No one is watching to see that all good children get presents. Dec 14, 2017 - Explore Jen T's board "Yule lads" on Pinterest. The modern variation has deviated far from its medieval origins, and it has been revamped for the contemporary, holiday-loving family. All of them except Grýla. Iceland's 13 Trolls of Christmas In Iceland, there is no Santa Claus. 13 days of gifts as well as more Christmas gifts on Christmas Eve, sounds like a great idea to me!. Traditions: From Icelandic folklore, the Yule Lads are 13 brothers who come down from the mountains, one by one, during the 13 nights before Christmas (December 12th through the 24th).Known for their mischief and mayhem, each has a peculiar specialty. Traditionally, one candle is lit each Sunday until four candles are lit on the 24th. Illustrations by Björn Þór Björnsson. But in Iceland, parents go to much darker places to garner good behavior. The Yule Lads are thirteen pranksters whose antics range from swiping yogurt to slamming doors in the middle of the night to wake people up. Iceland celebrated the holidays with unique characters, including the 13 Yule Lads, Grýla, and Jólakötturinn, as well as with traditions like the "Christmas Book Flood.” Now they are celebrated in good fun, and the children revere the myths. Why she hasn’t eaten her own unruly sons a long time ago is a riddle. Iceland has many great Christmas traditions, but one of the most popular traditions involves the Yule Lads. Grýla aside, the Yule Lads is a tradition that we love here in Iceland. With time there was a general agreement that those horrible guys were thirteen. Unlike most countries that have a single Father Christmas or Santa Claus, Icelandic children are fortunate enough to be visited by 13 Yule Lads (or Jólasveinar) over the last 13 nights before Christmas.. This tradition is actually growing in strength with the highly-popular Yule Lads in Dimmuborgir near Mývatn in northeast Iceland, who welcome visitors throughout December each year. Iceland’s Christmas Yule Lads are a staple in the country’s rich historic folklore. Iceland’s 13 Naughty Yule Lads – A Christmas Tradition. While most countries have one Christmas character that brings them presents, Icelanders take it to the next level. GRÝLA An awful ogress that eats naughty children. And there was their pet, the Icelandic Christmas cat. Well, the Icelandic Yule Lads aren’t particularly. An Icelandic Christmas can come across as a little odd to an outsider (or so I’ve been told), but it truly is a magical time. 13 Yule Lads visit Iceland’s children, who leave their shoes by a window every day leading up to Christmas. Text by Sigríður Ásta Árnadóttir. Banner photo: Jólakötturinn (the Yule Cat, or Christmas Cat) illumination in downtown Reykjavík. But in Iceland … Christmas in Iceland: The Story of the Yule Lads We landed in Iceland the day before New Year’s Eve, which meant we just missed Christmas in Reykjavik- or so we thought. At 6:00 pm Church bells ring to start the Christmas celebration. But, no Icelandic child is bad around Christmas-time. This article appeared in Icelandair Stopover magazine, fall 2019. Hopefully, you’ve fended off the Yule Lads and their attempts to steal your food and toys or harass you and your sheep. Iceland’s Christmas Yule Lads. The horrible Icelandic Yule lads were a gruesome bunch of trolls that terrorized children and stole food from hungry peasants around Christmas. One of the best Christmas traditions, particularly for Icelandic kiddies, is the shoe-in-the window tradition. Discover the strange and wonderful Icelandic Yule Lads - folklore ornaments designed exclusively for Sunfilm (Sólarfilma) by artist Brian Pilkington. In Iceland, they are called jólasveinar ("yuletide lads"; singular: jólasveinn). If you’ve been good, remember to put your shoes on the windowsill so you can get a treat. Stekkjarstaur is the first one to show up, spending the days between December 12 and Christmas harassing sheep. Leppalúði likes to stay at home, sometimes taking care of their many children and always making sure the pot is […] The Yule Lads are known and cherished by Icelandic children, who excitedly place their shoes in the windowsills every night before Christmas, starting on December 11. Leave this field empty if you're human: Don't worry, we don't spam! Jólasveinar: 13 Yule Lads and Their Vicious Cat. Christmas in Iceland lasts for 26 days, from the 11th of December until the 6th of January, and Iceland has 13 Santa Clauses or Yule Lads. Christmas in Iceland (Jól) starts four Weeks before proper Christmas, which begins on December 24 (Aðfangadagur) and ends thirteen days later on January 6 (Epiphany).. This gets underway 13 days before Christmas, when the Icelandic Yule Lads, who live in the mountains, start coming to town, one per night. It’s believed that during each of the 13 nights leading up to Christmas, a Yule Lad comes down from the mountains to bring children gifts or candy – and sometimes play pranks. There are 13 of these troublesome brothers, each one arriving in one of the 13 nights before Christmas to wreak havoc in Icelandic homes. Icelandic Yule Lads. One of the things which make Christmas in Iceland a little different is the fact that the jolly gift-giving Santa Claus, dressed in red, only plays a minor role in the festivities. Expect no fewer than 13 Icelandic Santa Clauses. Before they go to sleep, kids take one of their best shoes and leave near an open window. With Christmas just a little over two weeks away lets get more into the Christmas spirit and talk about a few of my favorite Icelandic Christmas traditions! Yule Lads on a billboard inside a state park in Iceland, where they are reputed to live. Read more about the Yule Lads and how you can meet them on a trip to North Iceland. Yule Lads One Santa Claus … no there are 13 Yule Lads, The Yule lads are figures from Icelandic folklore who in modern times have become the Icelandic version of Santa Claus. Christmas season starts when the first Yule Lad comes to town (13 days before Christmas Eve) and finishes when the last one leaves town (Twelfth Night). This very specific number has to do with the number of Icelandic Jólasveinar (Santa Clauses, if you aren’t keeping up).. Every night until Christmas, a new Yule Lad will visit the window and place a small gift in the shoe. My favorite is the seventh Yule Lad, Hurðaskellir (Door-Slammer), who likes to slam doors, especially at night. (Photo: Lusinemarg, CC BY-SA 4.0) Not every beloved holiday tradition escapes its native land. But the basic plot is as follows: The names for the Yule lads are rather simple and act as either a description of the lad or of their tendencies and each night is designated for a specific lad. In his place Iceland has a small army of Yule lads, trolls and Christmas monsters who ensure that everyone gets into the spirit of the Holidays. The total number of names for “Yule lads” is around 70. In terms of destructive powers, one cat perhaps tops all his feline kin. Iceland celebrates Christmas like most Western countries, with delicious food, gifts for loved ones, and family gatherings. See more ideas about yule, iceland christmas, iceland. The Yule lads appear in old stories and folk tales. Yule Lads You should hope that the Yule Lads give you at least one pair of socks before Christmas, because if you don't get any new clothes, you'll get eaten by the Christmas Cat! In fact, their names and number depended on where you were in Iceland. Their number has varied over time, but currently there are considered to be thirteen. In Iceland, we have a troop of thirteen gift-giving pranksters known as the Yule Lads who each act as a pseudo-Santa Claus. Meet the Yule Lads and friends. Their parents were the horrible ogre Grýla who ate naughty children and her bedridden lazy no-good husband Leppaludi. Iceland’s 13 Mischievous Yule Lads. You made it through the 13 days of Icelandic Christmas. An off-handed remark about coal is usually enough to scare American kids into submission during the holidays. The eve before December 12, everyone who believes in the Yule Lads will put a shoe on the window sill and keep it there for 13 days. All the 13 yule lads have different names describing their role in the Christmas traditions: 1. Icelandic Yule Lads The Icelandic Yule Lads, known as “Jólasveinar”, begin making their appearance 13 days before Christmas arriving one by one each night and leaving small gifts for the children. These days they are pretty nice and are the joy of Icelandic children before Christmas. One of the things that makes Christmas in Iceland very different from most other Western countries is the absence of a Santa Claus: In his place we have 13 Yule lads. And none of these Icelandic Christmas creatures Christmas in Iceland is an interesting experience as this country has many old traditions for celebrating Christmas. While Scandinavia has its fill of unique Yuletide traditions (for example, the "Sauna Elf" in Finland) Iceland takes the prize for having the most hair-raising Christmas creatures. Another one of my favorite Christmas traditions in Iceland is the Yule Lads (Jólasveinarnir). A popular poem about the Yule Lads by the late Jóhannes úr Kötlum, which first appeared in the book Jólin koma (Christmas is Coming) in 1932, served to … Iceland doesn’t have the Coca Cola Santa – Iceland has a Christmas Family with 13 yule lads who start coming to town 13 nights before Christmas, one yule lad arrives every night until Christmas Eve when they start going back one by one. Researching for this post, we found inconsistencies in the accounts of the lads as well as other aspects of Iceland s current Christmas traditions. Phew! This is none other than Jólakötturinn – the Christmas Cat – of Iceland.According to legends, the Christmas or Yule Cat is a monstrously huge black cat that only appears at Christmas Eve, when little children are sound asleep, dreaming of the glitter of the Christmas Tree and what marvellous gifts lie under it. Personally, we are more frightened of Þvörusleikir. 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