Iceland: History and Culture
- Chloe Chen
- Mar 1, 2022
- 3 min read
Although it’s a small island in the large continent of Europe, Iceland has a rich history and very interesting culture, leading back thousands of years. Including the rich history of Iceland, its culture, food, traditions, and many more:
History: Iceland is a European country, first settled by men from Norway and Scandinavia. The first everlasting settler of Iceland was Ingolfur Arnason, a Norwegian Viking who made his home where Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland now stands. In 930 AD, the Viking settlers founded Iceland’s parliament, known as the Althing. Their constitution was based on individual rights and land ownership. In the earlier times, Iceland was also teeming with poverty, disease, starvation, and natural disasters that nearly destroyed the small country.
Culture: In the year 1000 Iceland adopted Christianity as their major religion. And nowadays, they practice many customs related to the ancient Vikings, including their language which has neighboring ties with the Old Norse language spoken by early Viking settlers. Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik has many galleries, theaters, and a unique music genre that combines pop and folk.
Food: Today, many Icelandic dishes include lots of fresh seafood, because the country is surrounded by water, seafood is very accessible for small street vendors. When walking in popular tourist attractions, it is not uncommon to see a fish and chips food truck nearby.
Traditions: There are many days in Iceland that celebrate different things. A very common example is Bóndadagur and Konudagur, which translates to Husband’s Day and Wife’s Day. Many people present their spouse with a gift and a nice meal.
Places to Travel: Iceland possesses many beautiful places to sightsee and explore. If you are ever thinking about traveling to Iceland, places that are very popular and activities to do are listed below;
1) One of the most well-known places in Iceland is its most famous geyser, Strokkur. Strokkur erupts very regularly, and can blast water up to fifteen to twenty meters every five to ten minutes, but it is also known to have reached forty meters.
2) Looking for a fun adventure? Hiking on Sólheimajökull glacier in Southern Iceland is something worthwhile. The views are very glorious, and people visit to take pictures, or go on guided hikes on top of the twelve kilometer long ice.
3) The capital of Iceland, Reykjavik is full of breathtaking sceneries and interesting pieces of architecture, including houses in the area. Reykjavik is amazing to explore and walk around at night, and has hosted some of the best music festivals in Northern Europe.
4) Another very popular tourist attraction in Iceland is Seljalandsfoss waterfall. This magnificent waterfall is along the southern coast, and falls over a steep cliff, making it possible to walk behind the waterfall. The waterfall is also almost 200 feet tall, around 38 times the height of an average human being.
5) Animals are not unaccounted for in Iceland, and Iceland possesses a very unique animal, the Icelandic Horse. It is the only horse that can perform five gaits (ways a horse walks), while more common breeds can only execute three or four. When you see a horse Tölt, which is the Icelandic word for the additional gait, you see the horse will gather it’s front right and back right leg, then its front left and front right leg and take steps in this rhythm.
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All other images provided by me, Chloe Chen.
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