Christmas in Iceland, Part 2: Less Fraught With Peril Now Than It Once Was...

Last Sunday I visited the Christmas Village in Hafnarfjörður (a suburb of Reykjavík).

The town of Hafnarfjörður

It was very charming, and I got to see some Yule Lads! If you watched the Best Party campaign video, you might remember Gnarr saying something about needing to economize, and that Iceland doesn’t need thirteen Santas. What he was referring to are the Yule Lads, which are only like Santa in that they both turn up around Christmas. The Yule Lads are the thirteen sons of an evil she-troll named Grýla. (How evil? There are a variety of stories about her; they usually involve eating children. In 1746 a decree was issued that parents could no longer use the threat of Grýla to control their kids. Yikes.) The Lads arrive one day at a time for the thirteen days leading up to Christmas, then depart in the same way. Each has an irritating habit, which is reflected in his name—Spoon-Licker, Door-Slammer, Window-Peeper, etc. Consequently, anything that goes wrong around the holidays is blamed on the work of the Yule Lads. These days, however, the Yule Lads wear red suits and give children presents, because, oh man, cultural imperialism. And, somehow, kids would rather get presents and/or ice-cold, refreshing Coca-Cola for thirteen days instead getting eaten by a she-troll or a giant cat. (Did I mention there’s also a cat? They have a cat. It eats kids who don’t get new clothes for Christmas.)

I was trying not to look too much like a dorky tourist, so sadly I didn't get a good shot of the dancing. There was dancing! A couple people onstage were singing traditional songs, while kids and adults alike danced simple circle dances around the big tree in the middle. Three Yule Lads (looking pretty much like Santa, only skinnier) were running about making antics and entertaining the young folk. There were also a variety of booths where local artists were selling handcrafted gifts.