From Ambassador (13 Santa Clauses??)
2021/12/14
December is a time with short periods of daylight and long nights, and as Christmas Day approaches more and more windows light up at people’s homes.
As you know, Christmas is strongly associated with Father Christmas, or Santa Clause.
It is a religiously important event for Christians to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. But for some reason, Santa Claus visits non-Christian families with presents, too.
He rides on a flying sleigh pulled by a group of reindeers led by Rudolph with a glowing red nose, appearing all over the world. He enters houses by coming down chimneys – but also knows a way to get into houses without a chimney. Such a mysterious guy. Nobody has spotted him entering a house but we know he has a majestic white beard, a big belly and wears red clothes that matches his red hat…The mystery deepens.
Having said that, this particular Santa Clause hasn’t visited Iceland for a long time. Some insist he visits them, but it seems that many people don’t believe that.
Instead, Icelandic children hear the story of a terrifying female troll named Grýla, who eats naughty kids, and her thirteen sons living in the mountains. The sons descend from their home in the mountains to the city, one by one until Christmas Eve, taking turns visiting houses. Unlike their mother they don’t eat children, but are notorious for wreaking mischief in households. However, through time, they have transformed and today they leave small gifts for good children and potatoes for naughty children in their shoes during the night.
These lads, who are called Jólasveinarnir in Icelandic, are not the original Father Christmas, but maybe because the role of giving out presents to children is similar, they are sometimes called "thirteen Santa Clauses". Nowadays, they even wear red clothes that match their red hats as well as white beard, just like the original Santa Clause.
It's that time of the year again when thirteen Santa Clauses visit children in Iceland.
I wish you a Merry Christmas! Have a lovely one!!
As you know, Christmas is strongly associated with Father Christmas, or Santa Clause.
It is a religiously important event for Christians to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. But for some reason, Santa Claus visits non-Christian families with presents, too.
He rides on a flying sleigh pulled by a group of reindeers led by Rudolph with a glowing red nose, appearing all over the world. He enters houses by coming down chimneys – but also knows a way to get into houses without a chimney. Such a mysterious guy. Nobody has spotted him entering a house but we know he has a majestic white beard, a big belly and wears red clothes that matches his red hat…The mystery deepens.
Having said that, this particular Santa Clause hasn’t visited Iceland for a long time. Some insist he visits them, but it seems that many people don’t believe that.
Instead, Icelandic children hear the story of a terrifying female troll named Grýla, who eats naughty kids, and her thirteen sons living in the mountains. The sons descend from their home in the mountains to the city, one by one until Christmas Eve, taking turns visiting houses. Unlike their mother they don’t eat children, but are notorious for wreaking mischief in households. However, through time, they have transformed and today they leave small gifts for good children and potatoes for naughty children in their shoes during the night.
These lads, who are called Jólasveinarnir in Icelandic, are not the original Father Christmas, but maybe because the role of giving out presents to children is similar, they are sometimes called "thirteen Santa Clauses". Nowadays, they even wear red clothes that match their red hats as well as white beard, just like the original Santa Clause.
It's that time of the year again when thirteen Santa Clauses visit children in Iceland.
I wish you a Merry Christmas! Have a lovely one!!