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The Little Book of the Icelanders at Christmas
Christmas in Iceland is special.
Ask any Icelander and they will tell you. It is a time of year when everything pulsates with vibrant activity, and the nation delights in those festive traditions that make them a tribe. Music is all around, friends gather, restaurants are filled with people partaking of festive Yuletide offerings, authors are out and about reading from their new works. Everything pulsates with vibrant, happy energy. There is even a word for the gleeful excitement one feels when waiting for Christmas—jólaskap, literally "Christmas mood."
In this book, Alda Sigmundsdóttir invites you on a journey of Iceland's magical Yuletide season, all the way to New Year's Eve, and beyond. You will learn about the special foods, traditions, and customs that make Christmas in Iceland so special and meet a colorful cast of characters that are such an integral part of the Yule. In her inimitable style, and using examples from her own life, Alda gives you not only the modern version of Christmas but also the historical and cultural background to many of the traditions that are still observed today.
Among the fascinating subjects broached in The Little Book of the Icelanders at Christmas:
• All the food: smoked lamb, ptarmigan, Sarah Bernhardt cookies, leaf bread, yum!
• Sacred customs: ringing in the Yule, candlelit cemeteries, festive dinners, family traditions;
• Christmas lights and their importance (because of winter darkness);
• Essential Yuletide recipes: Sarah Bernhardt cookies, gingerbread, laufabrauð (leaf bread);
• Crazy traditions (eating putrid skate: say no more!);
• Books books books (because everyone must get at least one book for Christmas);
• The New Year's blowout (pyrotechnic madness like you've never known);
• The characters of Yule: Grýla, Leppalúði, Yule Cat, Yule Lads and murdering elves, hello!… and so much more!
Excerpt:
"Quick question: did you receive this book as a Christmas gift?
If you answered yes, you will have been party to one of the best-loved Icelandic Yule traditions: giving or receiving a book for Christmas. This tradition is so entrenched in Icelandic society that it feels like it must have been around forever. Not so. It began during World War II, when there were strict limitations on imports, though for some reason the restrictions on imported paper were less severe. The Icelanders were flush with affluence at this time—WWII was referred to as the "blessed war" since the British and later American occupation had brought jobs, and therefore money—but they had few things on which to spend their unprecedented wealth.
Except, well, paper. Only, there was not a whole lot you could do with paper, except … print books? Perfect, since the Icelanders were already intensely proud of their literary heritage, associating it with the glory days of the Sagas and Eddas, before the nation was colonized and driven into poverty and humiliation. In no time at all books became extremely popular gifts, and indeed were THE gift to give at Christmas.
This custom has remained, and today Iceland publishes more books per capita than any other country in the world, almost all of them in the six-or-so weeks leading up to Christmas. This deluge of books that hits the market at that time is known as jólabókaflóðið, or the Christmas book flood."
Ask any Icelander and they will tell you. It is a time of year when everything pulsates with vibrant activity, and the nation delights in those festive traditions that make them a tribe. Music is all around, friends gather, restaurants are filled with people partaking of festive Yuletide offerings, authors are out and about reading from their new works. Everything pulsates with vibrant, happy energy. There is even a word for the gleeful excitement one feels when waiting for Christmas—jólaskap, literally "Christmas mood."
In this book, Alda Sigmundsdóttir invites you on a journey of Iceland's magical Yuletide season, all the way to New Year's Eve, and beyond. You will learn about the special foods, traditions, and customs that make Christmas in Iceland so special and meet a colorful cast of characters that are such an integral part of the Yule. In her inimitable style, and using examples from her own life, Alda gives you not only the modern version of Christmas but also the historical and cultural background to many of the traditions that are still observed today.
Among the fascinating subjects broached in The Little Book of the Icelanders at Christmas:
• All the food: smoked lamb, ptarmigan, Sarah Bernhardt cookies, leaf bread, yum!
• Sacred customs: ringing in the Yule, candlelit cemeteries, festive dinners, family traditions;
• Christmas lights and their importance (because of winter darkness);
• Essential Yuletide recipes: Sarah Bernhardt cookies, gingerbread, laufabrauð (leaf bread);
• Crazy traditions (eating putrid skate: say no more!);
• Books books books (because everyone must get at least one book for Christmas);
• The New Year's blowout (pyrotechnic madness like you've never known);
• The characters of Yule: Grýla, Leppalúði, Yule Cat, Yule Lads and murdering elves, hello!… and so much more!
Excerpt:
"Quick question: did you receive this book as a Christmas gift?
If you answered yes, you will have been party to one of the best-loved Icelandic Yule traditions: giving or receiving a book for Christmas. This tradition is so entrenched in Icelandic society that it feels like it must have been around forever. Not so. It began during World War II, when there were strict limitations on imports, though for some reason the restrictions on imported paper were less severe. The Icelanders were flush with affluence at this time—WWII was referred to as the "blessed war" since the British and later American occupation had brought jobs, and therefore money—but they had few things on which to spend their unprecedented wealth.
Except, well, paper. Only, there was not a whole lot you could do with paper, except … print books? Perfect, since the Icelanders were already intensely proud of their literary heritage, associating it with the glory days of the Sagas and Eddas, before the nation was colonized and driven into poverty and humiliation. In no time at all books became extremely popular gifts, and indeed were THE gift to give at Christmas.
This custom has remained, and today Iceland publishes more books per capita than any other country in the world, almost all of them in the six-or-so weeks leading up to Christmas. This deluge of books that hits the market at that time is known as jólabókaflóðið, or the Christmas book flood."
- GenresNonfictionChristmas
142 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 30, 2019
14 people are currently reading
66 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 1, 2024
Iceland celebrates Christmas with baking many types of cookies and stories of cannibals so I am clearly missing out.
December 15, 2019
J'ai toujours aimé les "Little Books" d'Alda qui nous éclairent sur la société islandaise, avec une touche d'humour et des commentaires pertinents sur les nouvelles réalités à laquelle notre monde doit faire face. Dans celui-ci, elle parle (entre autres) de la disparition d'oiseaux trop populaires dans la préparation du festin du réveillon, de la pauvreté d'antan qui explique certaines traditions, du chat Yule qui exige une nouvelle pièce de vêtement pour Noël et de la surconsommation, des feux d'artifice du Nouvel An pour financer les équipes de sauvetage et de la pollution... Bref, Alda réussit encore à expliquer son pays et sa société, avec un grand amour qui est présent à toutes les pages, sans manquer de critiquer certaines habitudes.
C'est un must pour tous les amoureux de l'Islande. Et ça m'a donné le goût d'y retourner pendant cette saison. Surtout quand elle termine en disant que, pour le passage à la nouvelle année, elle rejoint d'autres personnes sur la colline la plus proche de chez elle, à la Landakotskirja. Tout à coup, elle m'a plongé dans mes souvenirs et j'ai entendu les cloches de Landakot sonner, tout près de la maison où j'habitais. Je me suis revue expliquant à mon fils de 2 ans et demi le concept de l'angelus de midi et 18h. Un doux souvenir.
C'est un must pour tous les amoureux de l'Islande. Et ça m'a donné le goût d'y retourner pendant cette saison. Surtout quand elle termine en disant que, pour le passage à la nouvelle année, elle rejoint d'autres personnes sur la colline la plus proche de chez elle, à la Landakotskirja. Tout à coup, elle m'a plongé dans mes souvenirs et j'ai entendu les cloches de Landakot sonner, tout près de la maison où j'habitais. Je me suis revue expliquant à mon fils de 2 ans et demi le concept de l'angelus de midi et 18h. Un doux souvenir.
January 6, 2020
If you’re a fan of all things Iceland, like to read about traditions in other cultures, or just enjoy a charming read, independent author Alda Sigmundsdóttir's latest little collection of essays, "The Little Book of the Icelanders at Christmas" may be the stocking stuffer you're looking for.
This fun-sized book includes personal reflections on the season, plenty of Yule folklore (who is considered the favorite of the 13 Yule Lads? It’s in here.), and even has some traditional recipes for smákökur (cookies, or literally, "little cakes."). Generously illustrated, it’s a quick read, perfect for getting you into a festive mood, and a great gift during the next jólabókaflóðið, or Christmas book flood.
This fun-sized book includes personal reflections on the season, plenty of Yule folklore (who is considered the favorite of the 13 Yule Lads? It’s in here.), and even has some traditional recipes for smákökur (cookies, or literally, "little cakes."). Generously illustrated, it’s a quick read, perfect for getting you into a festive mood, and a great gift during the next jólabókaflóðið, or Christmas book flood.
December 2, 2019
I visited Iceland this summer and have been missing it ever since I left. This was a nice, warm return. Alda’s narration is comedic and honest, and her stories of the Yule Lads are particularly wonderful. Reading this at the star of the holiday season in the US made me want to brave the Icelandic winter and see the Yule celebrations for myself.
December 9, 2019
Alda Sigmundsdóttir’s books are always adorable and delightful. This one is great if you want to learn about Icelandic Christmas traditions.
September 16, 2020
Accurate account of Icelandic Christmas. If your partner is Icelandic and you haven't been there for Christmas yet, this explains everything-- the food customs, various events, and other traditions.
December 26, 2021
A short and sweet book on Iceland's Yuletide traditions. I'll take the book flood, but leave the fermented rancid skate. That does not sound appealing at all.
December 24, 2023
I've read most of Alda's "Little Books" They're all very good, short and I recommend them all if you have any interest in Iceland and/or their culture, language, etc.
December 31, 2024
Loved it!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews