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The Icelandic calendar has many public holidays, boasting no less than sixteen leisurely days a year. Read on for a complete guide to Icelandic holidays and the traditions surrounding them. In many cases, the author's copyright is explicitly recognized, but this is not always the case, and authors should review publishing agreements carefully. Sometimes authors are required, or strongly encouraged, to transfer their copyright to the publisher or an affiliated organization, such as a scholarly society. Such agreements typically grant the publisher the exclusive right to publish the work for the duration of the copyright term.
Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent, a Catholic tradition where observants fast for 40 days. The tradition of eating meat on this day may have originated from Mardi Gras, which in French means "Fat Tuesday" and involves the consumption of rich, fatty foods such as meat in preparation for Lent. Sprengidagur, or "Bursting Day," immediately follows Cream Bun Day and always falls on a Tuesday 7 weeks before Easter, so it can be anywhere between February 3rd and March 9th, depending on when Easter is.
- New Year's Day is a very important bank holiday in Iceland, as it would be cruel to force people to work after going all out celebrating the night before.
- Now based in downtown Reykjavík, I write about travel, music, culture, and local experiences while helping businesses communicate through clear, effective copywriting and marketing.
- In Icelandic, this day is called "Föstudagurinn langi", or "The Long Friday," which may refer to how the day feels long because there's nothing to do.
Every holiday mentioned in the previous list is a public holiday, meaning by law, employers and schools are required to give their employees or students a day off on that day. If you're not shooting off fireworks, it's a good idea to try to get to higher ground to marvel at this awesome display. As soon as Áramótaskaup finishes, the real fireworks show begins, reaching a feverish high point at midnight. It's an opportunity to share in festivities with neighbors and friends while keeping warm by the fire. New Year's Bonfires (Áramótabrennur) are lit all over the country and, following an age-old tradition of burning away the old year to welcome the new. Icelanders will enjoy a lavish multi-course meal with family before heading out to feel the warm glow of a bonfire.
Whit Sunday is a public holiday that commemorates the day when the Holy Spirit was revealed to the apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ. Schools and workplaces are closed, although restaurants and bars will be open in the center of Reykjavik. The first of these marches, however, took place all the way back in 1932 to protest the number of working hours in a week. This May Day tradition largely stems from the Cold War, when there was an active community of communist sympathizers within Iceland who adopted the custom from other left-leaning groups in mainland Europe. In Reykjavik, people take to the streets to demonstrate against misgivings they may have with the current state of affairs, and the procession is led by a brass band down the main shopping street, Laugavegur.
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A recreation of the flag supposedly used by Jørgen during his reign in Iceland. A great way to explore the country during this time is with the many available midnight sun tours in Iceland. While the midsummer festivals are much more prominent in Scandinavia than in Iceland, this day has a lot of Icelandic folklore surrounding it. However, this is also the time of midsummer, a celebration of the solstice. As Reykjavik is not really a hub of fishing anymore, while towns and villages around the country that still rely more heavily on the fishing industry for employment will celebrate this day more than the city folks in Reykjavik.
This tradition of neologism remains to this day in Iceland, though it can be hard to break through in the times of the internet. Iceland has strict laws regarding which days people are allowed to raise the Icelandic flag on their flag poles. This tradition, which started in the 18th century, is (sadly) mostly gone these days and is certainly a strange take on the tradition of marking a cross on people's foreheads with ash, which still remains in Catholicism. It also marks the beginning of the Þorri season, when Icelanders honor their ancestors by enjoying traditional Icelandic food of various kinds at dinner parties or company banquets, called Þorrablót.
Easter Sunday
Parents often give their children a summer gift on this day, an Icelandic tradition that is 400 years older than the custom of giving presents on Christmas. It is a great time to explore the country on various summer tours in Iceland. Before the Julian Calendar was adopted in Iceland during the mid-11th century, people counted the days using a lunar calendar with 13 months.
This festival features many of the most prominent musicians and bands in Iceland, with the highlight being a huge sing-along on a large hill featuring classic Icelandic pop and folk songs and a huge bonfire when the last song is over. Þjóðhátíð festival has been celebrated in the Westman Islands for over 100 years. It originated in 1894 when the merchants of all the major shops in Reykjavik offered to give their employees a day off to have fun. Commerce Day is a unique Icelandic holiday originally dedicated to the merchants of Iceland, though now it's a public holiday everyone can enjoy. It is also common for men, and especially women, to wear their national costume (if they have one) in public during this day to honor the nation's past. Every year, in each and every town and city around the country, a woman is chosen as the "Lady of the Mountain" for that year's National Day, wearing a distinctive costume that follows that role.
- Shortly after midnight, most bars open their doors, and some people go downtown for a good time, while some go to house parties around town lasting until the wee hours.
- Held annually since 2004, the festival features free concerts by Icelandic artists and has become a well-known cultural highlight of the holiday.
- During Lent, people used to fast for 40 days, the number of days Jesus spent fasting in the desert while enduring the temptation by Satan.
You can expect supermarkets and shops to be closed, but more bars and restaurants will be open than the night before. Some will use this day to indulge in festivities with extended family, attend large buffets at a relative's house, or host one themselves. The most famous of these festivals is called Þjóðhátíð, the "National Festival," and it is held on the picturesque Westman Islands. During this day, most workplaces are closed, and celebrations are held all over the country.
List of Public Bank Holidays in Iceland 2026
After the children read it out loud, older family members will usually be requested to explain these witticisms, as they can be quite cryptic for young minds. The eggs come in sizes numbered from 2 to 8, with the largest being enough to feed a family for a week. Easter Sunday commemorates the resurrection of Jesus and is a public holiday. Held annually since 2004, the festival features free concerts by Icelandic artists and has become a well-known cultural highlight of the holiday. In Icelandic, this day is called "Föstudagurinn langi", or "The Long Friday," which may refer to how the day feels long because there's nothing to do. These laws are observed to the degree that bars close at midnight on Maundy Thursday and do not open again until Good Friday is over, exactly 24 hours later.
Despite this generally quiet atmosphere, one notable exception is the Aldrei Fór Ég Suður music festival, which takes place in Isafjordur in the Westfjords over Good Friday and Easter weekend. A majority of locals can enjoy these days off in the embrace of family and friends, meaning that many businesses around the country are closed, though it may differ depending on which holiday it is. Best Aurora Forecast in IcelandGet real-time cloud cover, solar activity, and the best viewing spotsFind the Northern Lights This guide covers the famous Ring Road giants and the lesser-visited falls in remote canyons, with di…
Maybe it's because of the especially harsh circumstances of this day in 1918 that a tradition of celebrating it never quite took a foothold in Iceland. On this day in 1918, the current flag officially became the flag of Iceland, with its red cross with white borders on a blue field. This festival originated in 1995 when it was decided in the Icelandic parliament that the Icelandic language should be celebrated once a year with a special day. As of right now, the President of Iceland is Halla Tómasdóttir, whose birthday is on October 11th, making it a flag day in Iceland.
This strange tradition may be based on the Catholic liturgical part of the service of Lent, when the priest uses a wand to sprinkle holy water on the congregation… Another tradition that follows this day, which is mostly gone today, is that children would decorate sticks with colored paper and other things and sneak upon their parents and spank them while yelling, "Bolla, bolla, bolla!" In the few days preceding this Monday, bakeries all over the country start baking cream buns, traditionally filled with cream and jam, though many different kinds of buns are available as well.
- These events typically combine traditional Þorri food, live music, speeches, and social gatherings, alongside smaller private Þorrablót hosted by companies, clubs, and families.
- A unique Icelandic tradition following this day involves children hanging a small sack of ash (seen above) onto adults, unbeknownst to them.
- Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent, a Catholic tradition where observants fast for 40 days.
- This May Day tradition largely stems from the Cold War, when there was an active community of communist sympathizers within Iceland who adopted the custom from other left-leaning groups in mainland Europe.
While the religious connotations of this day are totally gone at this point, the tradition still remains to stuff yourself with food and treats. During Lent, people used to fast for 40 days, the number of days Jesus spent fasting in the desert while enduring the temptation by Satan. Traditionally, this day precedes the Christian tradition of Lent, usually observed within Catholicism, which Iceland belonged to until 1550 when it turned Protestant. It's the time of year when you start seeing items like ram's testicles, sheepshead's paté, blood sausage, and fermented shark appear on the shelves of supermarkets around the country. These events typically combine traditional Þorri food, live music, speeches, and social gatherings, alongside smaller private Þorrablót hosted by companies, clubs, and families. This day is sometimes directly translated as "Farmer's Day," but the word "bóndi" is an old word and used to simply mean "head of the household" (related to the English word husband), but it usually refers to farmers these days.
Small Group Silver Circle Tour in West Iceland from Reykjavik with Optional Activities
The ironic thing about this day is that while most people get the day off, people working in shops, to whom the day is supposed to be dedicated, usually have to work because it's such a big travel weekend. It's worth it to visit this charming island via Westman Islands tours outside of the time of the festival, when it's not full of people. From 1931 on, it was decided that this public holiday would fall on the first Monday of August, giving people a nice three-day weekend in summer. The Second Whitsun (Annar í hvítasunnu), also known as Pentecost Monday in some countries, is a true public holiday, giving people a nice three-day weekend.
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Maundy Thursday
Many swimming pools in Reykjavik are open on Maundy Thursday, and Icelanders love to spend their vacation time soaking in the hot pools and, sometimes, the sunshine. Just be sure to have your shopping finished as the shops won't be open until Saturday! This is also a popular day for young Icelanders to be confirmed into the National Church of Iceland, which is celebrated with their extended family with a large cake and plenty of presents. New Year's Day is a very important bank holiday in Iceland, as it would be cruel to force people to work after going all out celebrating the night before.
Whit Sunday, as the name indicates, always falls on a Sunday, which is already a non-working day for most people, making it a pretty insignificant public holiday as far as getting a day off work or school. Traditionally, all shops used to be closed on the 1st of January, and the city center of Reykjavik mostly resembled a ghost town. In this article, we will go over each public holiday on the Icelandic calendar and tell you about why it's celebrated, what traditions the day carries, and to what extent stores and restaurants are closed during that day. If you plan ahead, you can enjoy both the festivities and the everyday charm of Iceland, from swimming in geothermal pools during quiet holidays to joining crowds in Reykjavik’s spirited celebrations. But it’s also worth remembering that public holidays can affect opening hours and services across the country.
"Sumardagurinn fyrsti," or the First Day of Summer, has been a public holiday since 1971, but its history goes back much further to when Icelanders used the Old Norse calendar. Swimming pools are usually open, and some supermarkets will have limited opening hours. The Second Day of Easter, known as Easter Monday in English-speaking countries, is also a public holiday. In Reykjavik, bars open after midnight and only close in the early hours of the morning. In the afternoon, it's common to celebrate with a home-cooked meal, traditionally a roasted leg of lamb with all the trimmings.
Many bank holidays in Iceland are steeped in unique celebratory traditions, and the shared practice of these customs creates a strong feeling of community. You can visit the many celebrations in the countryside by renting a car in Iceland and driving there yourself, or explore the selection of culture tours available in Iceland for a https://www.leenkup.com/read-blog/170416_spilaviti-a-netinu-a-islandi-reglur-adgengi-og-throun-markadarins.html better insight. Make sure to book your hotel in Iceland ahead of time if you're planning to go during a popular holiday.
It always lands somewhere between January 19th and the 25th, and in 2026, it falls on Friday, January 23. Bóndadagur marks the first day of Þorri, one of the lunar months in the Old Norse calendar, and is a day for people to celebrate the most important men in their lives. The last Yule Lad to return home is Kertasníkir (Candle Beggar), who comes to town on Christmas Eve and usually gives children their most impressive gift of all the Yule Lads. However, the following holidays, while still celebrated, are not considered bank holidays in Iceland, and people are generally not given a day off during these days.
