Since this year's autumn and winter collection "Nordic Aesthetics" is all about the Scandinavian countries, we would like to spread the Nordic Christmas spirit during Advent. In our content series "Nordic Christmas" we will therefore introduce you to the Advent and Christmas traditions of a different Scandinavian country every week and share our favorite recipes so that you can celebrate your Christmas in a very hyggelig Scandi style!
The Yule Festival - Christmas in Iceland
In Iceland, the Christmas season is influenced by both Christian belief and mythology. The Icelandic Christmas developed from Yule, which was used to celebrate the winter solstice. Christmas Eve is ushered in at 6:00 p.m. by the bells of Reykjavik Cathedral. The evening is spent with family and typical traditions.
The meal usually consists of smoked pork loin, ptarmigan or smoked lamb. Sometimes fish such as salmon or trout is also served. For dessert there is almond rice porridge and the "Engiferkökur" (ginger biscuits) loved by Icelanders. Another big part of the Icelandic Christmas tradition is the leaf bread "Laufabrauð". It is made from thin dough flatbreads that are decorated by hand with individual patterns and then fried in hot fat.
When it comes to giving presents, chocolate and books are the most popular gifts. So much so that it is called the annual book flood and many new books are only published at the end of autumn so that they can be part of the flood.
The Thorlak Fair - The Pre-Christmas Festival
On December 23rd, the Thorlak Mass takes place throughout Iceland - a pre-Christmas festival that celebrates Bishop Thorlak Thorhallson. He lived in the 12th century and is still venerated as a patron saint today. On this day, people often clean and tidy up in his honor to drive away evil spirits before Christmas. A traditional dish on this day is "Kæst skata", also known as rotten ray. The ray's meat must ferment for at least four weeks, otherwise it is not only inedible, but also highly poisonous.
The 13 Christmas Trolls - An Icelandic Legend
The most unusual thing about Christmas is the legend of the 13 Christmas trolls who are supposed to bring presents at Christmas time. The troll woman "Grýla" and her troll man "Lepperlúði" supposedly live in the Icelandic highlands and are described as grim and evil. Their 13 children are considered the Christmas trolls. In the past, the stories of their deeds were very dark and were meant to scare people. It was said that if you hadn't completed your tasks by Christmas, the trolls would become evil and cause you pain. Nowadays, they only seem to play harmless pranks and even bring presents. According to the legend, between December 12th and 24th, one troll is allowed to come out of the mountains every day to visit people. On Christmas Eve, they are all with the people together, and one troll has to go back to the mountains every day until January 6th, until everyone is back there. It is tradition that children put a shoe on their window every evening during this pre-Christmas period. If the children were well behaved, the trolls put presents in their shoes - if they were naughty, they only get a potato.
Recipe - Traditional ginger cookies "Engiferkökur"
Ingredients:
500 g brown sugar
250g margarine
2 eggs
500 g flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 180°C top and bottom heat.
In a large bowl, beat the sugar, margarine and eggs until fluffy.
Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and ginger and mix into a smooth dough.
Form small balls, place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper and carefully flatten them with a fork.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes until the cookies are golden brown.
Let it cool down and you're done! Verði ykkur að góðu ( Enjoy your meal)!
