Six hundred tons: that
is the amount of fireworks that Icelanders purchase and legally ignite from
their yard, their porch, the roof, in the middle of the street and in the
middle of the crowd during the week long celebration of the New Year from
January 1st – 6th and the proceeds from the sales support
Iceland’s Search and Rescue teams across the nation. On New Year’s Eve and the week that follows
an Icelandic tradition says anything goes and no permission or permit from the
government is needed to light a massive bonfire or ignite a colossal explosion
of fireworks. It is truly s site to
see. The week of New Year’s is a time to
appease the natural world and to appease one’s inner soul. This seemingly modern tradition of
celebration dates back nearly a thousand years and has its roots in the belief
of Huldufólk.
Huldufólk are the little people of Iceland; little people,
meaning elves. They are miniature humans
with all the talents and aches and pains and wants and dreams as humans. They live and die; they face the same
realities that Icelanders do. There are
good elves and bad elves. They live in
houses and move when they need to and they bravely face the elements and meet all
the challenges one faces on this small and isolated island. Most importantly, however, Huldufólk are
successful and they survive. They
reflect the hopes and dreams of the Icelandic people.
Since the year 871, generations of Icelanders have lived,
worked, loved and lost on a land that is constantly and quickly changing and
forever unpredictable. Underfoot is an
earth that cracks open and oozes lava.
High above are mountain tops that spill glacial melt down the mountains,
flooding everything below. Volcanoes
explode and earthquakes shake the ground. The ocean wind with sleet, snow and
hail blows across the land and a winter’s night that lasts 20 hours can only
make a person dream and wonder about survival.
Every single Icelander can trace their ancestry to the
original Viking settlements. They know
where they come from. Isolated from the
rest of the world until recent history, they were on their own and they know
the dangers of life on a moving, growing and changing island. Icelanders are the descendants of those who
traveled in open boats across the north Atlantic to call this small island
home. Dreams give you the faith to
keep going and 55% of Icelanders believe in elves or some kind of spiritual
entity that lives amongst them and only 20% of Icelanders completely rule out
the possible existence of elves, dwarfs, light-fairies, trolls or “hidden
folk”. The Huldufólk are the heart of
the folklore of Iceland, which give Icelanders the strength and courage to
persevere.
The Huldufólk sometimes live along the lava rocks of ancient
lava flows, as do modern Icelanders and as recently as 2013, road construction
was halted due to the possibility of endangering the lives and damaging the
houses of the “little people”. According
to folklore, to have the Huldufólk live near you and to have the Huldufólk
acknowledge you is the highest compliment an Icelander can receive. If you are lucky enough to see and communicate
with the hidden people, you are special because only the good of heart and mind
are able to see the little people and this is the highest intellectual and spiritual
level that Icelandic can achieve; to love life and take joy in the beauty of a dangerous
and ever changing landscape.
New Year’s Eve is a good time to start “a new” and the Huldufólk
like to move during this time. The
tradition of lighting candles is meant to help the little people find their way
and encourage them to live near you for they will bring good luck throughout
the year. Bonfires are symbolic of
burning the old and giving way and opening up to new possibilities and the
regeneration of life. Light a candle and
light a bonfire to guide the little people and to guide yourself into the next
year, says Icelandic tradition.
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