Blog
Longer reads on Icelandic holidays and traditions: where the days come from, what they mean, and how the calendar holds them together.
The 13 Icelandic Yule Lads: names, dates and folklore
Iceland has thirteen Santas, and they arrive one per night from 12 to 24 December. All the Yule Lads’ names, arrival and departure dates - plus Grýla and the Christmas Cat.
What's open (and closed) on public holidays in Iceland?
Visiting Iceland over Easter or Christmas? What actually closes on Icelandic public holidays - shops, restaurants, pools, the liquor store - and what stays open.
Þorrablót: Iceland's midwinter feast, explained
Fermented shark, sour-cured delicacies and singing until late: when þorrablót season runs, where the feast comes from, and what is actually in the trough.
The Old Icelandic calendar: why summer starts in April
Iceland celebrates the First Day of Summer in April because of a medieval calendar that split the year into just two seasons. The old months - Þorri, Góa, Harpa - and the days that survive.