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Icelandic Traditions
Family NamesIn Iceland the whole family does not have the same family name.Everyone's family name is build on the first name of the father and son or daughter of.So if Jon (first name of a father) has a daughter, her family name would be Jonsdottir, daughter of Jon and if he has a son his family name would be Jonsson, son of Jon. Women do not change their name when they merry, they do not take up their husband's name.
Icelandic Santa ClausIceland has not one Santa Claus but 13. They are called "Jolasveinar" or "Yule Lads".The Yule Lads, are figures from Icelandic folklore who in modern times have become the Icelandic vector of Santa Claus. Their number has varied throughout the ages, but currently there are considered to be thirteen. The fist appears on the 13th of December and the last on the 24th of December. The Yule Lads were originally portrayed as beeing mischevious, or even criminal, pranksters that would steal from, or in other way harrass the population (at the time mostly rural farmers). They all had descriptive names that conveyed their modus operandi. The Yule Lads are traditionally said to be the sons of the mountain-dwelling trolls Grýla and Leppalúđi. Grýla, their mother, is ancient - her name is even mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's thirteenth century Edda. Grýla is said to wander down from the mountains in search of children that she puts in her sack. Grýla is definitely the dominant member in the relationship and generally considered more terrifying - even sometimes said to have hooves and a tail. Another prominent member of the family is the Yuletide Cat, a beast much feared by children. It was said that the cat would eat any child that didn't get a new article of clothing in time for Christmas. This belief lingers in the Icelandic language in the form a saying: "You don't want to go to the Yuletide Cat." In modern times the Yule Lads have taken on a more benevolent role as they slowly merge with Santa Claus. In some cases they have taken up his costume. Little children in Iceland place their shoes in the window for thirteen days prior to Christmas, and each night a little gift is left in the shoe from the Yule Lad that came down from the mountains that night. If the children are however naughty they get a potato instead of a gift. Th Yule Lads names and their dates:
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