Þrettándinn, 6th January 2014

Þrettándinn, 6th January, is a very special day in Iceland. Animals are supposed to speak, elven fireworks light up the sky and king and queen of hidden people join the local festivities. Fantasy world :)

Þrettándinn means 'the thirteen' in Icelandic but in fact it's a celebration of the Twelfth Night of Yule, the last day of Christmas in Icelandic tradition. Also it marks the last of the thirteen Yule Lads (little frollic 'santa clauses', descendants of trolls, as there is no old Santa Claus in red clothing in Iceland) returning to the mountains after Christmas. Supernatural things become natural on this day, elves and trolls come out to join the people. I wonder whether the seals taken on human form as it is said to be?

So nothing unusual that I've met on this day a friendly cat accompanied by a magic owl. And they started talking to me ;)


This is my photo album made today, it was quite sunny and extremely windy day. Because of the strong wind temperature outside   became for me like -10°C although it was at least 1 degree above zero! Freezing :)

© triskel, 101 Reykjvík, January 2014

http://www.flickr.com/photos/domi-skw/sets/72157639484875206/


And one more thing that surprised me these first days. Most of the sidewalks in the city are covered with a thick layer of ice, nobody is cleaning them! Only in some parts the pavements are clear. Today I could observe that somebody spilled the black sand on it to avoid slippery. (Yeah, the sand is black here :)) Is it a matter of the Yule Lads? :)))