Farewell to Christmas
On the 13th day after Christmas ("Þrettándi" = "Thirteenth"), i.e. on Epiphany, January 6th, the Christmas season officially ends here in Iceland. People pack up their Christmas decorations and Christmas decorations - and the last of the 13 Icelandic Santa Clauses (jólasveinar) goes back to her troll parents Grýla and Leppalúði in the mountains.
Blysför á Selfossi
Here in Selfoss there is a big torchlight procession ("blysför") through the town every year (weather permitting).
Shortly before 8 p.m. the procession gathers at the parking lot at the Krónan supermarket, next to the Trygnaskáli at the bridgehead. The 13 Santa Clauses light their large torches at a large fire. And then a police car blocks the main street and the torchlight procession starts moving.
As soon as the train passes them, the people on the side of the road join the procession and move along from the bridgehead...
.... first along the main road for a bit, then left into Reynivellir Street and finally along Engjavegur to the entrance to the campsite. During the parade there are heaven and people and, above all, lots of children.
Of course, the Santa Clauses live up to their nature as trolls, they are a bit wild, loud and unexpected and like to play practical jokes. Unfortunately, I don't know why this Santa Claus tried to roast his ass while singing wildly. But he probably doesn't know it himself. It must have been really hot!
Here's a photo of the dawn of January 7th, taken at 10:40 a.m.
Jólin verða kvödd í Gesthúsum á Selfoss með glæsilegri þrettándagleði
Christmas ends with a magnificent celebration on the 13th day of Christmas, as is the slogan on the community's homepage. Behind the reception at the campsite in Selfoss there is a large pile of wood with old pallets on the lawn. When the torchlight procession arrives here, the brenna, the bonfire, is ceremoniously lit in the presence of Santa Claus.
After the fire has been lit, the large fireworks display is set off in collaboration with the local rescue teams (Björgunarfélag Árborgar).
A special rack has been set up for the torches of the 13 Santa Clauses, in which the Santa Clauses place their torches so that they can finish burning here. I still think it smells like burning kebab skewers - but it doesn't smell like that.
And after the fireworks, on the way back to our house, the northern lights danced across the sky again behind the Ingólfsfjall and accompanied us all the way home. Yes, I know, the photo here is terribly blurry, I only had my cell phone with me and nothing to rest it on, but it just captures the mood a bit... We then had to unpack our shopping and... then the northern lights disappeared. They came back around midnight... but by then I was already lying warm in my bed.
How could the farewell to Christmas end more beautifully than with the Northern Lights!
Christmas is over
And after January 6th, the Christmas lights are taken down again, the Christmas decorations are put back in the boxes and the last Santa Claus collects his washed laundry from the line and heads off into the mountains.
The illuminationin the cemeteries will also be switched off again. The electric crosses will be dismantled again or at least the electricity will be switched off - after all, Christmas is now over. Even in the cemeteries.
Only the Christmas fairy lights ("jólaseríur") usually remain switched on for a bit; light in the dark is often important and comforting here in wintry, dark Iceland.
Even if you can clearly see that the days are getting longer again... From the latest sunrise at 11:16 a.m. we are now at sunrise at 11:02 a.m. and the day is already 41 minutes longer today than at the winter solstice on December 21st. So it's getting brighter...!
So then - let's start a new year!