Due to its isolated location, the Icelandic language has changed very little from its original roots. Modern Icelandics can still read texts written in the 10th Century with relative ease.
Iceland
The Icelandic forestry service…
The Icelandic forestry service is encouraging people to hug trees while social distancing measures prevent them from hugging other people.
The Icelandic language was…
The Icelandic language was kept isolated for so long that modern speakers can still read and understand texts written in Old Norse, the language of the original viking settlers from Scandinavia that settled the Island over 1000 years ago.
Jolabokaflod is a Christmas Eve…
Jolabokaflod is a Christmas Eve tradition in Iceland where friends and family get together to exchange books and then they all read them together while eating chocolate and drinking cocoa.
In Iceland, there is an elf…
In Iceland, there is an elf whisperer who inspects construction sites before building to ensure no elves are hanging around.
Official instagram of the Reykjavík metropolitan police
American service members…
American service members drank so much beer in Iceland that they cause a shortage and some bars ran out completely.
In addition to Father Christmas…
In addition to Father Christmas, Icelanders are visited by the 13 Yule Lads (including Sausage-Swiper, Spoon-Licker, & Door-Sniffer), as well as their giant pet cat Jólakötturinn, who eats children who don’t receive new clothes for Christmas.
On October 24, 1975, 90% of Iceland’s…
On October 24, 1975, 90% of Iceland’s female population went on strike, demanding equal rights. They did not work, do housework, or look after their kids for an entire day. In 1980, Iceland elected its first female president, who credits her win to this specific day.
Icelandic people actively work to eliminate…
Icelandic people actively work to eliminate English “loanwords” in their language by inventing and substituting new words from Old Icelandic and Norse roots.