Currently, Iceland is one of the most liberated countries on Earth. Instead of the Western principle of “Three dates, then sex,” it is popular there: “Sex first, names later.”
Back in the 19th century, writers and historians noted the unusual freedom of Icelandic sexual traditions against the background of other civilizations. Thus, in the short story “Paradise Regained” the Icelandic Nobel laureate Halldor Laxness writes [about the end of the 19th century]: “Love, as we understand it now, had not yet been brought to Iceland. People united without romance, according to the unwritten law of nature and in accordance with the German pietism of the Danish king. The word “love” was preserved in language, but, apparently, as a legacy of old, distant times, when it had some completely different meaning; perhaps it was applied to horses."
The above quote can be explained by the difficulty of survival, saying that in a harsh climate people are driven by efficiency, not emotions, however, to date the situation has not changed significantly. Love in the civilized sense - that is, to look for the “one” or “the one”, exchange phone numbers, meet, embarrassed, sit over a salad, discussing study or work, then another 2-3 years, and you can pompously announce your engagement on Facebook - this is It's harder to find in Iceland than snow in the south in summer.
“I can’t even imagine going on this crazy American date,” says Icelander Gemma, 29, who lives in Los Angeles. “What if it all goes wrong? I’d rather have sex first and see if there’s a connection before I invest.”
This instinctive denial of Gemma implicitly explains why the Icelandic norm is to meet a stranger, take him to an apartment, fuck himself stupid and only then decide whether to see each other again. Political views and life goals go to waste, the potential of future relationships is measured by sexual compatibility or the quality of sex. A real “date”, in the romantic American style, happens months after the first meeting - if sex throughout this time motivated people to meet casually and without commitment.
The basis of Icelandic culture casual sex- drink. Bars close at half past five in the morning - the Reykjavik Police Department seems to be strictly adhering to the principle of giving people the freedom to drink whenever they want. A typical “shot” happens well after midnight in one of the many such establishments - the assumption is that if you happen to be there at this time, then you are alone and looking for someone to have sex with. In fact, many Icelanders even see this as something of a courtship pattern.
“Here’s how it happens,” explains Gemma, “you get drunk, you dance, and then, without much conversation, you go for a walk. You just choose the one who kisses the best and head home. It is not customary to find out whether a person has a girlfriend or boyfriend - if you are looking, you have a reason. We can talk in the morning, if the hangover is not too severe,” she adds, “Breakfast is already a rarity, then everyone leaves. No expectations or desires beyond what is described.”
By the way, an important and compelling reason for such a widespread culture of casual sex in Iceland is that this country is the most feminist on Earth. This is not an exaggeration, but data from the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report, from 2016, according to which Iceland is among the countries in terms of the smallest gender gap.
In the same report, Iceland was also named first in many other categories of quality of life, such as trust in government, access to education, economic involvement and potential of the population, healthcare, and longevity.
For every student at the university, there are 1.7 female students. In parliament there are three men to two women. In 2010, Iceland became the first country to ban striptease, prostitution and lap dancing to show the world that women, and people in general, are not trafficked. And in 2015, the country became heavily involved in the FreeTheNipple movement, when angry feminists and feminists across Iceland flooded Twitter with calls for breasts to be desexualized, also in the fight for gender equality.
The entire Icelandic nation is convinced that men and women are equal players in the field of liberalized sex. Men are supposedly obsessed with sex, and women are obsessed with family, and this is supposedly confirmed by science? – No, the Icelanders haven’t heard about this, according to their beliefs, a woman is not only capable of loving and thirsting, but she can also ask for sex first, and clarify in bed exactly how she wants, but it’s a man’s duty to try to find these “subtleties” to satisfy.
“I have no idea why other countries don’t believe in women’s insatiability,” says Gemma. “Women are just like that. I know this because that's who I am! There's no shame in this. Men are simply scared of female sexuality. In Iceland we learn to drown out this fear by telling a man exactly what he can do and how - they like to find out “how things work for us”, they retain a sense of “power” over us through this, so they are not afraid. We ask for bed, what we want because we are in harmony with our sexuality. Partly because we have more sexual experience to know our needs, partly because we are learning what is pleasant and healthy for our bodies."
Plenty of research shows that women are just as eager for sex as men, maybe even more so. In the culture of most countries, these manifestations are suppressed - a woman cannot express even healthy impulses, due to the traditions of “condemning whores” and the cult of rape. On the northern island there are no such dangers, and the word “whore” in Lately generally takes on the meaning of a compliment.
“I don’t mind the slut reputation,” says Gemma. “In Iceland, being a slut means not pissing, being confident and satisfied with your body.”
What do they say about a person who slept with 14 people in a week without the slightest intention of finding out who they were outside of the bedroom? - we ask.
“Cool!” replies Gemma.
Despite all this, people in Iceland fall in love and get married, although less often than in the rest of the world. This is more typical for older Icelanders.
Gemma has had a couple of serious relationships with Icelanders, one of which ended in fatal heartbreak. Many of her friends also dated someone regularly. So it cannot be said that there are no emotions at all in Iceland. Just after sex. This is what Gemma says about the man who abandoned her, and who was a special master of “this business”:
“I fell in love with him because the sex was so passionate.”
The complete opposite of the American idea that “a man is one who works for a woman.”
Because women in Iceland are free both financially and sexually, perhaps also because some studies show women are less wired for monogamy - weddings are rare. In the usual case, Icelandic women date someone, have a child, raise him for several years, and only then does the question of marriage come up.
“In English there is a terrible synonym for divorce – ‘broken family,’” Icelander Bryndis Ásmundóttir tells CNN. “It implies that when people separate, something is left broken. Not so in Iceland. We live in a very small and protected space where women have many opportunities. So you can choose your path through life... We think that ringing is evil,” jokes Brindis.
Of course, there is a downside to the Icelandic sexual utopia. An insane amount of sex leads to insane STD risks. Iceland is a country that has been leading Europe in terms of chlamydia for ten years, so much so that this disease is even called “Hello, Reykjavik.”
Also, many Icelanders are lonely.
“Many of us fill our inner emptiness with fucking,” admits Gemma. “Courtship is not typical for us, but neither is the complete lack of emotional connection with our partner. Unfortunately, when we go into sex, we gradually forget how to establish this connection.”
Petur, Gemma's 30-year-old friend who has lived all his life in Iceland, agrees with a hint of depression: “You don't stop being lonely just because there's a body lying next to you. Sometimes I want consistency, but how can you take care of someone if you bring your girlfriend from the bar in the evening, and in the morning she’s gone?”
Of course, it's not all bad. Petur adds: “Not everyone is lonely, of course. Our culture is full of entertainment, and I strongly support its openness. Yes, it’s difficult to find a permanent girlfriend, but when no one expects you to have one, then you don’t perceive it as a flaw. You are a normal member of society."
Not all Icelanders are into free sex, although among young people the majority are.
Joanna, a 35-year-old Icelander, is one of them.
“Petur’s complaints that he has “spent his potential” sound to me like a hint that he is a goat himself, and not something a woman would want to deal with,” and this seems to emphasize that not everything in the country is smooth. with the adoption of the trend.
“Yes, we are more sexually liberated, but that doesn’t mean Iceland is a good place to come and have sex with her. We don't want people coming here on sex holidays,” Joanna adds.
We tell you how to “freeze” your youth, the benefits of shark oil and volcanic lava, what jökull is and why beauty contests are banned in Iceland.
"No" bikini
Icelandic girls, like most women in Scandinavian countries, age late - all thanks to the climate. Regular cold really prevents the appearance of deep wrinkles, which are typical for residents of hot countries. Taking into account the fact that in Iceland, even in summer, the temperature rarely rises above 10 degrees, girls do not have to lose much weight: they do not wear skimpy bikinis often. Icelandic women feel quite sexy in woolen sweaters.
Natural cryotherapy
The island's residents owe their beautiful skin to natural cryotherapy. True, strong icy winds can harm the skin if not protected. Therefore, fatty creams and consistencies are found in every girl’s cosmetic bag.
Light and airy fluids and flowing serums are almost never supplied to Icelandic stores - there is no demand. The most popular is the Icelandic national product Shark Cream, that is, cream made from shark oil. It not only protects the skin from frost, but also heals, soothes, and tones it.
Blue Lagoon
Iceland is a stunning place with pristine nature, incredible cliffs and a huge number of geothermal healing springs. The most famous is the natural pool called the Blue Lagoon. It is distinguished by a rich azure-milky color and thermal water of 36.6 ° C. Naturally, Icelanders have a cult of water, they are not averse to everything free time spend in hot springs.
Tourists are usually confused by the fact that Icelanders drink water straight from the tap. The fact is that it undergoes complete purification, but is still taken from thermal springs, and therefore has a characteristic smell of hydrogen sulfide. But Icelanders firmly believe in the benefits of their water.
Take care of your nerves!
Icelandic women are perhaps the calmest girls, but also some of the happiest. Let the world be obsessed with plastic surgery, beauty injections, losing weight and going to psychoanalysts.
Icelandic girls believe that these complexes are a manifestation of self-dislike. They accept themselves as they are. Icelanders are tolerant: in 2011 they refused to hold the national Miss Iceland competition, considering it to be discrimination. Perhaps that is why they look better: in their lives there are no stresses or complexes based on their appearance.
Always in moving
In Iceland there are strong, tall girls with mostly blond hair and full lips. Interestingly, they cannot imagine life without sports: cycling, rock climbing, rafting, swimming, horse riding, handball, golf - all this in the fresh air among the beautiful Icelandic landscapes.
Jökull and volcanic lava
Icelanders “the richer they are, the happier they are.” Women support domestic producers by choosing cosmetic products made from volcanic lava, shark oil and jökull - as Icelanders call water obtained from an iceberg.
Melt water, like lava, becomes a component for scrubs and toners. By the way, despite the constant cold, creams with SPF are also a must-buy here: snow reflects the sun and enhances its effect on the skin.
A country of active volcanoes, hot springs and geysers, Iceland will captivate you with its unique natural beauty. This island-state is lost in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean near the Arctic Circle. It attracts tourists from all over the world with its natural attractions that cannot be seen anywhere else in the world.
(Total 15 photos)
1. In Iceland there is practically no such thing as a surname; They are mainly owned by citizens of foreign origin (10% of the population). The analogues of a surname are patronym (a form derived from the father's name) or matronym (a form derived from the mother's name) with the prefix son for men and dóttir for women. For example, Bjork Gudmundsdottir (daughter of Gudmund) is a famous Icelandic singer and composer. In rare cases, a combination of patronym and matronym occurs. (Ben Husmann)
2. Crime in Iceland is practically zero. The police here don't bother to carry weapons, and mothers leave strollers with their children right on the street. So don’t be surprised if you see babies sleeping in strollers near cafes or shops. (Sveinn Joelsson)
3. Locals prefer to leave their babies outside so they can sleep and breathe peacefully. fresh air. (Cassiano Rabelo)
4. The Icelandic Parliament is the oldest in Europe. For the first time, the so-called Althing (from the Spanish word “general meeting”) took place in 930 on the territory of the modern Thingvellir National Park, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Meetings here continued until 1798. (Joe Michaels)
5. Now the building of the Althing of Iceland is located in Reykjavik. It is a unicameral parliament consisting of 63 deputies. (Sergio Morchon)
6. Iceland is a country with a unique landscape. This is a volcanic plateau with peaks up to 2 km, hot springs, active volcanoes, geysers; 11.8 thousand km² of total area 103 thousand km² is covered with glaciers. (Vincent Moschetti)
7. Despite the photos mountain peaks Iceland, which you may have seen, the country actually does not have a single full-fledged mountain. If you look closely at the photographs, you will notice that almost all the mountains and hills have a flat top, because they, like their valleys, appeared thanks to glaciers. Iceland was literally carved by glaciers, which formed deep valleys and high mountain ranges. The country is also home to many volcanoes, which an uninformed observer might confuse with mountains. (Trey Ratcliff)
8. Iceland is one of the most environmentally friendly countries in the world. It is full of volcanoes, allowing local residents to harness geothermal energy. Plus, Icelanders can also use abundant waterways as energy sources. The country burns virtually no fossil fuels. (fridgeirsson)
9. Iceland is one of two places on the planet where you can observe the divergence of plates (North American and Eurasian) not only under water, but also on the surface. Every year the gap between them increases by approximately 2 cm. Also in the area of the northern coast of the country, divers have the opportunity to swim in the place of their fault. (Diueine Monteiro)
10. From 1915 to 1989, prohibition was in force in Iceland; however, for the last 54 years it has applied only to beer. Therefore, after the ban was lifted, beer gained unprecedented popularity in the country. Beer Day is celebrated annually on March 1st. As part of the celebration, Icelanders consume huge quantities of this drink. It is also worth noting that beer can only be purchased at government liquor stores. Independent sellers are prohibited from selling alcohol in the country. (Didier Baertschiger)
11. In addition to beer, Icelanders are partial to sauces and gravies, which are added to almost all dishes. (Chris Zielecki)
12. No matter what the temperature outside, Icelanders barbecue. The grill here is not hidden in a closet even in winter; it is used all year round. And of course, grilled foods will be generously topped with your favorite sauces or gravies. (Mike)
14. Pause and talk out loud. You spoke while exhaling, right? Another thing that distinguishes Icelanders is that they pronounce some words and even entire phrases not while exhaling, but while inhaling. This is typical of other Northern European languages. (Trey Ratcliff)
1. Iceland is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world, with about 320 thousand people living here, and before the Second World War the population of the country was only 50 thousand.
2. Since everyone in Iceland knows each other, when a couple separates or divorces, they always try to maintain good relations. Cases when an ex-boyfriend does not communicate with an ex-girlfriend or ex-spouses do not talk to each other are extremely rare, because in any case, they have almost all of their friends and acquaintances in common.
Icelandic women and Icelandic girls are amazing. I get asked this question quite often: what are Icelandic women? People all over the world have often heard about the strong and independent Icelandic women. Quite often they have also heard about sexy and beautiful Icelandic women - there always seems to be quite a lot of foreign men who just hear the words "beautiful Icelandic women" which they automatically translate to "sexy Icelandic women" but don seem to listen when they appear words like “strong, independent and feminist Icelandic women.”
3. Instead of surnames in Iceland there are patronymics, that is, an analogue of our patronymic. The particle “son” (that is, son) or “dottir” (if this is a daughter) is added to the father’s name, which results, for example, Silia Palmarsdottir, that is, Silia is the daughter of Palmars.
4. In the event that the father for some reason does not recognize the child, the son or daughter receives a matronym as a surname, that is, the same patronymic, but after the mother’s name.
Or at least that's what they indicate. Singer Nanna Brines from Monsters and Men is a great role model. Some time ago I was interviewed by a girl from Kenya who wanted to know more about Icelandic women and what they are like - and why exactly they are so strong and independent. What is it about Icelandic society that allows this equality to grow and flourish?
Icelandic women in international media
I wonder, however, why these two women were thrown into the international spotlight, one to show off their breasts and the other to abandon a competition based on a woman's physical beauty. Is that all the world cares about? Nudity and beauty? This is what the Icelandic news covers.
5. Since everyone in Reykjavik knows each other, house doors are often left unlocked, car keys are thrown in cars, and children in strollers are left unattended at the entrance to a cafe, bar or store.
6. In Reykjavik, it is considered normal to go out to the nearest grocery store in your pajamas.
Very few international media articles have mentioned that Miss Iceland is a member of the national track and field team, none of them have mentioned that she is a "pole vaulter". No one mentioned anything about what she was doing. They all just focused on her beauty and her ridiculous body, shameful.
Nobody criticized beauty pageants themselves. In Iceland, people were proud of her for leaving, but she also opened up a discussion about why colorful pageants still exist in modern society. However, beauty pageants do not help relieve this pressure. Another piece of international news about Iceland that should have received the most attention was the thousands of Icelandic women who left work early to protest the wage gap between men and women.
7. Residents of Reykjavik almost always pay for purchases with bank cards, even if they order coffee at a bar. Cash payments are not accepted here.
8. Icelanders are sure that blowing your nose is harmful to health, so in winter everyone here sniffles, that is, sorry, they suck in the snot.
9. But spitting, on the contrary, is not considered indecent; even girls spit on the street and in public places without any problems.
This happened on the same day that Miss Iceland left the beauty pageant, but it appears that Miss Iceland received a lot more media coverage. The country has reached a dead end. When videos are made similar topics, which are posted below, they all make Iceland look like a fairyland where women have already achieved equality in Iceland. They often highlight how Iceland is slowly but certainly closing the pay gap.
This means that Icelandic women will not receive equal pay to men for the next 52 years. Change takes time, but of course there is no need to spend so much time on such a basic issue. There are a number of notable Icelandic women who are doing amazing things to promote equality, either by actively fighting for it or simply by being strong and powerful and good role models.
10. In fact, in Iceland in winter it is not as cold as we used to think; the temperature here rarely drops below - 6 degrees.
11. But in winter it is dark in Iceland, December 21 - on the shortest day of the year, dawn comes at 10.30, and the sun sets at 16.00. In summer, long nights are replaced by long days, compared to which white nights in St. Petersburg are simply nothing; in June in Iceland the sun sets for only a couple of hours.
Significant pros and cons of migration
Vigdi Finnbogadottir is the first female president of Iceland. She is loved and respected by everyone in Iceland. The country will take a huge step towards women's equality, no matter how it handles this position. At least little girls and grown women will know that it is possible to become president.
I hardly need to introduce Björk, she is very famous all over the world. She has influenced artists all over the world and has complete creative control over all her work. She definitely paved the way for other influential female artists from Iceland, such as Emiliana Torrini and Nanna Brindin Hilmarsdottir from Monsters and Men.
12. The lack of sunlight in winter is compensated to some extent by the northern lights; they can be observed constantly, so after a couple of weeks you no longer pay attention to them.
13.
Since the sun does not shine in Iceland in winter, all residents of the country, in order to avoid rickets and other unpleasant diseases, are required to take fish oil, but not in liquid form, but in tasteless capsules.
14.
Almost all Icelandic residents have profiles on Facebook; according to the latest data, Iceland is an active country on the social network.
They showed few Icelandic girls that women can be successful rappers - without having to take off all their clothes in their music videos. A great example of how they combat this is by citing the number of Icelandic girls and women who participate each year and what happened a few years ago.
In all this talk about how strong and independent Icelandic women are, men tend to get forgotten. But Iceland would not be the most equal country in the world if men did not want equality, thereby making it increasingly easier to strive for it together. Icelandic men are supportive and respectful. If something needs to be done, they expect women to be able to do it as well as they can.
15. Even if a resident of Iceland for some reason does not have a Facebook profile, he can still be easily found online. All residents of the country, of their own free will, register on the website www.ja.is, where they indicate their first and last name, telephone number, address and place on the map where their home is located.
It is also very rare for Icelandic men to close their doors to women or even offer to pay for drinks - they usually expect women to be able to open their doors and pay for their drinks. We learn from our mothers and fathers and grandparents. She had just started her own company and couldn't afford to rest.
Always in moving
Plus, as her own boss, she was already helping close the pay gap on her own terms. You don't always have to do the same thing as everyone else to be part of this change. Change happens in small doses, but someone has to be the one to start it. And you can help him in many ways. If you don't want to organize meetings or negotiate, you can write messages or blogs or share positive articles. No matter whether you are a man or a woman.
16. In Iceland, if a person is well disposed toward you, he demonstrates this by touching you every now and then.
17. There are an order of magnitude more blondes in Iceland than brunettes, so local women like to dye their hair a darker shade.
18. In order to spend the night with an Icelandic girl, long courtship is not required; most Icelandic women are, as they say, easy going, which is also why Italians and Spaniards love to come to Reykjavik.
Economic situation in the region
And hopefully one day all people will be treated equally, no matter what they look like, where they come from or what gender they are - and children will read about unequal pay in school books and find it baffling because the fact that women were not allowed to ride bicycles - just earlier this year he was unhappy that women were riding bicycles in Iran.
We still have a long way to go. A description of Iceland's "country feel" and what it means to you when it comes to women. This is why you should visit Reykjavik rather than worry about other cities The type of accommodation and materials you'll need to maximize your chances of getting romance How to do Iceland on the cheap Low drinking culture: most common liquors, typical prices and Icelandic drinking customs. Important tips about visiting the year so you don't arrive when it's dead. . Most of the book is dedicated to women.
19. Icelanders are very tolerant, a gay pride parade is regularly held in Reykjavik, homosexual marriages have been allowed here since 2010, and the percentage of bisexuals in the country is very high.
20 . The most popular professions in Iceland are artist, musician or designer. Every second bartender or waiter is trying to get an education in a creative profession, and at the same time plays in some rock or folk band.
Icelandic nightlife is arguably the best in the whole world
How to deal with the skeptical, non-flirty, shy and feminist nature of an Icelandic girl. The two qualities Icelandic girls use to choose a man for an instant romance A detailed breakdown of the five types of Icelandic girls and who most wants to meet a foreigner. How many approaches are you likely to have to make to have an affair with an Icelandic girl. How to arrange to meet girls on Iceland's largest dating site before you even arrive. How to convince the Icelandic girls you keep bumping into on Notes about how you will be perceived based on your race. A depressing description of an Icelandic guy's game that should make you feel better about yourself. What type of clothing for packaging, for which it turns out to be one of the most stylish countries in the world. Stories: six short stories from my time in Iceland guides: details about the capital.
- Description of the appearance, shape and size of the Islamic figure, character and vibration.
- Welcome to Iceland: country history and logistics.
- Girls: how they look and act.
- Game: How to effectively meet local women.
21. For the reason described above, the services of designers, for example, in order to come up with an apartment design or wedding dress, no one uses it here. Residents of Iceland are sure that each of them is their own artist, so they prefer to come up with both the interior of the apartment and the design of the dress themselves.
22. Repairs in apartments are also done mainly with their own hands, without hiring workers.
Read Iceland explosion without risk today
Another problem that Roush faced was that, having walked through the country blind, he was seen and treated as an outsider, and they are all about the social circle. The paperback is also available for a few more dollars. After submitting your credit card payment, you will be immediately sent to the book download page.
A 15-year-old Icelandic girl has been given the right to legally use the name given to her by her mother, despite opposition from authorities. On Thursday, the court ruled that the name "Blair" can be used. It means "light breeze". The decision overturns early deviation by Icelandic authorities, who stated that it was not a proper girl's name. So far, Blair Bjarkardottir has been identified simply as "Girl" in communications with officials.
23. Icelanders are crazy about Eurovision, the competition for young performers is taken very seriously here, and during the live broadcast the whole country follows what is happening on TV.
24. There are no McDonald's restaurants in Iceland; the last one closed in 2008 during the crisis.
The Reykjavik District Court ruled on Thursday that the name "Blaer" can be used. Finally, I will have Blair's name on my passport. Like several other countries, including Germany and Denmark, Iceland has official rules about what a baby can be named.
Blair's mother, Björk Eidsdóttir, fought for the name to be recognized. The court decision means other girls are also allowed to use the name in Iceland. In an interview earlier this year, Eidsdottir said she didn't know "Blair" was not on the list of accepted girl names when she gave it to her daughter. The name was rejected because the panel viewed it as a masculine name, which was inappropriate for a girl.
25. The most popular names in Iceland: male - Jon and female - Guvrun. Old mythological names are also still common, such as aðalsteinn, which means "main stone".
26. Icelanders, like Russians, like to use in everyday life not full, but abbreviated versions of names, so David in the diminutive Icelandic version will be Dabby, Guvrun - Gunna, Stefan - Steppie, Jon - Nonny, etc.
The court found, based on testimony and other evidence, that the name could be used by both men and women, and that Blair had a right to her name under the Icelandic constitution and human rights conventions in Europe. He rejected the government's argument that her request should be denied protection for the Icelandic language.
Blaer told the court that she was very happy with her name and had problems with it when she dealt with government agencies who rejected her. The court did not grant her any damages. The government has not indicated whether it will appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.
27. The language of Iceland has remained virtually unchanged over the past 1,000 years, so it contains letters that have disappeared from English, plus the inhabitants of the country can read the ancient Viking sagas in the original without any problems.
28. The local population generally loves to read; today, according to some sources, Icelanders are the most reading people in the world.
29. The cost of wine in Iceland is often influenced not by the year of its production or quality, but by strength. Thus, an expensive but light French wine can cost several times less than a 15-degree babble.
30. Iceland has no armed forces; their functions are performed to some extent by the coast guard.
31. Police officers in Iceland do not carry weapons and are not issued pistols.
32. Residents of Reykjavik, for the most part, are terrible at parking, and can abandon their car right across the street. The presence of tow trucks and fines for parking in the wrong place are of little help.
33. Icelanders try to use only renewable energy sources; gas and gasoline are used here only to fuel cars and boats, and this is because electric cars have not taken root in the country.
34. There is no need to pay for water in restaurants and cafes; it is still poured from the tap. This is local water, and therefore it is absolutely suitable for drinking.
35. But hot tap water in Iceland smells like rotten eggs. The fact is that it also enters the water supply system directly from hot thermal springs, and they are rich in hydrogen sulfide.
36. Taking a hot thermal bath is a popular evening activity in Reykjavik; the cost of visiting when purchasing a subscription is about 5 euros.
37. In the houses of Iceland, as in Russia, there is a central heating system, which distinguishes the country favorably from Italy or France, where you have to pay for each time you turn on the heater.
38. Until the seventies of the twentieth century, Icelandic legislation allowed residents of the country to kill Turks with impunity. This is due to the fact that in the past, Turkish pirates often robbed Icelandic ships and coastal villages.
39. To this day, Icelandic legislation allows residents of the country to kill polar bears for food.
40. Liquorice is very popular in Iceland; it is added to any dish, plus they produce chocolates filled with licorice.
41. The national dish of Iceland is hakarl - rotten Greenland shark meat cut into small pieces. If you don’t chew it and just swallow it, it’s still quite edible, but if you chew the meat, you’ll feel the “magical” taste of urea. The fact is that the Greenland shark does not have a urinary tract and its meat contains poisonous ammonia. In order for the meat to be eaten, it is left to rot underground or in a basement for three months. The creators of The Simpsons mocked the taste of this dish in one of the episodes of the animated series.
42. In Iceland they eat mainly fish, and all dishes are topped with mayonnaise, mustard and ketchup, after which the real taste of the fish may not be recognized.
43. Most Icelanders have very bad teeth, and Iceland is one of the main sugar-consuming countries, and they also love Coca-Cola.
44. Most Icelanders still believe in elves and trolls, which makes it difficult to build a house or a road. Before starting construction, local “witches” are consulted to determine whether this or that stone can be moved, or whether an elf lives under it. Sometimes, in order not to “offend” the elf and move the stone, Icelanders have to perform magical rituals, for example, keeping the stone in honey for some time.
45. 2,148 people in Iceland adhere to the pagan teachings of the Ásatrú Association, which is based on the revival of Icelandic and Norwegian pagan beliefs. This religion is officially accepted, and its ministers can perform a wedding ceremony, which is equivalent to traditional marriage registration.
46. In addition to the well-known Santa Claus, there are 15 other types of Santa Claus in Iceland, by and large they are all elves, in whom the locals believe.
47. Every major store in Reykjavik has a children's playground.
48. All Icelanders wear lopapeysa - a knitted sheep's wool jacket with a characteristic national pattern. You could say this is the same example national costume, which has not disappeared over time.
Typical Icelandic appearance? How are Icelandic women different? How to get $10,000?
I took these screenshots three months ago for a Telegram chat dedicated to Iceland (https://t.me/epiciceland). Since then, while scrolling through photos on my phone, I sometimes come across them and tell myself that it’s time to add a publication to the site about Icelandic girls. It looks like the time has come.
I’ll say right away that I don’t want to offend anyone with my opinion and I don’t pretend to be objective. This post will be my subjective attempt to answer a question that is often asked about Iceland - “ What do girls look like in Iceland?”.
I tried to find and select several photographs with the most typical “Icelandic” appearance.
Yes, in most cases they are blondes with blue eyes. When compared with other nations, the average Icelandic woman (and man too) is much larger than representatives of other nations. No, I'm not saying that they are full, they are just large. That is, a girl can have a beautiful, proportional figure, but she will have a lot of “everything”. Features of the northern peoples.
This “northernness” is also noticeable in communication. After hot, southern countries, where all the locals simply sparkle with cordiality and goodwill, Icelandic indifferent and cold glances act as a contrast shower. I don’t know what affects them so much, but even in the simplest everyday situations, like going to the supermarket, such detachment creeps in that it becomes uncomfortable.
I am familiar with the family life of Iceland only from the stories of local residents, and therefore I cannot say anything, but by and large, it seems that Icelandic women are not at all against doing housework and “following” men, taking a passive position. Perhaps this is why there are VERY many single young mothers in Iceland (by the way, they also give birth VERY early here) and VERY many Icelandic men marry women from other countries (my respondent was from just such a family). Not long ago, there was even a joke on the Internet that the Icelandic government was ready to pay $10,000 to any man who married an Icelandic woman. The joke was so plausible that it was even picked up by several news sites, but in the end it turned out to be a fake :)
Of course, the main heroes of EURO 2016 were the players of the Icelandic national team, who managed to snatch victory from the English national team, and, perhaps, this is the only team at the Championship that is warmly regarded by fans from all over the world. Today we are publishing a selection of 30 interesting facts about what kind of country Iceland is and what kind of people live there.
1. Iceland is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world, with a population of just over 320 thousand people, and before the Second World War the population of the island was only 50 thousand people. About 30 thousand fans came to the European Football Championship, that is, approximately 10 percent of the country's population.
2. If you noticed, all the names of the Icelandic National Team players are similar, they end in “son”. The whole point here is that in Iceland patronymics are used instead of surnames; in fact, this is an analogue of our patronymic name. For boys, the particle “son” (son) is added to the father’s name; for girls, “dottir” (daughter). Thus, for example, if there are two children of different sexes in a family, then they will have different “surnames”, for example, the girl Palmarsdottir, that is, the daughter of Palmars and the son Palmarsson, that is, the son of Palmars. In 1925, Iceland even passed a special law prohibiting citizens of the country from acquiring surnames in the classical sense. By the way, if the father for some reason does not recognize the child, then the son or daughter receives a matronym as a surname, that is, the same patronymic, but after the mother’s name.
In the photo: Icelandic wedding
3. However, this does not mean that Icelanders do not strive to preserve the surname at all, they simply do it in a unique way, some give their children the same names after a generation, that is, they name the child after their grandfather or grandmother, so that, so to speak, they can trace the line kind.
4. The classic names of Icelanders are well known to many of us, because we met them in the ancient Scandinavian sagas. Yes, Ragnar, Sigur or Aðalsteinn, which means "main stone", are the same normal human names in Iceland as Ivan, Dmitry or Alexander in Russia. The most popular names in Iceland are: male - Jon and female - Gudrun.
5. In Iceland, in everyday life, especially long and complex names are abbreviated, for example, a young man named Aðalsteinn can be called simply Ali, Guvrun - Gunna, Stefan - Steppie, Jon - Nonny, and so on.
6. Until recently, it was generally accepted that Icelanders are descendants of Vikings from Norway and Sweden, but recent genetic examination has established that the genes of the Irish, who existed as slaves in Iceland in ancient times, prevail in the gene pool of modern Icelanders. On the other hand, this fits perfectly with the local belief that the Icelandic Vikings stole everyone from England and Ireland beautiful women for the purpose of love affairs, and for reproduction.
In the photo: panorama of Reykjavik
7. The Icelandic language, due to the long-term isolation of the island from the rest of the world, has evolved very little compared to other Scandinavian languages, that is, the percentage of words borrowed from other languages is extremely small. Because of this, Icelandic is very close to the very language of the northern peoples, in which the Vikings communicated in ancient times, and Icelanders can read the ancient sagas, as they say, without straining.
8. Icelandic household sagas, unlike other works of folk art, are a dry listing of facts, which is why it is sometimes quite difficult for a modern reader to perceive them. That is, in the sagas there is no description of the heroes’ feelings or experiences, only a meticulous listing of events: went there, conquered such and such, married so and so, killed so and so, was killed by so and so. In this case, much attention is paid to where exactly this or that event occurred and in what period of time it happened. Previously, largely due to the meticulous manner of presentation and the lack of an emotional component in the descriptions, many researchers considered Icelandic household sagas to be historical documents that did not require careful verification and historical reconstruction, but now the sagas are still perceived by scientists, rather, as works of art, and the facts stated in them are subject to verification.
Pictured: Hallgrimskirkja Church in Reykjavik
9. Another reflection of this feature of national thinking is the names of geographical objects. In fact, complex and multi-stage words are simply a definition of the place in question. Thus, Reykjavik means “smoking bay”, the name of the city Kopavogur stands for “young seal bay”, and the difficult-to-pronounce name of the famous Eyjafjallajökull volcano means “Island of Mountain Glaciers”.
10. At the same time, 90 percent of the country's population speaks English fluently. The following fact is no less interesting: in order to find a job in Iceland, a foreigner does not need knowledge of the Icelandic language - fluent English is more than enough. For this reason, many immigrants to Iceland do not speak Icelandic even after 10 years of living in the country; They have more than enough English for both life and work. Another interesting thing is that if a citizen of another country has lived in Iceland for 6 years, he can apply for Icelandic citizenship and receive it without any problems.
In the photo: the priest of the Ásatrúarfélagið church and his follower
11. Also because very few people live in Iceland, there is practically no crime here. As a result, young mothers, for example, easily leave their babies sleeping in strollers on the streets of Reykjavik, while they go with their girlfriends to drink coffee in a cafe, car keys are often thrown in cars, and the Reykjavik prison is empty, and sometimes tourists even spend the night there, not managed to find a room in a hotel. In addition, police officers in Iceland do not carry weapons, and Iceland does not have a military force; their functions are to some extent performed by the coast guard.
12. Today in Iceland, the neo-pagan religion Ásatrúarfélagið, which is a slightly modernized cult of the Scandinavian gods, is very popular. Priests of the Ásatrúarfélagið are allowed, for example, to perform wedding ceremonies; it is considered an official procedure in the country, while clergy can also marry homosexual couples.
Today, 2,400 people officially count themselves among the followers of the Ásatrúarfélagið cult, and even now a large-scale construction of a full-fledged temple of the Scandinavian gods is underway in Iceland, this will be the first such structure since the times of the Vikings.
In the photo: stones in which, according to legend, spirits live
13. The traditional date for the adoption of Christianity in Iceland is the year 1000, which is curious, after that Icelandic Christianity developed without the close supervision of Rome, as a result, the Icelanders retained their ancient beliefs and traditions. For example, people here still believe in trolls (giants) or Hidden Residents (elves). Elves are huldufouls, these are creatures that live in round stones of a certain type; mere mortals cannot see them, except in those cases when the spirits themselves decide to show themselves to people.
The presence of such a stone, for example, at the construction site of a road or house, can cause problems, because huldufoulks should not be disturbed unless absolutely necessary. Therefore, before moving the stone, it is recommended to perform magical manipulations on it.
In the photo: evil spirits Yule Lad
14. Christmas in Icelandic will be Yule, that is, it is a direct copy of the word “Yule” - the ancient holiday of the winter solstice among the Germanic peoples, so it is not surprising that Santa Claus is an unpopular character here. Here Yule Lad work for him at Christmas, but they don’t give gifts to children; on the contrary, the heroes of folklore are the evil spirits of winter. There are fifteen spirits, and they come from the very Hidden inhabitants of the huldufoulks. The spirits come to the cities strictly on schedule; the first to descend from the mountains on December 12 are Gryla and Leppaludi - the mother and father of thirteen Yule Lad. In this case, dad is a lazy and overweight male spirit, and his wife is an evil old woman, an analogue of the Russian Baba Yaga, by the way, she also has a stick. Following the parents, one after another, their children come to the cities - the evil spirits of Yule.
Each of the spirits, according to beliefs, engages in sabotage according to their strength and capabilities: one steals dishes, another blows out candles in houses, a third steals sausages, a fourth licks milk supplies, a fifth tangles the wool of sheep, in a word, everyone is at work. The spirits are accompanied by the evil cat Yolokotturin; according to legend, she steals small children and eats them. Yule Lad figurines in Reykjavik can be seen on every corner on the eve of Christmas, their images are also pasted on Icelandair planes, and projections of them are broadcast onto store windows and house facades.
15. It is believed that the national dish of Iceland is hakarl - rotten Greenland shark meat cut into small pieces. The Greenland shark does not have a urinary tract, its meat contains poisonous ammonia, therefore, in order for the meat to become edible, it is left to rot underground or in a basement for three months. Haukarl tastes (and smells) like pure urea, which is how it usually stinks in some dirty public toilet. So, in fact, modern Icelanders almost never eat hakarl - this is entertainment for tourists, many of the locals have never tried this disgusting thing, as they say, one smell was enough to fully understand the scale of the disaster.
16. But fried bird breast is a dead end, on the contrary, a popular local dish, a kind of delicacy. Puffins are caught in the summer, when they fly to the island to nest, puffin meat is very tasty, but I really feel sorry for the bird, look how cute they are, they even know how to kiss! In a word, he ate and cried, ate and cried.
It is also shocking to many that in Iceland they eat whales; by the way, they taste like steak. But, according to Icelandic fishermen, if the whale population is not thinned out, they multiply very quickly and then eat all the commercial fish. Iceland regularly violates whale slaughter quotas, and animal rights activists and the whole of Europe are regularly unhappy with this.
In the photo: the national Icelandic dish Plokkfiskur
17. In general, if we talk about Icelandic cuisine, then cod, haddock, smoked salmon, lamb are popular here in the most different types, in particular - lamb fillet, small lobsters (they are slightly larger in size than large shrimp) and, of course, herring. Of course, potatoes are popular among vegetables; by the way, the delicious local dish Plokkfiskur is prepared from leftover haddock and potatoes.
In addition, Icelanders love to generously sprinkle their food with ketchup and mayonnaise; the most popular local drink is Coca-Cola. Among the sweets, sweets and licorice lollipops are held in high esteem here, and in the summer locals indulge in berries, which are good in Iceland. But there are no McDonald's restaurants in the country; the last one closed in 2008 during the crisis.
18. They also eat horse meat in Iceland, and this is also a little sad, because local horses are a real miracle of nature. They are short, hardy, and covered with thick fur in winter. At the same time, Icelandic horses are not afraid, there are no dangerous predators on the island, so the horses are not used to fearing for their lives, they easily approach strangers, allow themselves to be stroked and fed.
There is still debate about how horses originally got to the island. In ancient times, Icelanders assumed that all local horses were descendants of Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse of the god Odin. Historians believe that horses were brought to Iceland by the Vikings in the 9th - 10th centuries AD, and geneticists claim that horses were brought to the island from the shores of Scotland. Hippotherapy is also popular in Iceland - the treatment of neurological disorders through communication with horses.
19. Iceland is located on thermal springs, so it mainly uses renewable energy sources. As a result, thermal water flows from the tap, which, however, smells very strongly of hydrogen sulfide, but you gradually sniff it, houses are also heated generously, and since pipes with hot thermal water in Reykjavik are laid directly under the sidewalk, the streets of the Icelandic capital can never ice up, so there is no point in sprinkling them with chemicals.
In the photo: an Icelandic jeep for winter off-road travel
20. But don’t think that everything is so wonderful. Outside the cities, many roads in Iceland become impassable in winter: there is icing, drifting snow, and snow piles. Therefore, the most popular type of vehicle used if you need to travel from Reykjavik to Akureyri in winter is a jeep, and the bigger the better. On a tour of national parks or they even take tourists to the geysers on such monsters as in the photo below.
21. But what is truly wonderful in Iceland are the thermal pools with hot water built outdoors. Of course, everyone has heard about the famous Blue Lagoon, built near a thermal power plant, but this is more entertainment for tourists. Icelanders themselves most often go to ordinary thermal pools, which are open in the amount of approximately one per 10 houses. Everything is simple there: you go in, wash, and climb into the outdoor thermal pool. When purchasing a subscription, the cost of visiting is around 2 euros.
Interestingly, when visiting a thermal pool, guests must wash their hair, and since most pools are located outdoors, the very fact that locals swim with wet hair and do not get sick is admirable. In general, visiting the thermal baths in Iceland is the same option for evening leisure as going to a bar; this is where young people most often invite girls on a first date. It turns out to be very convenient, and cheaper than going to a bar, and you can immediately see the person in all the details.
22. In fact, in Iceland in winter it is not as cold as we used to think, the temperature here rarely drops below minus 6 degrees, but the piercing and sometimes knocking wind fully compensates for this. But in summer it’s never hot in Iceland, the air temperature here rarely rises above 20 degrees, and there’s still the same wind, don’t forget about the wind.
23. If until recently the most popular resort for Russians was Turkey, then the Canary Islands still perform the same function for Icelanders. The reasons for Icelanders’ love for the Canary Islands are prosaic: the nature is similar, the flight is relatively close, by Icelandic standards it’s very affordable, but most importantly, it’s warm, and the fact that the water in the ocean is cool doesn’t bother them at all.
In the photo: Northern Lights over Reykjavik
24. In winter in Iceland it is not just dark, but very dark; on December 21 - the shortest day of the year - dawn comes at 10.30, and the sun sets at 16.00. But in winter you can regularly observe the Northern Lights here; in Iceland they are usually green, and there is even a website that shows the likelihood of the Northern Lights appearing in a particular area of the country, its address: http://www.vedur.is .
In summer, long nights are replaced by long days, compared to which white nights in St. Petersburg are simply nothing; in June in Iceland the sun sets for only a couple of hours.
In the photo: the Icelandic Parliament building
25. The basis of the Icelandic government is democracy, and these are not empty words. Here it is worth turning to the history of the country: as the island was settled, tings were formed in the regions of Iceland - an analogue of the ancient Russian veche. At the Things, courts were held, disputes were resolved, and collective discussions of vital issues concerning the community took place. Once a year, at the beginning of summer, representatives from each community gathered for a general meeting - the Althing - in order to regulate relations between the regions. As a rule, successes during the Althing were achieved by those who had the powerful support of wealthy landowners. The first Althing took place in Iceland in 930, and this year is considered to be the beginning of the era of democracy. True, in the thirteenth century Iceland came under the rule of Norway, until the forties of the twentieth century it was under the rule of Denmark, in 1940 the island was captured by Great Britain, which, in turn, transferred Iceland to the United States. The country gained independence from the United States only on June 17, 1944. So, the victory over the England team for the Icelanders is a kind of revenge for the years of occupation.
However, the Icelandic Althing was reassembled in 1845, and today it is considered the oldest parliament in the world. The entire population of the country took part in finalizing the last text of the Constitution of Iceland in 2012; citizens’ proposals were accepted through social networks and even through YouTube. But, the most curious thing is that for all this, the country has had the same president for the last 16 years - Olavur Ragnar Grimsson. He ruled the country from 1999 to 2016. Grimsson remained for the second term due to the lack of candidates for the post of head of state, for the third time he won the vote, for the fourth term he went again due to the lack of candidates for the post of president, and for the fifth time he won the elections again. On June 26, 2016, 48-year-old history teacher Gudni Johannesson became the new president of Iceland.
Pictured: Hafþór Bjödnson as Grigor "The Mountain" Kligon
26. In Iceland there is socialism, here everyone receives approximately the same salary and lives in the same houses. At the same time, it is believed here that “all professions are needed, all professions are important,” that is, it doesn’t matter whether you work as a waiter or a scientist - you are equally worthy of respect. It is curious that many local celebrities, before fame fell on them, worked in not very honorable positions, for example, Hafthor Bjödnson - the most strong man on the planet and the performer of the role of Grigor “Mountain” Kligon in “Games of Thrones,” like many Icelanders, for a long time not only engaged in bodybuilding, but also worked part-time in a restaurant.
In general, almost all Icelanders have not one job, but two, the first for money, the second for the soul. That is, almost every waiter or bartender here is also an artist, decorator, photographer, designer or jeweler.
27. And the local population loves to read; today, according to some sources, Icelanders are the most reading people in the world.
In the photo: a girl in a lop-piece
28. In Iceland there is absolute tolerance for everything, gay marriage has been allowed here since 2010, the percentage of open bisexuals in the country is also very high, and a gay pride parade takes place in Reykjavik every summer. At the same time, all couples, regardless of whether they are hetero or homo, try to maintain friendly relations when breaking up, because the country is small and it will still not be possible to completely stop communication. Icelanders get married easily and divorce easily; in case of divorce, children, as a rule, live 50/50 with each parent. At the same time, almost all Icelandic girls are feminists; they do not allow themselves to be paid for in restaurants; they carry bags, do repairs, nail nails, and so on without any difficulties. True, the advantages of tolerance also give rise to disadvantages; in Iceland, personal space is extremely difficult, because everyone knows everything about everyone.
29. Iceland exists practically according to the rules of the Australian economy, which is based on self-reliance and the construction of a system of closed reproduction of the community with minimal dependence on exchange with the external environment. No, of course, you can buy Western food here, but they cost several times more than local ones, and the choice is small. In general, it’s funny with wine, it’s expensive regardless of the type, that is, a bottle of decent wine and outright mumbo jumbo will cost about the same. Clothing is also mostly locally produced. And the main national item that any Icelander has in their wardrobe is the lopapeysa - a knitted sheep's wool jacket with a recognizable national pattern. By the way, the lopapeysa is quite expensive, but the thing lasts for years.
30. Iceland, according to statistics, is one of the most active countries in
in social networks. Almost all its residents have accounts on Facebook, however, in addition to Facebook, the country also has a local social network www.ja.is, where all Icelanders, young and old, are registered. When registering on this site, users indicate not only their first and last name, but also their phone number, address and the location on the map where their homes are located. So if you want to meet one of the Icelandic National Football Team players and he is still living in the country, look for him on www.ja.is, he will definitely be there.
