Bóndadagurinn

Man's Day

Bóndadagur, Farmers' or Husbands' Day, is traditionally celebrated in Iceland in the second half of January. The men hopped around the house barefoot in just their shirts and one trouser leg, dragging the other trouser leg behind them, and then their wives gave them extra-tasty food like pickled mutton testicles or singed sheep's head - well, doesn't that sound tempting?! ?

Bóndadagur is celebrated on the first day of the month of Þorri. This month is the fourth winter month in the old Icelandic calendar, starting on Friday in the 13th week of winter (between January 19th and 25th). The name Þorri is first found in a manuscript from the 13th century, the Old Icelandic legal book Grágás, as well as in the Snorra-Edda by Snorri Sturluson, which is said to have been written around 1220 and in which Snorri lists the old names of the months. The old month names were common in Iceland until the 18th century, and modern ones (such as Þorri or Góa) are still partly used today.

Where the name "Þorri" comes from is not entirely clear - some attribute it to the frost giant Þorri from Nordic mythology (which literally translated meant something like "drought", i.e. to the last supplies in winter, when the food became scarce). Others believe that the name of the month goes back to Þorri, one of the first legendary Norwegian princes in the Orkney Islands.

Nordic mythology in the Vikingaheima Museum (2013)

Bóndadagur - January 20, 2023

The first day of the month of Þorri in Iceland is bóndadagur , farmers' day or, more commonly, husbands' day. This year 2023, the bóndadagur falls on January 20th (2024: January 19th, 2025: January 24th).

According to oral tradition, the farmer on every farm had to get up before everyone else that day and, wearing only a shirt and one trouser leg, hop in a circle around his farm three times on one leg, dragging the other, empty trouser leg behind him. to properly welcome the winter month of Þorri. Afterwards, his housewife served him a particularly good meal and in the evening the farmer invited all the neighbors to a big party, the Þorrablót, which was celebrated in turn on the farms in the neighborhood during this time.

Traditional Icelandic food was served, which had a long shelf life in winter, especially pickled foods such as black pudding and liver sausage, pickled mutton testicles or pickled whale meat. There was also flatbraud , the traditional Icelandic flatbread, and plenty of brennivín . At these festivals there was said to be a lot of eating, drinking and singing and people had fun until late into the night.

However, these traditions surrounding the bóndadag were only passed down orally. The festivals were first mentioned in writing in a letter from 1728 to the Icelandic scholar Árni Magnússon; the name bóndadagur can then be found by Jón Árnason in his Icelandic folk tales from 1862/64. It was not until the 1920s that the term bóndadag was found in other written sources. '

However, this "pagan" festival was a thorn in the side of strict Christians and so it was forgotten or frowned upon over the centuries.

The first recorded Þorrablót of modern times took place in 1873 -

back then it was heresy

In 1873, Icelandic students in Copenhagen celebrated the first recorded Þorrablót of modern times - the reference to the old Nordic gods and traditions was still scandalous at the time. At that time, the Icelandic constitution still stipulated the Icelandic People's Church as the Evangelical Lutheran state church for Icelanders; anything else was considered heresy. It was not until the following year, 1874, that freedom of religion was included in the Icelandic constitution.

The "íslenska fornleifafélag", the Icelandic Society for Classical Studies (founded in 1879), organized a large, festive Þorrablót for its members every year from 1880 or at the latest from 1881 onwards.

Þorramatur to Þorrablót - a tradition only from the 1950s

In the 1950s, local heritage associations in the countryside later offered festive buffets for Þorrablót.

The former Naustið restaurant on Vesturgata in Reykjavík first offered so-called Þorramatur in 1958 to offer city residents the opportunity to try traditional Icelandic dishes from the countryside without having to become a member of a local association.

The term "Þorramatur" for the traditional meal at Þorrablót goes back to this meal at the Naustið restaurant in 1958.

View of the Vesturgata in Reykjavík

Today's Þorramatur - Mixture of pickled food and other traditional Icelandic dishes

In the meantime, Þorramatur, the food at Þorrablót, has changed: while previously only pickled dishes were served, other traditional dishes have now been added, which have a long tradition in Icelandic cuisine, but are not entirely suitable for the modern Icelandic palate are so unusual, such as dried fish , hangikjöt (well-cured lamb smoked twice over sheep dung) and saltkjöt (fresh meat preserved by being preserved in brine).

Nowadays, restaurants usually offer a selection of different dishes for Þorrablót, so that even people who don't like eating pickled dishes can enjoy taking part in Þorrablót celebrations.

For most tourists with a Central European palate, however, these dishes such as sheep's head, very intensively smoked lamb or even harmless dried fish are likely to be rather unusual delights that certainly not everyone can be enthusiastic about. But it is definitely an experience!

In this sense then:

Geðilegan bóndadag!

[Translated from here.]