FIRST DAY OF SUMMER
In Iceland summer has started today on the 23rd of April. Icelanders celebrate “Sumardagurinn fyrsti” the first day of summer and wish each other a “happy summer” (Gleðilegt sumar)!
Having a look outside the window it doesn’t look like summer at all, though. It has been very cold and snowing all day. But in fact, Icelanders think that’s boding well:
It was commonly regarded as a good omen if summer and winter “froze together,” i.e. if there was a frost on the night before the First Day of Summer. A dish of water was usually left out in a sheltered place, to show whether the temperature dropped below freezing. (Hálfdan Helgason: Icelandic roots, 2013)
In the old days, summer was considered as the first day of the year even and the year itself was divided in winter and summer only. Therefore, people used to count their ages in winters rather than in years.
Our spanish Guide Sandra celebrated the first day of summer by making a snow whale in front of the Ticket Center – and: shoveling snow for the first time in her life!
- Sarah
Our spanish guide Sandra celebrated "Sumardagurinn fyrsti” by making a snow whale.
"Mira que guay!" (Look, how great!) were Sandra's words when shoveling snow for the first time in her life.