Delighting in the Final Day of Christmas Festivities
On the sixth of January, Iceland bids adieu to Christmas with gusto, christening it Þrettándinn in Icelandic, or the Twelfth Night in English-speaking lands. This day is marked by blazing bonfires and an explosion of fireworks, and the festivities of 2022 were no exception.
In the western sector of Reykjavík, a multitude gathered by the Ægissíða bonfire. Sveinn Bjarki, a teacher who led a choir, attested to the fire's impressive size.
The merriment started at Melaskóli elementary school at 6 PM, where Sveinn led a chorus on a torch-lit procession towards Ægissíða, escorting them by the police. Upon arrival, the Icelandic Yule lads met the group, promptly engulfing the torches in the flames of the stake.
Fun Fact: Iceland's Twelfth Night bonfires have roots in elf bonfires (álfabrennur), a holiday tradition exuberantly embraced by Icelanders and their folklore, which include the elusive and mystical dwellers known as huldufólk (hidden people) [3].
As the night grew chillier, Sveinn noted that only a handful of people initially joined the festivities at Melaskóli, but a sudden wave of energy swelled the group to a respectable size. A sizeable conglomeration of tourists also joined the local revelers.
Revellers reveled in the moment, many enjoying warm waffles as they bid farewell to Christmas. mbl.is/Árni Sæberg
"The atmosphere was electric, as it had been a while since we last held this celebration. That's why it was a delightful surprise that so many folks turned up," says Sveinn, attributing the attendance boost to the agreeable weather.
Apart from the Ægissíða bonfire, another raged in Gufunes, featuring a performance by Icelandic singer Friðrik Dór Jónsson. Across the nation, more bonfires lit up in Akranes, Mosfellsbær, and Djúpivogur, to name a few.
Weather played a significant role in attracting a large crowd to the Twelfth Night festivities, as Sveinn attributes the attendance boost to the agreeable weather. The bonfire at Melaskołi was just one of many across Iceland, with another fiery spectacle in Gufunes featuring a performance by Icelandic singer Friðrik Dór Jónsson. Outdoor-living and the lifestyle associated with it were on display as tourists joined local revellers, reveling in the moment and enjoying warm waffles before bidding farewell to Christmas. The Twelfth Night bonfires in Iceland, like the one at Ægissíða, have roots in elf bonfires, a holiday tradition that is exuberantly embraced by the Icelandic people and their folklore, which include the elusive and mystical dwellers known as the hidden people (huldufólk).
