By eevenden
Hamingjusamur föstudagur, allir! (Happy Friday, everyone!)
Beautiful weather has finally come to Reykjavik! (Even though Europe is freezing and a Nor’easter is brewing in the U.S.). Good things come to those who wait, I suppose! Since I have already posted about exploring the Icelandic countryside, I thought I would follow up by writing a blog post about some of the arts and culture in Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital city!
Often times, Reykjavik is neglected in articles and travel blogs about Iceland. Many people use it as a home base during their vacations, but do not spend much time exploring the city. Like in most situations, Reykjavik has a lot more to offer than meets the eye, (or that appears in your Google searches). Here is a brief list of some of the museums and events I have visited over the past two months
Þrettándinn (January 6th)
Þrettándinn (which translates to “the thirteenth”) on January 6th marks the end of the Christmas holidays in Iceland. On this day, many towns in Iceland host bonfires for residents to burn their Christmas trees and set off leftover fireworks from the New Year. Knows as the Twelfth night to English-speaking Christians, in Iceland, this day is rooted in folklore and is associated with the twelve Yulelads. Traditionally, the Icelandic Yulelads are depicted as descendants from trolls, who wreak havoc and scare children, but today they are equated to Santa Claus. Þrettándinn marks the end of the Yulelads’ mischief until the following year. The photo below shows the Þrettándinn bonfire that my friends and I went to at the beach in Reykjavik, near the University. Hundreds of people showed up to burn their Christmas tree, and the bonfire was accompanied by an impressive fireworks display. This was the first cultural event I experienced – just a week into my exchange. It was certainly a tremendous thing to be a part of.
Museum Night (February 2nd)
Despite being small, Reykjavik has a lot of museums, both new and old. Originally, I wasn’t planning to visit many museums since they tend to be rather expensive. However, my wallet and I were saved by the free-museum night which was a part of the Winter Lights Festival! During the first weekend of February, Reykjavik-city hosts a number of free events for tourists and city-residents in order to “stimulate the city during the midwinter” (quote from the Reykjavik city website). On Friday, nearly every museum in the city had no entry-fee, so my friends and I went nuts trying to see as many museums as possible. In about five hours, we were able to see the Saga Museum, the Whale Museum, the Reykjavik Art Museum, and the Photography Museum (thankfully many museums are rather small and close together.)
If I am being honest, the only museum I thought would be worth paying for is the Reykjavik Art Museum, since the others were pretty superficial (at least for someone who is learning about Icelandic culture and history in school). However, I thought the Reykjavik Art Museum showed a new and more interesting perspective of Icelandic culture because it did not revolve around Vikings (see my previous blog about Icelandic history to better understand this comment). Instead, it focused on modern Iceland and reflected concerns people have today.
Though I did not visit these museums during the museum night, I think some other exceptional places to learn about Icelandic culture are the National History Museum on the University campus, as well as the Culture House in downtown (not to be confused with the Nordic House, which I will discuss later). Both of these museums provide a holistic perspective on Icelandic history, through artifacts and artwork.
Nordic Folk Concert at Guakarinn (February 10th)
One of the best ways to discover small events in Reykjavik is through Facebook. Literally searching “Events in Reykjavik” will bring up tons of low-key concerts and art events. It was through Facebook that I heard about a Nordic folk concert happening in one of the bars downtown, Gaukurinn, two weeks ago. I am not sure how legitimate this concert is as far as historical accuracy, but it was certainly a great spectacle to behold. The concert featured two acts, an all-female group called Seiđgyđja, who sang folk songs and played traditional instruments including drums, bones, sticks, birds’ wings, and feathers. The second act was called Læknishljómar, and consisted of horn and log-playing and ritualistic singing. Overall, it was a very fun and bizarre experience. I highly recommend exploring random Facebook events in Reykjavik.
Nordic Film Festival (February 22nd-25th)
Reykjavik hosts a number of small film festivals throughout the year. Last weekend was the Nordic Film Festival which meant a number of contemporary Nordic films were screened for free at the Nordic House (a building dedicated to Nordic international cooperation) near the University. There were movies from every Nordic country shown, though I only attended two. On Saturday night, I watched “The Square,” a Golden Globe-nominated Swedish film. The movie was about a Swedish art curator who has to confront his own incivility, despite the fact that he is curating an exhibit focused on equality and kindness. Though I don’t think I would watch the film again since it’s rather consuming, it was certainly thought-provoking and made me question how we talk about and fulfil social justice. In addition, the film makes you reflect on your own implicit biases, even if you believe in equality in theory. Next, on Sunday, I watched another Swedish movie, Sami Blod, which is a documentary about the “assimilation” of Native Sami people into Scandinavian Culture (comparable with the “assimilation” of Native Americans in the U.S.). This movie followed the life of a Sami girl, Elle-Marja, who is forced to go to a Swedish boarding-school for Native children, and faces prejudice and violence from both Swedish and Sami peoples as she questions her identity. This film is very sad, and you find yourself empathizing a lot with Elle-Marja. I would highly recommend this film for anyone who is interested in learning more about Sami people and Native histories. Overall, I really enjoyed the film festival because I would never have seen these movies in the U.S.
Nightlife
A brief note about nightlife in Reykjavik. In accordance with the terms of this blog scholarship, I cannot talk about alcohol. However, as a general note, Reykjavik has a good number of clubs and bars which are open every night. Unlike in the U.S., “going out” in Iceland typically means staying out until 3-5 A.M. (like in much of Europe), so that has been something I’ve had to adjust to when spending time with the European students here. On the plus side, most (if not all) of Reykjavik’s nightclubs are free, which is great (as long as you don’t mind standing outside in the cold).
That’s all for now. If you come to Iceland, I hope you spend some time exploring Reykjavik’s art and culture. Until next week!
-Emily