Unamagazine april2012

U N A

Ángel Vilar

1-2

Five reasons for volunteer in Iceland

3-4

Newspaper for Breakfast

5-6

Interview with Jóhann Friðgeir Jóhannsson

7-10

Mysterious Icelandic Sagas to be Discovered at the Culture House

11-12

Wake Up the Troll Hidden Inside of You

13-14

Deciphering Sumardagurinn Fyrsti

CONTENTS

Malgorzata Myl

Malgorzata Myl

Caroline Sabatiéç

Denis Reinier

Denis Reinier

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5A quick Reasons for volunteer in Iceland guide for new upcomers One of the first questions to ask when you heard about someone going to Iceland as volunteer is: why this country? Isn’t it cold? What’s in it for volunteering?

The truth is that there are plenty of different projects with a huge variety of tasks, from working helping disable people to plant trees or makeover an old ruined house. Veraldarvinir (Icelandic name of “Worldwide friends”) has been working on social and environmental projects since its creation in 2001. The purpose is to fix problems and make of the society a better place to live in. But still, some people think volunteering is just an option in Africa or Latinamerica, these are five reasons why you are necessary in a country like Iceland:

1-A heavenly environment to live and work Iceland has been considered one of the best places to live during last 10 years, its quality of life allows any visitor to get into a different culture throughout an ecological way of life, with a countless range of opportunities to enjoy wild life, unreal landscapes or just breathe healthy air in the northest capital in the world, Reykjavík. Also it is proof that volunteering reduces stress, experts from different reports say that the more you feel you help someone else and focus on other’s problem, the less tension-produced patterns you have.

2- A brand new bunch of opportunities Have you ever thought of the importance of being an international assistance for development in underdeveloped countries?

During your voluntary service you can try an endlessly range of new activities such a computer specialist, gardener, journalist or photographer, everything depends on what you’re interested on for your career and what you want to share.

3- Help the society at the edge of the world The feeling of “to feel needed” it’s one of the most basics feelings in the pursuit of happiness, when you volunteer you’re not only making benefits for third people but for yourself, becoming altruist; the desire to serve others without expecting anything in return is a unique and sheer experience… but of course you’ll have accommodation and food apart from excursions and planned activities during your free time, most of them free thanks to the agreements of the organization with the locals, so no time for get bored.

4-Improve your skills Another great reason to volunteer is that volunteerism can benefit a professional resume. Many employers and schools look favorably upon volunteer experience. Also, while you’re volunteering, you can learn new skills and sharpen old ones, honing your communication, leadership, teamwork and time management talents [source: Professional Resumes]. You’ll also have the chance to network with others and possibly vet out a new career avenue.

You might even earn credit toward your schooling

5-To build a consciousness In any case, If you’re not still convinced on the kind of activities you’d make there’s an example of just one of the abundant workcamps you can choose. The “Art and renovation” is a workcamp where everybody can carry their personal knowledge and tastes to a project such as painting and fixing houses for the community in an almost free style concept that means that the whole group has to work cooperating due to create a harmonic atmosphere in every possible way.

Each workcamp has an specific project, this “art and renovation” in particular was more focused on gardening design and furniture design, they even made an BBQ with bricks and cement! The work lasts two weeks where the volunteers have the opportunity to get integrate with local people and enjoy the pleasures of Reykjavík such its crazy nightlife or the incredible amount of hot tubs per capita, by far the biggest in the world.

The group consists in 6 volunteers and two experienced work camp leaders who guide the tasks but are always opened to all kind of ideas for the rest to contribute.

Article by Ángel Vilar

Newspaper for Breakfast Journalism in Iceland

by Malgorzata Myl

H

ave you ever wanted to check out how an Icelandic newspaper works? What does it mean to be journalist in a country as small as Iceland? Do they have any other topics besides a volcano eruption? If you want to know

the answers, don’t hesitate to read this article!

Welcome to Morgunblaðið – the oldest newspaper in Iceland. The newspaper is almost 100 years old but you can barely feel it. What you can feel is passion, concentration, and new technology and printing ink. We are welcomed

by Svanhvít Ljósbjörg Guðmundsdóttir, Human Resource Manager. This talkative, extremely nice woman tries to show us some secrets behind the newspaper work. Everything is very surprising for us – at the beginning it’s hard to understand the Icelandic realities…

Is it normal to have a book full of phone numbers to the most important people in your country?! Yes, under the condition that your country is Iceland. Here, everybody knows everybody. And if you don’t know somebody personally, your friend knows him/her for sure.

Do you have to talk to the president of your country? Don’t even bother to call his assistant. Just open your “magic” phone book and use his home number.

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You are not in the office but are a witness of something very important… simply use your technologically advanced phone, take a picture and send it directly to your newspaper!

Sound like fairy tales? No, it’s the way journalists work in Iceland! But hold on! Don’t quit your current job! Being a journalist in Iceland is not only fun, it’s also hard work! In the 21st century your biggest competition is the Internet.

You have to find something what will help you keep your readers. The newspaper always has to be on time… before breakfast, so that your readers can read the news during the meal, but not only in Reykjavik! Also in Akureyri, Egillstadir and Isafjordur… It may be big challenge especially in winter, when almost all roads are closed.

An old Icelandic joke says that if you don’t like the weather, you just have to wait 5 minutes. It’s true, everything changes so quickly in Iceland, not only the weather. It doesn’t help journalists. Svanhvít Ljósbjörg Guðmundsdóttir told us a story which happened in 70s. New edition of the newspaper was almost ready, they were printing the last pages. Cars and planes were ready to take the newspapers to the whole country. But suddenly journalists got a message that on the Westmen Islands a volcano erupted. They decided to change the front page but only for the newspaper in Reykjavik. As a result, people in northern cities got a completely different newspaper!

This was only a short description of what we have learnt during our visit in Morgunbladid. If you still have questions, don’t hesitate to visit their office in Reykjavik. You will not be bored!

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“Maybe I should just be some sort of an underground cult item?”

We want to present you Jóhann Friðgeir Jóhannsson, more known as 7oi – musician from Isafjordur - small town in West Fiords in Iceland. Music is his passion, it is his life. It is difficult to describe the genre of his music – it combines all kinds of music: electronic, ambitious soundscapes, crazy techno beats and much more. 7oi says that music is the most important and nothing should limit it.

Malgosia Myl: How did you start your career?

Jóhann Friðgeir Jóhannsson (7oi): I basically started making music when I was around 14 years old when I acquired my first keyboard. I didn’t record anything until around in 1997, when I had acquired a computer, which I then connected to a cassette player to record music out of it. Most of the tracks from that era is lost, because I had little sense of their worth and a very small hard drive to store them on.

Do you remember your first gig/song?

7oi: My first song I must’ve written on the piano when I was 14. Actually, I reused that melody on one track on my 2009 album “Don’t push the rocks in my face” in the song “Ejection Stagecoach”. My first gig was really funny, though. I took my desktop pc with me in a suitcase from Ísafjörður (the small town where I live) to Reykjavík along with a projector. I then put a cd with my set in the computer to play, my friend projected home videos (mostly of his cats) on the wall and I lay motionless on the stage for the entire set. Ah, to be young and silly.

What possibilities, in your opinion, do young musicians have in Iceland? How would you promote your music?

7oi: There are plenty of possibilities for young musicians and most of them require hard work and a lot of live performances, which are the most vital promotion you can get. The music scene in Iceland is a tight one, so the more you perform, the more likely you’ll get spotted by someone influential in the scene and if that said person likes what he/she sees the word will spread quickly and before you know it you’ll be playing for full houses in the US with record sales popping up in the top 10 list at Billboard. I guess some people have figured I’m mentioning the success of Of Monsters and Men, who started their climb to stardom at the Icelandic Battle of the bands in 2010.

Is music your full-time occupation?

7oi: I’m a relatively small pawn in the music scene in Iceland, so I couldn’t possibly feed my family with just my music I’m afraid.

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Do you play in other projects or do other music-related things, except your own music?

7oi: I do get an occasional job in the theatre making music for plays or modern dance pieces, which I get paid for, but it’s never enough for me to quit my day job.

Do you have any contract with a record company?

7oi: I have always been entirely independent. I’ve never released anything on a label, although I’ve talked to a few of them that have approached me with interest in releasing something, but I’ve never gone through with it so far. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t like to sign with a label. The time was just never right.

What form of music distribution do you use? Internet, gigs, albums? I know you are on Gogoyoko, do you use other streaming websites?

7oi: For distribution right now I use gogoyoko (which I get no income from, due to my donating all of it to charity) and also iTunes and other digital stores, along with my own store at store.sevenoi.com, where it’s also possible to buy physical copies of my albums.

What form do you find most effective?

7oi: I think that putting your music on the big digital distributors is possibly the best way to go along with gogoyoko, which is of course the best store you can find in my opinion. It doesn’t really matter where you sell your music, people will buy it as long as they’re led to it. That’s where the hard work comes in, promoting promoting promoting…

How did it happen that you will tour Poland? How do you go about organizing a tour abroad in general? How often do you have concerts abroad?

7oi: I was just approached on Facebook by this wonderful guy that really liked my music and wanted to devote his time to organize a tour for me in Poland. He does most of the organizing; I just have to get myself over there. In fact, I have as little as no idea how to organize a tour like this on my own. These will be my first ever concerts abroad, actually. I rarely do any concerts at all, whether they’re in Iceland or anywhere else. Maybe this tour will change that a bit.

Who do you think is your target group (do you have one)?

7oi: It’s really hard to say. My music goes all over the place and it’s hard to nail down any one genre that defines it.

Sometimes I get pleasantly surprised, though, to get messages from other artists, both known internationally and small pawns like I consider myself to be, saying how they like my music. Maybe I should just be a sort of an underground cult item? Something devoted music nerds/hipsters can get their obscure “you probably never heard of him” release from having me on their 1st generation iPods? …or maybe not. I’m just happy if someone shares my love for my music. If it makes someone else feel something too, it’s all worth while, no matter if it’s one other person or a million.

Article by Malgorzata Myl

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Mysterious Icelandic Sagas to be Discovered at the Culture House

S

ince the beginning of humanity, people have always felt the need to pass down their history through stories.

Some were real stories, telling of great battles and portraying heroes. Some others were just made up for entertainment.

Icelandic nation saw birth of a lot of these stories through its own history. Most of them are labelled under the name of “saga”, which means “something said” or “a narrative in prose” in Old Norse, the Icelandic language. Their influence on current Icelandic society is greater than we might think : in the first half of the 20th century, some street names in Reykjavik were taken from ancient sagas. Why are these stories so important to Icelandic society and what do they teach us about the Icelandic nation?

Foreigners willing to dig in the Icelandic national cultural treasures connected to sagas might be interested in stopping by the Culture House located in Hverfisgata 15, in Reykjavik. Being the national centre for cultural heritage, this beautiful architectural building is probably one of the best places in town to find out more about the sagas. Medieval manuscripts made of old vellum show the extent of the Northern classical heritage related to sagas as a source of information on the society, religion and world view of people of Northern Europe during the Viking Age (800-1050) and afterwards.

Initially passed on orally, Icelanders started to write down sagas in 13th and 14th centuries in order to preserve a knowledge that made them familiar with both the history of their own nation and distant places of the world. During the Middle Ages, Icelanders used to show interest in sagas because of their hero-worship stories. Sagas were regarded as historical works and their heroes were admired. Amongst popular sagas that we can discover in Culture House, there is Njáls saga, which is probably the most highly developed Icelandic saga.

Dated to the late 13th century, the most prominent characters of this saga are the friends Njáll Þorgeirsson, a lawyer and a sage, and Gunnarr Hámundarson, a formidable warrior. After a feud, Gunnarr is required to leave Iceland but finally decides to stay, struck by the beauty of the land. This decision will soon cause his death. Dealing with manhood and requirements of honor, this saga reflects how values can lead to killings and vengeance. To some extent, it can also be considered as connected to omens and prophecies. Nowadays, this saga is still widely passed on in the Icelandic society, mainly through books, professional storytellers, but also institutions such as the Culture House.

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Saga’s heroes weren’t only passed on through generations, they were sometimes also prayed. As an example, Margaret saga shows how people tend to rely on sagas to help them in their daily lives. Also exhibited in the Culture House, Margaret saga is another popular saga in Iceland. It exists in many manuscripts, most of them in small format books. Related to childbirth, this saga is supposed to give advices to pregnant Icelandic women in order to ease the birth. Prayers were made to St. Margaret and her saga was sometimes even placed against the thighs of women at the moment of the childbirth.

In Iceland nowadays, sagas are still part of people’s daily lives. However, since the 20th century, we notice that the focus of interest tends to shift from the heroes of the sagas to their authors. It was about time.

Article by Denis Reinier

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WAKE UP THE TROLL HIDDEN INSIDE OF YOU

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ne of the most curious things about Icelandic folklore must be this belief in the hidden worlds, all these stories about trolls, dwarves, elves and other mystical beings.

Everything began more than ten centuries ago when the Vikings came to this lost island, and, according to the legend, they were welcome by giants and strange people who were living there for millions years. Seeing this horrible vision, the Vikings reacted in an agressive way, using their weapons against the ugly creatures. Another belief says that the “existence” of these strange beings comes from the extreme geographic position of Iceland: in winter, the nights are very long, and very shady, and among this darkness we can see weird creatures which can provoke fear.

All these legends created a real folklore and part of the Icelandic identity. From these ancient times, the stories about trolls and the hidden worlds grew and some strange personages became very famous as if they were real (and maybe they are!).

Why should we be more attentive to the hidden worlds…

First of all, you have to know that there are several types of hidden peoples: trolls, dwarves, elves, fairies, etc., and they are all physically different and have a different way of life. There is a place in Iceland where you can find them living all together; this village is called Hafnarfjörður and it has a huge amount of folk tales about all this, but let’s focus on the trolls, which are maybe the most remarkable creatures, and the ones which are mentioned in the main stories.

As we said before, “Troll” was at first a synonym of terror; they used to inspire fear among people because of their appearance but also because of all the superstitions they animated since the first times. Actually, this could be explained as well by their enormous size and the fact that they were nocturnal creatures, living in caves and holes in the rocks. In the literature about this topic, it is said that the Icelandic troll is “a friendly, forgotten anthropoid that is (not so distantly) related to the Homo Sapiens – you and me.” In fact they are peaceful, unless you bother them.

The funny thing is that they don’t have any problem with their appearance, they don’t use any mirror, and are convinced they look very good! Apart from this, the trolls have no bed, but a kind of nest they make themselves in dark places; and as Iceland is a volcanic country, this is perfect to live in the darkness among black volcanic stones and caves.

The trolls have their own philosophy and way of life. Who could think they have an intimate relationship with the cute puffins we can see by the seaside? Nevertheless, it’s true: they are really good friends and help each other when necessary. So, in spite of what we can think, the trolls are really close to nature and really live in harmony with it. Besides, one of their principles is “listen to nature long enough and it will communicate with you”. And in a sense, listening to the nature should maybe let us hear the Trolls living there! Iceland is the perfect place to live in harmony with all the elements around us, and that’s why a troll never feels alone: there is always a spot of energy and good vibes, like glaciers or waterfalls, so just listen to the nature and you will be in peace with yourself! Isn’t it a good way of life? Couldn’t we take trolls’ life as a model in our stressed and hurried societies?

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Being with trolls everyday: a funny way to see life and make it more entertaining…

The 13 Yule Lads of Iceland One of the oldest and most famous beliefs is the coming of thirteen Santa Claus during Christmas.

They are called the Yule Lads of Iceland (or Jolasveinar in Icelandic): thirteen trolls who come to the houses each day before Christmas, so this round of trolls begins on the 12th of December and finishes on the 24th. They are Gryla’s sons, an ugly giant troll, always hungry, so much that she ate one of her husbands! Her sons were first described in the 17th century and were seen like evil and hungry ogres because each of them had a specific bothering characteristic. For instance, we can note Þvörusleikir – the “spoon licker” –: when, he comes on the 15th of December, you don’t have to wash your spoons because he will lick them. Another one is Hurðaskellir – the “door slammer” - : he will slam the doors and disturb everyone in the house on the 18th of December. There is also the “sausage stealer”, the “window peeper”, and so on. They put a little candy or a little present in the child’s shoes when he had a good behavior during the year and a

potato when it wasn’t the case. If the child was really bad, the “Yule Cat” could come afterwards to threaten him with any bad joke…

Therefore, the Yule Lads were used to frighten children and encourage them to be good, especially in the Christmas period. This belief was so strong that in 1746, a decree said that “scaring children should be abolished”! So the “troll question” was already an important problem for the Icelandic government who had to deal with several times.

A case brought to the Icelandic Parliament About 15 years ago, there was a road to be built, called Vesturlandsvegur, but as the works started, there were many troubles and the road workers began to tell stories. A stone was moved to the other side of the road, but it was supposed that this stone was in the trolls’ territory, so people could have problems. Someone affirmed he had seen them and negotiated with them. At the end, they put the road in another place. When the affair finished, a man called Valdimar Kr. Hafstein collected over 240 different stories from the road workers. This is very well known in Iceland and if you ask someone about the hidden folks, he will tell you this story for sure.

More generally…

Now it is said that the old generation is the one who believe more in the hidden peoples. An Icelandic woman said that her grand-mother really believed in this and she used to tell the stories of the Yule Lads at Christmas. During the year, she knew there was a special place in her garden which belonged to the trolls, so when she had to cut grass for her cattle, she just cut the grass all around this place, but not inside, in order to respect the hidden peoples. This kind of stories is very common in Iceland, in particular in the farms, far away from the cities. Now it’s much more difficult to make the young generations believe in these tales, because of internet and the modernity that is now everywhere. However, in 2006, there were a poll asking Icelanders about these beliefs, and 26% of them said they were believing in a sort of hidden world, so the fairy is not really dead yet, and maybe we can try to see or imagine better this world if we observe it in a certain way…

Make your imagination work and try to see the trolls!

We’ve already talked about a famous village plenty of hidden folks, and if you go there, you won’t really see any troll or dwarf for sure, but… You must know that the oldest trolls have turned into stone, and if you’re attentive, you may see one of them here or there, you can imagine how they live and what they do!

In Hafnarfjörður, you can go to the Lava Park, called also Hellisgerði, and observe the nature so you can catch a glimpse of a troll, a head, a smile, or even a smell! Then go to the Gnome Temple and imagine how could be an assembly of trolls, their nests, their food safe, and even their kitchen!

Everywhere, you can meet a troll or someone who may have a troll ancestor... if you go to Bakkus Bar in Reykjavik, try to find him... or her!...

Anyway, the world of hidden people is a real topic here, full of tales, superstitions, beliefs and other things that make Iceland what it is. If you want to know more about it, you can even go to the Icelandic Elf School (Alfaskólinn) in Reykjavik to discover everything about Icelandic folklore, and foreigners are welcome! So jump into the trolls’ philosophy and wisdom and don’t forget that we can learn a lot from these invisible creatures...

We can conclude with this lovely “trollistic” phrase: “When a troll wants to do nothing, nothing can stop him (it is wonderful to do nothing and then have a good long rest afterwards)”. And that’s what we’re gonna do now... See you in a dark cave!

Article and Pictures by Caroline Sabatié

K LY S J A

an ambitious new rock band in the Icelandic soundscape KLYSJA is an Icelandic rock band from Ísafjörður, in Eastern Iceland. All aged around 17, all six members have been playing together since November 2010. Their music project blends pop and rock music with influences from both Icelandic and international bands. They are inspired by bands such as Foo Fighters, Kings Of Leon, 30 Seconds To Mars or the Icelandic Agent Fresco, Although most of its members are still at school, Klysja is ready to take its place in the Icelandic soundscape. Their song « Fade Away » is gaining popularity in Iceland an they will soon be recording their first album in August. Meanwhile, they are giving us a prior taste with their new single called « Kiki (Hey) ».

And this interview, in which they lift the veil on the stories behind the topic of their songs, their coming album and also the European festivals they would like to take part in !

How did you guys meet each other?

Klysja : We were in the same elementary school, so we all knew each others, except for Arnar (singer). During a trip to Norway in 2010, Ísak (drummer), had the chance to hear Arnar singing and he found him good, so we all decided to call Arnar to offer him to become our singer.

How would you describe your music towards the Icelandic soundscape?

The only soundscape we hear is birds and waterfalls. We have maybe thrown some of that in our songs.

Can you tell me more about the story behind your single « Fade Away » ? Do the lyrics of this song come from real facts?

The moral of that song is somewhat of a shitty relationship between a boy and a girl. The girl was always telling her boyfriend to ditch his friends and stop seing them, so he feels like he is slowly fading away from life. The lyrics just hit us, it tells a good part in our albums story.

Is love the general topic of both your Icelandic and English songs?

Yes we could say so. Basically, we also sing about hopes and dreams and other topics such as having fun and rocking.

Every band has its own way of composing songs. Do you guys have a personal recipe ?

We have been to many practice houses, so we have changed our environment many times. In a way, that affected our composing.

You already released two singles and an album is just about to be recorded in August. How do you manage to ensure the production and distribution of your music?

We actually have our loving parents who help us with that, but also many people willing to do these things with us.

We also benefit from our parents’ financial support and people here in Ísafjörður. The only thing to say is just that everyone loves everybody here in Iceland so you never get alone in these things. But we don’t benefit from any existing network yet.

In early April, Klysja performed in a festival in Graenigardur. Was it your first performance in a festival?

We actually have played about 2 or 3 festivals and our first performance in a festival was in Graenigardur last year, in 2011. It went really good so we came back this year. We played five songs and the last one we played is actually one of our three newest songs. We got a great feedback from the audience, they were really into it !

Are you planning on touring accross Iceland soon?

We are planning some things, so far we have the album to work on but we have talked about touring. In Iceland first, hopefully abroad some day.

There are a lot of festivals throughout Europe in the summer. If you had the choice, which European festival would you like to perform in?

It would probably be Icelandic Airwaves, Download festival or Glastonbury. That would be awesome !

If you had the chance to set up a collaboration with any band, either Icelandic or international, which band would it be?

It would probably be Agent Fresco or Foo Fighters.

Describe Klysja in one word?

Rock Article by Denis Reinier

Deciphering Sumardagurinn Fyrsti aka the First Day of Summer For many people throughout Europe and the world, the third Thursday of April isn’t correlated with any specific event. As winter slowly withdraws, the days are gradually starting to last longer in Iceland. Every third Thursday of April, Icelanders enjoy a public holiday day called Sumardagurinn Fyrsti. According to the ancient Icelandic calendar, it is the very first day of the summer. Almost all of the shops are closed and parades and spontaneous gatherings fill the streets.

On this sunny morning, I decide to take a walk in the main street of Reykjavik and ask people how they celebrate this special day. In this article, I will summarize the results of my investigation. With a videocamera in one hand and a list of questions in the other, I am ready to find out more about Sumardagurinn Fyrsti. I have four basic questions: “What does Sumardagurinn Fyrsti represent to you?”, “What are your plans for today?”, and “Do you have any traditional activities or foods related to this day?”. Furthermore, I also want to ask Icelanders to describe this special day using only one word, in order to better understand the true meaning of the event.

Regarding the first question, I expect to understand more of the underlying meaning of Sumardagurinn Fyrsti.

However, it seems that the first day of Summer isn’t really related to any Icelandic legends or stories. According to the answers I received from people, it only appears to be the official transition between the long dark winter and the bright summer. Icelanders are usually happy with the beginning of Spring and with the fact that every year, after a long winter, they will be ready to enjoy warmer days. For kids, Sumardagurinn Fyrsti is above all a day off as schools are closed. Most employees are also given a day off. For adults, this day is highly connected to children and activities that are organized for them at this special occasion. For example, Helena takes advantage of Sumardagurinn Fyrsti to offer a present to her kids and to spend quality time with them.

As I just outlined, the way Icelanders do spend their Sumardagurinn Fyrsti day may vary from one person to another. Unfortunate workers will have to wait until the end of their working day before being able to chill out together with friends. If the weather allows it, staying outside appears to be trendy on this day. Family activities tend to be favoured as many exhibitions and shows for children usually take place throughout the city. For younger people, Sumardagurinn Fyrsti is the opportunity to hang out with their friends and have a beer, usually downtown in the various green areas and parks that the capital city has to offer.

When it comes to food habits, my investigation showed that there isn’t any specific meal Icelanders tend to eat on Sumardagurinn Fyrsti. However, the kid that I interviewed explained to me that eating ice cream on this day appears to be usual. A bartender told me also that Sumardagurinn Fyrsti may be considered as a Sunday, regarding food habits. This day may for example be the opportunity to barbecue outside with family or friends and maybe bake a cake.

The most interesting thing about the investigation was to see what word Icelanders would choose to best describe Sumardagurinn Fyrsti. I was surprised to see how interpretations of this day tend to be different. In a total of thirteen people interviewed, I heard almost as many words as participants. Words are either connected to the weather than to food or even atmosphere. “Spring” and “Summertime” are the most popular words. “Happy”, “beer”, “children”, “lazy” or “school-off”are some of the other words that Icelanders used to sum up this day with a single word.

Is Sumardagurinn Fyrsti really a day apart from the rest of the year? Listening to Icelanders, it is to some extent a special day due to the atmosphere in the streets and the fact that there are more people outside than in usual. But there are actually a few things that remain the same on this day in comparison with the rest of the year. It certainly is the feeling of coziness, the openess and the simplicity of Icelanders.

Article by Denis Reinier