nicelandic festivals

I was somewhat surprised yesterday to discover that three of my favourite days of the year are already coming up right after the weekend: bolludagur [Cream Puff Day], sprengidagur [Eat Salted Lamb Until You Burst Day] and öskudagur [Ash Wednesday]. This happy trio marks the beginning of Lent, and as you’ll probably know Easter comes exceptionally early this year, hence their early arrival.

Bolludagur comes first, on Monday. On this day children are supposed to sneak into their parents’ room before they get out of bed in the morning and spank them on the bottom with colourful wands specifically made for that purpose. The number of spanks they manage to get in determines the number of bollur - cream puffs - they get to imbibe. In other words, hitting your mother five times on the butt will earn you five cream puffs.

The spanking bit does not extend to grownups [unless they are partial to that sort of thing] who can simply go out and buy their own cream puffs, like EPI and I did today. In fact, most people here get an early start on the bollur and buy them as soon as the bakeries start offering them, which is generally the weekend prior to the official day. Here’s a little educational video that mbl.is put together to teach people how to eat their bollur with a minimum of fuss. Watch and learn.

Right after bolludagur comes sprengidagur, when you’re supposed to eat saltkjöt og baunir [salted lamb and split-pea soup] until you burst. Of the three days, this is my favourite, simply because I LOVE salted lamb and split pea soup. Seriously, it’s one of the most superexcellent meals ever. Super bad for you, too, what with all the sodium and preservatives and whatnot, so eating it once a year is about right. Today we went grocery shopping and bought salted lamb in copious amounts and already just the thought of Tuesday’s dinner is making me swoon. - Incidentally, the idea behind sprengidagur is that you eat so much that you can fast for the entire 40 days of Lent, which of course is what EPI and I will be doing.

When that’s done, we’re onto öskudagur, which is the same as Ash Wednesday and sort of like Iceland’s version of Halloween. When I was a little kid you were supposed to sew all these little pouches and fill them with ash and then pin them to the backs of unsuspecting adults who would then go around for the entire day with little pouches pinned to their backs and supposedly be objects of ridicule. Personally I always thought this day was kind of stupid and never as much fun as it was made out to be. In fact, it was no fun at all. So you managed to pin a pouch to some person’s back - whoopee! They walked off, and you were out of a pouch that you’d put considerable effort into making. Absurd.

Up in the north, though, in Akureyri, they had a far superior tradition: everybody got dressed up in costumes and then banged a wooden barrel that supposedly contained a dead cat. This activity, prosaically enough, was called “banging the cat out of the barrel”. There was also candy involved, although I can’t remember exactly how - I only took part in this activity on one occasion. Here’s a picture [I’m the one dressed up as a demon, pretty scary huh?]:

Anyway, the modern version of öskudagur is a lot more fun in that kids get all dressed up and go around to stores and businesses and sing songs in return for candy. More gratifying than hanging silly pouches onto the backs of clueless adults, I’m sure you’ll agree.

AND WE’RE STILL IN THE IRON CLUTCH OF WINTER
Last night was like the deep freezer - when I went out to drive AAH to a dinner party its was -15 fricking °C, which hardly ever happens around here. [What? You thought Iceland was cold?] It got so bad that there was record hot water use in Reykjavík [we heat our homes with geothermal water, as I’m sure you know] and it got so bad that a number of swimming pools had to be shut down because of a shortage of hot water. Something I’ve never heard of happening before. Anyway, we’re in for some respite as early as tomorrow, meaning I can go for a run without getting frostbite on the inside of my lungs, phew. Right now it’s only -3°C [27F] and the sun came up at 10.07 and went down at 5.17 pm.

PS - THANK YOU to all of you who voted for the Weather Report in The Bloggies, and not least to all of you who have emailed or left comments with kind words and good wishes. It really means a lot!

As regular readers will know, the Nicelanders are exceptionally devoted to their language, Icelandic. In fact, many people consider the language to be the factor that defines Iceland as a nation. We are joined together by one language - a language that no other nation speaks.

It should come as no surprise, then, that there is an entire day every year devoted to the Icelandic language, and that day is today. It’s called Dagur íslenskrar tungu - “Day of the Icelandic Language”. This particular date was chosen because it is the birthday of one of Iceland’s foremost poets, Jónas Hallgrímsson, with whom most people here seem to have a deep affinity and affection for, sort of like the Icelandic Shakespeare but without the cryptic language. And here we have another glaring exposure of YT’s pseudo-Icelander status, because in contrast to most of my countrymen who have learned all about old Jónas in school, that’s about as much as I know about him. Except that he died young, his death has been romanticized, some people are saying it wasn’t very romantic, and today is the 200th anniversary of his birth. And this last part I only know because the media keeps banging on about it and there are festivals being held all over the country.

But anyway, as I was saying, Icelandic is very precious to the Icelanders, and I’ve documented the various efforts to preserve the language in this space before, including the Nicelanders’ obsessive need to make up Icelandic words for all manner of foreign objects and concepts, rather than just calling a computer, say, komputer. And true to form, today Morgunblaðið had a little blurb in which they’re calling for translations of some common English words and phrases that have stubbornly worked their way into Icelandic and which nobody seems to have come up with a good, solid, Icelandicism for. These words and phrases [some of which have been bastardized to fit into the sentence structure] are:

shortcut
takeaway
brunch
to blog [að blogga]
to google [að gúggla]
iPod
to date [someone - að deita]
wannabe
grandparents [this is the only one I take exception to, I just don’t see what’s wrong with using afi og amma]
outlet
gig [gigg]

Okay then! Anyone with suggestions for good and proper Nicelandic translations may send them to menning@mbl.is or leave them in the comments, whichever is easier. Although if you do choose the second option, I can’t guarantee they will make it into the next official Icelandic dictionary.

MILD WEATHER TODAY, OVERCAST WITH DRIZZLE
Yep, that about sums it up. Currently 3°C [39F], sunrise was at 9.58 am [yow!] and sunset at 4.25 pm.

Big Thank You, everyone. Your comments on the last post have given me a major boost. It makes such a difference to get a glimpse of the people behind the stats, as it were, and to know their responses to what I’m putting out there. I can’t quite explain why, but it does.

So now that I know how you feel, let’s get back to business.

This past weekend saw the Iceland Airwaves festival here in Reykjavík, which is an annual event and one of the coolest music festivals on the planet if you believe the hype – at least it has the foreign press is crawling all over it and punters from elsewhere making the trip. True to form, YT and EPI missed it, like we miss everything that’s supercool and unmissable around here, even though last year we solemnly declared that next year we wouldn’t miss it. But – we did!

Airwaves, largely sponsored by Nicelandair, started as a showcase for new Nicelandic bands a few years back and within two years had mushroomed into this major event that nonetheless has this really happy hometown feel to it. All the venues are situated within a few blocks of each other, and you buy these bracelets that are good for the whole festival, so you can just walk from one venue to another and check out whatever suits your fancy. They have this ‘Airwaves Centre’ at this pub right in the middle of the area, where you can have a drink and order food and generally hang out with other punters and talk about the different acts and whathaveyou. Airwaves prides itself on catching the latest cutting edge, up-and-coming bands [as opposed to big headlining acts] and reportedly this formula works rather excellently.

The biggest [read: best-known] act at the festival this year was Bloc Party, which has proven itself to be the coolest band in the universe. Why? Well there’s this upper secondary school in Hafnarfjörður [municipality in the Greater Reykjavík Area, the one you pass through first on your way in from the airport] called Flensborg, and they were organizing a school dance. It so happened that the school dance coincided with the Airwaves festival, and when the student committee sat down to brainstorm which bands they should try to get to play at their dance, someone suggested Bloc Party, which everyone thought was an excellent idea. So they got on the blower and called Bloc Party who went, ‘Play at your school dance? Sure!’ So Flensborg, this little school in Hafnarfjörður, southwest Iceland, had Bloc Party playing at their school dance this weekend and charging them less than most local bands would have. And that’s why you gotta love Bloc Party. And also those wacky – and irreverent– Nicelanders, bless.

Meanwhile, YT has her favourite Airwaves act all picked out [despite my absence] and it is Ólöf Arnalds, whose new CD I am quite obsessed with right now because it’s just so lovely. This girl quietly tiptoed into the mainstream about a year ago and is proving herself to be one of Iceland’s major cultural treasures. We saw a video installation she did at the Culture House during Reykjavík Culture Night last year, which was very cool, and just a few weeks ago she released this CD on which she plays most instruments, writes all the songs except for two, and sings. The music is really prettily arranged and the atmosphere is intimate and sort of old-fashioned … reminds me of an old Icelandic timber house with lace curtains and the sun streaming through. Her voice takes a little bit of getting used to – it’s unusual, almost uncomfortable, so that you almost want to cringe but don’t, because she’s so sincere. And – this is a big plus – she sings in Icelandic, which is becoming very rare, what with everyone wanting to make it and singing in English. And she’s articulate and her lyrics are like gossamer – so delicate and joyful. Just gorgeous.

Okay, that concludes my Airwaves review [not bad for someone who wasn’t even there, wouldn’t you agree?] – and now for something completely different: make sure you check out this little guy here, and keep your volume on. [Heheheheh, and get a load of the bow at the end!]

AND HERE COMES THE WEATHER REPORT YOU ALL CLAIM TO READ:
We had a storm today. It started around noon, just as YT was heading out for a bracing walk around the golf course, meaning the walk was even more bracing than bargained for. Stuff went flying through the general locale and the rain came down in sheets. Happily it’s calmed down a bit now – temps currently 9°C [48F] with sunrise at 8.38 am and sunset at 5.45.

Went to the Brooklyn Book Festival today*. I thought I’d check it out, maybe listen to a reading or two, peruse the wares that vendors were peddling, perchance see if any of the publishers were interested in translations of Nicelandic literature. Had the idea that I might get the odd polite nod and smile, a raised eyebrow or two and then a kind brush-off. I never dreamed of the overwhelmingly enthusiastic response I’d get from virtually everyone. ‘Iceland?? Oh, wow - we’d love to see some stuff from Iceland … Iceland is so big right now.’

But we knew all that - right?

Went to a concert this evening at the Village Vanguard - Paul Motian trio was playing. EPI was really psyched to see them as he’s a big fan of both Paul Motian and Bill Frisell … YT is less of a fan but I was definitely up for the experience. Have to say, though, that I was primarily struck by how apathetic they were towards the audience, i.e. they did not interact with the audience at all. They came on, made no acknowledgment that there was actually a full house of people sitting there watching them, played a set for just over an hour during which they only looked at each other - never into the audience - and never uttered a word of thanks or took a bow or anything of the sort between songs. When the set finished, Motian spoke a few words in which he basically tried to get people to stay for a second set [which cost an additional ten bucks] at which they walked away and did not come back for an encore. Sheesh! I mean, they played well and everything, but to not even acknowledge for a second those people that paid money to see them and were totally enthusiastic and positive, came across as incredibly ungenerous and ungracious. Guess they were just too sexy for their clothes, or something.

Weather here is pretty cold, I’m told … it just turned, three days ago, from being super-hot and humid. And now, if I stay up a moment longer, I’ll need toothpicks to keep my eyes open, so t’rah for now!

*Actually, Sunday. My time settings are all screwed up, as is my biological clock.

So, yesterday EPI and I headed into town to help set a Guinness World Record in the ‘Telephone’ whisper game. Sadly, only 600-odd people showed up [not bad in the space of an hour, though, I guess] whereas 1,100 were needed in order to break the world record. Here’s EPI getting whispered at by a complete stranger, so very subtly:

The game was lots of fun, everybody in a jolly mood [the weather was excellent, as you can see] and, predictably, the original sentence bore little similarity to the last one.

ORIGINAL SENTENCE
“Við setjum heimsmet í Reykjavík” [We’ll set a world record in Reykjavík]

THE SENTENCE WE GOT
“Við erum komin upp á dekk” [We’re up on the deck]

THE SENTENCE THAT CAME OUT AT THE END
“Er þetta komið?” [Are we done yet?]

Unrecognizable. But then - that’s just what you expect, right?

TODAY’S WEATHER
It was raining this morning, had stopped by around noon, and by mid-afternoon it was still cloudy. Nonetheless, as we headed out to Selfoss for a birthday party at EPI’s brother and sister-in-law’s I was optimistic enough to grab my sunglasses on the way out, and lo! it was sunny almost for the rest of the day. My in-laws have this supercool house that’s brand new but has a turf roof like the old Icelandic farms did, and you can easily climb it. It’s surprisingly comfortable up there, and we actually spent more than half an hour on the ridge, soaking up some rays and just talking. Pretty hilarious, when you think about it. Currently 11°C [52F], sunrise was at 5:30 am, sunset at 9:31 pm.

Just got back from the couch where I watched tonight’s big Kaupthing concert on the tee-vee because I’m a lazy ass and couldn’t be bothered to take the ten minute car ride over to Laugardalur to watch it live.

I won’t be able to find no parkin’, is what I told myself.

Actually, that’s not the truth. The truth is that I thought it would be crap, and that’s because I have preconceived notions about a big multinational corporation that moreover is A BANK sponsoring some of Niceland’s biggest bands and/or performers to play at their birthday concert. And also because I thought it was kind of lame that, because Iceland’s other two major commercial banks are each sponsoring an event tomorrow [Glitnir the Reykjavík Marathon; Landsbanki another big outdoor concert tomorrow night on Klambratún], just as they did last year, Kaupthing was just jonesing to get in on the action so they slapped together a concert at the last minute on the night before the Big Day [because of course tomorrow is Reykjavík Culture Night a.k.a. The Biggest Party of theYear*] and, well, with all things considered, it was bound to be awful.

Yes, ladies and gents, I am a cynic, and jaded to boot. And therefore it serves me right that I was proven totally wrong – the concert, despite its dodgy premise, kicked ass. Bubbi ruled, Mugison showed yet again what a supreme talent he is, and even old Todmobile took the place by storm. Sure, there were some acts that left something to be desired – I’ll mention no names, except to say that the last act fell totally fell flat and there was that certain girl group with a synthetic name [clue] that set a new standard in karaoke clichés.

But enough about all that. Tomorrow is TBPOTY and already the programme is so overwhelming that I get panic attacks just looking at it. Culture night started as a minor affair about ten years ago and was limited to – as the name suggests – Saturday night. I can’t remember what went on back then, but it was probably a concert or two and maybe a busker playing on Lækjartorg square. Well, as we all know there is nothing Nicelanders love more than a party, so since that time Culture Night has morphed into this day-long affair [that this year actually started tonight with the above-mentioned concert – a sign of things to come?] with things happening all over the city, from crazy ideas realized in the most humble gallery or storefront, to the huge fireworks display on board a ship anchored offshore at 11 pm. Everyone gets in on the action and the key to surviving Culture Night is picking an event or two that looks intriguing, and just going there. Never mind if you get sidetracked along the way [which is inevitable].

This year I’m quite partial to the waffle-baking event [the residents in the Þingholt area downtown are baking waffles for anyone who wants to come by] and also the whisper game that I’m sure has an actual name … you know, when you start on one end and whisper a word and it travels the whole line to the other end, and you see what word comes out. This year these two people [a brother and sister] have decided they want to set a Guinness record for the number of participants, so they’re recruiting over 1,000 people to turn up and join the chain of whispers. Sounds fun, no?

Anyway, there’s every danger that I’ll be reporting on the day’s escapades in this space at a later time, so be forewarned. The weather is supposed to be OK – cloudy but calm and no rain, thank goodness – which is lucky because we’re set for a downpour on Sunday. Today was great – a bit of a chill in the air but fresh and relatively calm. EPI and I went downtown and I was surprised by the numbers of tourists that have suddenly infiltrated the city – possibly because of tomorrow’s event, possibly because of school hols in Europe. Right now 7°C [45F] and sunrise was at 5:24 am, sunset at 9:38 pm.

* Next to wildan’crazy New Year’s Eve, of course