(IS) Easter in Iceland

Easter in Iceland has a double version regarding which generation we are looking to. Easter has a religion meening in Iceland and we celebrate and have easter-related traditions.

Before,  Easter had a big religion meaning and a lot of traditions. Grandparents guarded the celebrations with a hawk-eyes and maked sure that everybody behaved in a proper way, especially the kids. Today this has changed and traditions is not so thight as before. 

The older people still connect more with regligion but the younger looks forward to have holidays and spend time with their love ones. Lot of Icelandic people arranged Easter with trawelling abroad, skiing in the Icelandic mountains, spending time in summer houses in the country or just stay home and relax.

In Iceland Easter begin with Palm Sunday and end on Easter Monday but that day is used for home-coming if you went somewhere with you family. First day to work after Easter is on Thuesday.

On Palm Sunday there are masses in all churches but no other traditions regarding that day.

In Iceland we have Passions Hymns by Hallgrimur Petursson, which he wrote in the years 1656 -1659. They have been part of the Easter festival for many centuries. The Passions Hymns have 50 salms and they are about  Christ´s martyr. On Holy Friday the salms are read in the National Radio each year and are also been preformed by actors or other persons in many churches in Iceland.

On Easter Sunday there is a tradition of giving the children a choclate eggs filled with candy and inside they have a proverb. The proverb is a sentence which usually includes the old philosophy, principle or attitude. Sometimes the eggs are hidden inside houses and the children must find them by using a guidance.

On Easter Sunday there are masses in churches and radio.

In Iceland a lot of people are used to have good food on their table, with some there is a tradition of a Easter-lamb. Today people are not bound by these food traditons and choose what they and their families likes to eat.





Icelandic school works

In school the students create something beautiful connected to Easter, like yellow lilies or birds.

Happy Easter to you all and enjoy your days