Information on Iceland

Iceland is full of old traditions concerning the Christmas period and some of them are native to Iceland. For example, there are no fewer than 13 Icelandic Santa Clauses, called jólasveinar.

Icelandic homes are relatively inexpensive to heat, thanks to abundant resources of hot water under the earth.

Icelanders enjoy a 5-day long weekend around Easter, starting with Maundy Thursday. Chocolate Eggs in all sizes are the major part of the Easter celebration.

The first people known to have inhabitated Iceland were Irish monks or hermits who came in the eighth century, but left with the arrival of the pagan Norsemen, who systematically settled Iceland in the period 870 - 930 A.D. Iceland was thus the last European country to be settled.

Iceland was settled by Norse vikings in the 9th century - tradition says that the first permanent settler was Ingólfur Arnarson, a Norwegian who made his home where Reykjavík now stands. The Icelanders still speak the language of the Vikings.

Out of a population numbering more than 280.000, half live in the capital Reykjavík and its neighbouring towns in the southwest.

The Icelandic climate is warmer than the name suggests, thanks to the Gulf Stream. Summers in Iceland are rather cool, while the winters are relatively warm. The average monthly summer temperature ranges from 10 to 13 °C.

The midwinter feast Thorrablot in Iceland is held at any time during the month of Thorri (meaning ca. January and February). As a tradition, Icelanders serve for dinner what was normal day-to-day food for Vikings and Icelanders until mid 20th century.