Who are the Yule Lads?
In Iceland, Santa doesn’t come alone. At Christmas, thirteen brothers arrive, called in Icelandic Jólasveinar. They live in the mountains with their mother, the giantess Grýla, and their father, Leppalúði.
In the old stories, they were mischief-makers who stole food and played tricks. Today they are friendlier: in the 13 nights before Christmas, they come down into town one by one, starting on 12 December. After Christmas they leave one by one, and the last one goes back to the mountains on 6 January.
The 13 Yule Lads, one by one
Each Yule Lad has a name that says what mischief he gets up to. Here they are, in the order they arrive:
- 12 Dec.Stekkjarstaur Sheep-Cote Clodhas stiff legs and tries to drink the sheep’s milk.
- 13 Dec.Giljagaur Gully Gawksneaks into the cowshed for the milk foam.
- 14 Dec.Stúfur Stubbythe smallest of the brothers, scrapes the leftovers from the pans.
- 15 Dec.Þvörusleikir Spoon-Lickerlicks the wooden spoon used to stir the pot.
- 16 Dec.Pottaskefill Pot-Scraperscrapes what’s left at the bottom of the pots.
- 17 Dec.Askasleikir Bowl-Lickerhides under the bed and waits for bowls left on the floor.
- 18 Dec.Hurðaskellir Door-Slammerslams doors at night and wakes everyone up.
- 19 Dec.Skyrgámur Skyr-Gobblerloves skyr, the thick Icelandic yogurt.
- 20 Dec.Bjúgnakrækir Sausage-Swiperclimbs the rafters for the smoked sausages.
- 21 Dec.Gluggagægir Window-Peeperpeeks through the windows.
- 22 Dec.Gáttaþefur Doorway-Snifferhas a huge nose and smells baking from far away.
- 23 Dec.Ketkrókur Meat-Hookfishes out meat with a long hook.
- 24 Dec.Kertasníkir Candle-Stealercomes last and looks for candles.
The shoe in the window
From 12 December, Icelandic children put a shoe on the windowsill every evening. During the night, the Yule Lad who arrives leaves a small surprise inside: a sweet, a little toy or a book. Children who haven’t been good find... a potato in their shoe in the morning.
Two Icelandic Christmas traditions
The Christmas book flood
In Iceland, almost everyone gets a book on Christmas Eve. In the evening, after dinner, families read together with hot chocolate. The custom even has a name, Jólabókaflóð, meaning “the Christmas book flood”.
Advent candles
On each of the four Sundays before Christmas, families light one more candle on the Advent wreath. In the longest nights of the year, the candles in the windows make the town feel warmer.
A taste of Iceland: Laufabrauð
How do you say “Merry Christmas!” in Icelandic?
Gleðileg jól!
Try saying it at dinner on Christmas Eve.
What word did Mira discover here?
In each of the eleven cities of the journey, Mira finds a special word. The first of them, the word from Reykjavík, is written in her Christmas passport, at the end of chapter 1.
