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- Thread starter Theofilus
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edb19 said:
There are so many things I could tell you about Iceland. I don't know what to pick.
Iceland is beautiful. If you enjoy nature, you won't regret visiting Iceland. Come during the summer (June-August) when the sun is up for up to 20 hours a day (even longer in the north).
We also have something else that most people don't know about but you might find worth seeing. A lot of the fireworks that are only allowed in fireworks shows in other countries can be purchased by anyone here. Every New Years, the fireworks are so awesome that people actually travel thousands of miles just to see them.
And since this is a Christian site, you might be interested to know that the first people to settle in Iceland were Irish monks who settled here in about 700 AD. The Vikings came and took over in 870 and we accepted Christianity as the official national religion in 1000 AD. So, for most of our history, Iceland has been a Christian nation.
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MMXII said:
I think the most beautiful place I've seen is Mývatn (Midge Lake) in the north of Iceland. There are many places I haven't seen that I know are very beautiful like the Western Fjords or Landmannalaugar. You can google any of those names (or just "iceland") to see pictures of them.
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cookieboo said:I noticed in your profile that you are single. Who is that pretty lady with you in the picture in your profile and where was is taken?
The pretty lady is a friend of mine who I first "met" here on CF. She came to Iceland to visti me about a year ago. The picture is taken in the steeple of a church close to my home.
The church
View from the steeple
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worldwatcher said:
The coldest temperature ever recorded in Icleand was -38 C (-36.4 F) on January 22 1918. The coldes ever recorded in Reykjavik (the capital city where I live) was -24.5 C (-12.1 F) on January 21 1918. (Yes. 1918 was a cold year. The coldest on record as a mater of fact.)
It doesn't often get that cold (it is a record). In Reykjavik for example, it seldom gets colder than -5 C (23 F)
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Wow Theofilus, what a beautiful church building and the view from there is amazing!.....Now I want to visit IcelandTheofilus said:
Thanks for sharing the pictures!
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BuddingThorn said:What does your user name mean?
Theofilus is mentioned twice in the New Testament. The Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts are letters that were addressed to him. That's about all we know about him. I chose it as my handel because of what his name means. It means Friend of God.
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- Sep 5, 2005
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In the US we're coming up on our Thanksgiving holiday - always one of my favorites.
Do you have any special holiday traditions?
Do you have any special holiday traditions?
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Did you have a person in your life who you consider your Christian mentor? If so, how have they inspired you?
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edb19 said:
We have some different holidays and holiday traditions in Iceland. Our main holidays are:
New Years eve
Pretty traditional. Everybody stays up late, shoots off fireworks and gets dunk. Not necissarily in that order. (Well, fortunately not everybody gets drunk. that would be pretty bad with all those fireworks. ) The main difference is that the fireworks you're used to seeing only in fireworks shows can be purchased by anybody. Millions of dollars worth of fireworks are shot up in a few minutes. It's awsome.
New Years day
Very traditional. It's used for sleeping off New Years eve.
Fat Tuesday
Aka Mardi Gras. We stuff ourselves with salt meat (lamb) and split pea soup. Yuck! (The split peas that is. I like the salt meat.)
Ash Wednesday
Kids go around singing for people and get candy in return. Looks a little too much like Halloween for me. In fact, masks left over from Halloween in the States are sold here for Ash Wednesday.
Maundy Thursday
It's an official day off. Practically nobody has to work.
(Police, doctors etc. have to of course) Not much special is done besides going to church for comunion.Good Friday
Another day off
People go to church. Easter Sunday
Pretty traditional. People go to church. (Just so you don't get the wrong idea, we're pretty much like everywhere else in this respect. People go to church for Christmas and Easter and the churches are mostly empty in between.)
Easter Monday
The Monday after Easter is an official holliday. That makes 5 days in a row off work
First day of summer
The Thursday in the week from April 19 - April 25. There's all kinds of stuff for the kids. And it's (you guessed it) a day off work
May 1
Labour day. (No work. Are you starting to wonder how anything gets done in this country?)
Pentecost
Another reason to go to church for people who usually don't.
Pentecost Monday
The day after Pentecost is... YES! An official holliday
Pentecost weekend is the first big travel weekend of the year. Practically everyone goes out of town for the weekend.June 17
"National Day" (Independence day). We gained our independence from Denmark on June 17 1944. I think a lot of them still haven't forgiven us for declairing our independence in the middle of WWII. No work of course No fireworks like you're used to either since it's bright 24 hours a day this time of year.
Seafarers day
Labour day for everyone working at sea. It's the first Sunday in July. Usually plenty of stuff going on down at the harbor. Pillow fights are a lot more fun to watch when they're fought on a plank above the ocean.
Businessmans day
Uh.. bad translation but I don't know what else to call it. The first Monday in August. Labour day for people working in stores and offices. Yes. We have 3 labor days a year. Originally, they were for different groups of workers but today everyone gets off May 1 and Businessmens Day (except people working in stores who never seem to get a day off). Seafarers only get their day off which nobody else gets. This is the second big travel weekend of the year. Hardly anybody stays home.
National Day for the Westman Islands
The first Monday in august (the same as Businessmans Day) When independence was declared in 1944, a big celebration was held at Þingvellir (Parliament Plains, where the parliament was first held in 930 AD) and people from all over the country came except from the Westman Islands. They didn't hear about it untill it was too late so they have their own National Day in August. Young people go to the Westman Islands to camp out and get drunk. Residents of the Westman Islands go to the mainland to avoid them for the weekend.
Advent
People start decorating their homes for Christmas (those that didn't start decorating in October, that is). We have Advent wreaths with 4 candles and light one each Sunday in Advent.
St. Thorlaks Mass
Thorlak "the Holy" [font=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Thorhallsson[/font] is the only Icelander to be canonized by the Catholic church. Even though we became officially Lutheran in the 1550's, we still celebrate his day. Peopel eat special food, the details of which you really don't want to hear. (Some people. Not me! I won't come close to that stuff.)
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve is the main day in Iceland. Christmas "officially" starts at 6 PM with a big dinner and later the family gathers around the tree and opens presents.
Christmas day
Another big dinner but simpler than Christmas Eve. Usually "hangikjot" (smoked mutton) cooked the day before and eaten cold.
Second day of Christmas
Known in Cananda and the UK as Boxing Day (don't ask me why). An exra day off work in case Christmas is on a weekend (like this year).
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~Laurenda~ said:
Bruce Allen. He was one of the people instrumental in leading me to Christ. Through my first 2 years or so as a Christian, he tought me a lot. It was through him that I found other Christians to fellowship with. In fact, without him, I doubt that I'd be a christian today.Unfortunately I lost contact with him many years ago. Nobody has ever taken his place in my life.
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