, for tonight’s feast.
Like others in town, he’s flown in family from Reykjavík to look
after the kids. His and his wife’s two sons will spend the night hav-
ing cheese pizza and watching a video with grandma.
NIGHT oF THE yEAR
Outside, the men arrive at the community center with trays of
traditional winter food, carrying them into the dining room and
placing them on the rows of long wooden tables. “This habit of
making and bringing your own food to the banquet is unique to
Suðureyri, I think,” Elías says. No two trays are the same, neither
in appearance (they have individually designed covers) nor con-
tent. Some are filled with delicacies like slátur (blood pudding
and liver sausage), hákarl (fermented shark), hangikjöt (smoked and
boiled lamb), harðfiskur (dried fish), hrútspungar (boiled and pickled
ram’s testicles), svið (singed and boiled sheep’s heads) and sviðasulta
(sheep’s head cheese). There’s also kryddsíld (marinated herring) and
rófustappa (pureed yellow turnip).
Then, it’s back home to get dressed in their best suits. At 7:30
pm, people start filing into the hall. The women are transformed
with their sophisticated hairdos, makeup and gala dresses. The men
too have gone all out to impress, wearing suits and tuxedos. This is
the night of the year, after all.
Soon the fun begins. It starts with singing, then moves into com-
edy sketches and later dancing. The men spend two months pre-
paring for the performance, reviewing the year’s events and gossip,
with six rehearsals leading up to the night. The much-anticipated
show is always filled with humor—always provocative—poking
fun at everyone in town. They know their limits, though, as Ársæll,
who led the group that night, tells me. “We don’t want anyone
to get hurt, everybody should get a good laugh and we wouldn’t
include things that happen behind closed doors.”
On Sunday morning the otherwise vibrant village is silent,
everyone enjoying a long sleep-in. 
a village built on fish, Suðureyri is exploring new potentials.