Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.06.2019, Page 1

Stefan Jonasson
When Icelanders gather on June
17th this year, they will not only
be honouring the birth of the
great patriot Jón Sigurðsson and marking
another national day, as they do every
year, they will also be celebrating the 75th
anniversary of the Republic of Iceland.
The past few months have seen a string
of anniversaries: the 100th anniversary
of Icelandic sovereignty last December,
the 100th anniversary of the Icelandic
National League of North America and its
first chapter, the Icelandic Canadian Frón
of Winnipeg, and now the 75th anniversary
of the Icelandic republic.
Many mistakenly describe this day as
“Iceland’s independence day,” but this is
not correct. It was the last step in Iceland’s
evolution from foreign rule to becoming
a republic, but Iceland was already a
sovereign and independent country before
it became a republic. This last step simply
replaced the monarchy with an elected
presidency. That’s still a momentous
change in governance, but it didn’t mark the
achievement of independence. Moreover,
if we look far enough back in history,
Iceland was also an independent country
from when Alþingi was established in 930
(some would even say from the time of the
island’s settlement) until 1262, when the
Icelanders entered into the Old Covenant
with the King of Norway. Even then, the
country pretty much governed its own
affairs until nearly the 15th century, when
power became centralized in Copenhagen.
The reversal of foreign domination began
when King Christian IX granted Iceland
its own constitution in 1874. This was
followed by the achievement of home rule
in 1904 and sovereignty in 1918.
“In 1944, we decided to establish
the Republic of Iceland and sent King
Christian a telegram to advise him on this
development,” said Ambassador Pétur
Ásgeirsson at a reception last year marking
100th anniversary of the achievement of
Iceland’s sovereignty, which occurred a
quarter of a century before the republic
was declared. “The king ... gracefully
replied with a telegram of congratulations
that was read out at Alþingi, the site of the
original parliament, on the 17th of June,
1944, to thunderous applause in pouring
rain.”
Last year, the ambassador went on to
observe: “The split with Denmark was
amicable and Denmark has ever since
been among our closest allies and friends.
As most of you know, the Nordic countries
often refer to themselves as a family of
countries and that is with good reason.
We share a common culture and our
cooperation has been, well, I think we can
say more or less flawless, for a long time.”
While “thunderous applause in
pouring rain” greeted the new republic in
1944, where people gathered at Þingvellir,
the ancient site of the national assembly,
the Icelandic community in Manitoba
gathered at the foot of Jón Sigurðsson’s
statue on the grounds of the Manitoba
Legislative Building for a simple but
elegant celebration of the republic’s birth.
... continued on page 4
LÖGBERG
HEIMSKRINGLA
The Icelandic Community Newspaper • 15 June 2019 • Number 12 / Númer 12 • 15. júní 2019
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Cocktails & Dinner at the Johnson Hall
(additional tickets available)
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In Support of Lögberg-Heimskringla
For sponsorship or registration contact us :
LH@LH-INC.CA | 204 284 5686
WWW.LHINC.CA
August 2, 2019
Links at the Lake Golf Course
Gimli, MB
Cocktails & Dinner at the Johnson Hall
(additional tickets available)
REGISTER TODAY!
Registration $160
In Support of Lögberg-Heimskringla
President Guðni Th.
Johannesson’s address
in Winnipeg/ pages 5-6
Our National
Heritage
PHOTO: LISA SIGURGEIRSON MAXX
The President and First Lady
discover Icelandic Manitoba /
pages 8-9
The presidental
tour
PHOTO: FACEBOOK ELIZA REID
Andrew McGillivray
introduces the ancient texts /
pages 10-11
Sagas and
Eddas
PHOTO: ELLEN GOODMAN
The Graduale Futuri Youth Choir, conducted by Rósa
Jóhannesdóttir, will perform at the Jon Sigurdsson Day
celebrations in Winnipeg on June 17, 2019. Those attending
should gather on the grounds of the Manitoba Legislative
Building on Monday, June 17, at 6:30 p.m. The wreath-laying
ceremony and speeches will begin at 7:00 p.m. and there will
be a choir concert at the Winnipeg Art Gallery beginning
at 8:00 p.m. This youth choir will be accompanying the
Bændaferðir tour group. Bændaferðir has been bringing
Icelandic farmers and their friends to North America since
1972 and they say, “there is nothing like experiencing the
inseparable connections of the Western Icelanders to Iceland,
the Icelandic language, and the culture and history.”
Youth choir performing on June 17
The Republic of Iceland was established 75 years ago
PHOTO: STEFAN JONASSON
Þingvellir, where the ancient assembly met and where the republic was
declared in 1944