This page was recently translated from Icelandic. Spotted a mistake or a better way to put something? I would be grateful for a note at [email protected].
How long until Christmas?
Christmas begins in
- –days
- –hours
- –minutes
- –seconds
Christmas Eve, 24 December, at 18:00 Icelandic time.
Christmas morning
The Advent wreath is waiting for the first Sunday of Advent.
- Prophecy Candle
- Bethlehem Candle
- Shepherds' Candle
- Angels' Candle
The thirteen Yule Lads
Icelandic children do not wait for one Santa Claus but for thirteen Yule Lads, mischievous brothers who live in the mountains with their mother, the troll Grýla. They come to town one by one, a new one each night for the thirteen nights before Christmas. From 11 December, children put a shoe in their bedroom window, and each night a Yule Lad leaves a small gift in it, or a potato if the child has been naughty. After Christmas the brothers head home in the same order, the first on Christmas Day and the last on Twelfth Night, 6 January.
- 1
Stekkjastaur Sheep-Cote Clod
12 DecemberStiff in the knees, he sneaks into the sheep sheds to suckle the ewes, with mixed results.
- 2
Giljagaur Gully Gawk
13 DecemberHides in the gullies and slips into the cowshed to steal the froth off the milk.
- 3
Stúfur Stubby
14 DecemberThe smallest of the brothers, he steals frying pans to eat the burnt bits stuck to them.
- 4
Þvörusleikir Spoon-Licker
15 DecemberThin as a wooden spoon, he licks the spoons clean when no one is looking.
- 5
Pottaskefill Pot-Scraper
16 DecemberWaits until the children are called away, then scrapes the leftovers out of the pots.
- 6
Askasleikir Bowl-Licker
17 DecemberHides under the bed and grabs the askur, an old lidded wooden bowl, as soon as it is put on the floor.
- 7
Hurðaskellir Door-Slammer
18 DecemberSlams doors in the middle of the night so the whole household jolts awake.
- 8
Skyrgámur Skyr-Gobbler
19 DecemberBreaks the lid off the skyr barrel and eats until he is fit to burst. Skyr is a thick Icelandic dairy food, much like yoghurt.
- 9
Bjúgnakrækir Sausage-Swiper
20 DecemberClimbs up into the rafters and snatches the sausages hanging there in the smoke.
- 10
Gluggagægir Window-Peeper
21 DecemberPeers in through the windows, looking for something tasty to steal.
- 11
Gáttaþefur Doorway-Sniffer
22 DecemberHis nose can smell laufabrauð, the thin Icelandic Christmas bread, from far away, even in the darkest days of winter.
- 12
Ketkrókur Meat-Hook
23 DecemberLowers a long hook down the chimney on St Thorlak's Day, 23 December, and snags the hangikjöt, the smoked Christmas lamb.
- 13
Kertasníkir Candle-Stealer
24 DecemberFollows the children on Christmas Eve and begs for their candles, because lights are the most beautiful thing he knows.
About Jóladagur
A small page for the joy of waiting.
Jóladagur is Icelandic for Christmas Day. This is a personal page: one countdown, the four candles of the Advent wreath and the thirteen Yule Lads. No sign-up, no cookies and nothing to distract you. Just the days that remain and the lights that come on one by one. Arís, the mascot of Tölvuaðstoð, keeps watch from the corner.
In memory of my father, Ólafur Jónsson, who was a Christmas child in every sense of the word, born on 19 December, and a true Gaflari, as people from Hafnarfjörður are called. Tips and good Christmas memories are welcome at [email protected].
Questions and answers
- How long until Christmas in Iceland?
- The countdown at the top of this page shows how long until Christmas in days, hours, minutes and seconds. It counts down to 18:00 on Christmas Eve, 24 December, when Christmas begins in Iceland. If you are in another time zone, the page also shows what time that is where you are.
- Why does Christmas begin at 18:00 on 24 December?
- In Iceland the evening of 24 December is the high point of Christmas. At 18:00 church bells ring Christmas in on national radio, and families sit down to a festive dinner and open their presents afterwards. It follows an old custom of starting a holy day on the evening before. Christmas then lasts until Twelfth Night, 6 January.
- Who are the Yule Lads?
- Thirteen mischievous brothers from Icelandic folklore, sons of the troll Grýla and her husband Leppalúði. In old tales they were frightening pranksters who stole food; today they are friendlier and bring children small gifts. Each one is named after his favourite trick, such as Spoon-Licker, Door-Slammer and Candle-Stealer.
- When do the Yule Lads come and go?
- Stekkjastaur (Sheep-Cote Clod) comes first, on the night before 12 December. Then a new one arrives each night until Kertasníkir (Candle-Stealer) comes last, on the night before Christmas Eve. They head home in the same order: the first on Christmas Day, 25 December, and the last on Twelfth Night, 6 January.
- Why do Icelandic children put a shoe in the window?
- From 11 December until Christmas Eve, children put a shoe in their bedroom window before going to sleep. The Yule Lad who comes that night leaves a small gift in it, or a potato if the child has been naughty.
- What is Þorláksmessa?
- Þorláksmessa, St Thorlak's Day, is 23 December, named after Iceland's patron saint, Þorlákur Þórhallsson. Many Icelanders eat fermented skate that day, a dish with a famously strong smell, finish their Christmas shopping and decorate the tree in the evening.
- What happens on Twelfth Night?
- Þrettándinn, 6 January, is the thirteenth and last day of Christmas in Iceland. Towns light bonfires and set off fireworks, and according to folklore the elves are on the move that night. The last Yule Lad, Kertasníkir, heads home to the mountains that day.
- When is the first Sunday of Advent?
- Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas. The fourth Sunday of Advent is the last Sunday before Christmas Day, and the first is three weeks earlier, always between 27 November and 3 December.
- What are the candles on the Advent wreath called?
- In Iceland they are the Prophecy Candle, the Bethlehem Candle, the Shepherds' Candle and the Angels' Candle. One new candle is lit each Sunday of Advent, so all four are burning on the fourth Sunday.
