Independence Day
Powered by Castpost
"Icelandic National Day. On June 17, 1944, Iceland was granted independence from Denmark with the repealing of the 1918 Act of Union.
Due to Denmark being occupied by German forces and Iceland by the British at the time, Denmark did not have as much influence over Iceland and, mainly for simplicity, allowed the country its complete independence, which included the rewriting of the Icelandic constitution and the transformation of Iceland into a republic. Sveinn Björnsson became the first president of independent Iceland.
Today, Icelanders celebrate this holiday on a national scale. The celebration traditionally takes the form of a parade through each urban area, with a brass band at the fore. After the parade several speeches are heldout in the open. Traditionally there is also Fjallkonan (the woman of the mountain), clad in the most festive national dress of Iceland, that recites a poem. She represents the fierce spirit of the Icelandic nation and of Icelandic nature, this is in many ways an inheritance from the period of romanticism that was reigning when the first steps toward independence were being taken. After speeches and other officialities are over a less formal celebration takes place, with musicians entertaining the crowd, candy being devoured by children in huge quantities and gas filled balloons escaping their owners and flying to the sky. It is also somewhat traditional to expect rain on the 17th of June in Iceland, in particular the SW part. However statistics will probably reveal that the incidence of rain on the 17th of June is no more than any other day of June."-Wikepedia-It did rain! But that wa sonly to be expected. It was cold too, but I had my gloves:) I did all the appropraite things, I devoured sugar in the form of candy-floss, had my face painted, tried to sing the national anthem and bought a balloon. I watched the handball game Iceland/Sweden with hundreds of others on a big white screen downtown. Yes, our team played on our National day and we made it into the World Championship in Germany. What a great day to sit there and scream with so many others. Patriotic like hell and so worth the frozen hands, dripping nose and painful headache!
(awful picture! But it sure captures the sentiment: Exhausted, yet proud like hell!)
p.s If you haven´t done so already, please go over to Belle of the Brawl and vote for a caption of your choice... Remember to vote right though! Please?
70 Comments:
first!
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!
i loveloveloved this post... and i learned so much! i'm glad you had fun... now i hope you're chillin' out *indoors*, dear sweet Minka!
Are you sure you don't want my parka? I won't need it for ages yet. Although I must say I saw my neighbour out riding his lawn tractor yesterday wearing his winter coat. Its not exactly sun bathing weather here.
Thanks for the educational bit on Independence Day. Oh My God! I think I just gave myself an earworm....Let Freedom ring....
Great post Minka...I now realize how little I really knew about Iceland. Very interesting. When does it warm up there?
Hey Minka!
The third tattoo is a red and orange starfish..it's on the other side of the ankle from the octo!
:X
Happy Independence Day! You honor the country.
And Eeyore's Icelandic! I always thought he was Mexican.
That was such a wonderful post Minka! I learned more about Iceland than I ever had before...what a wonderful day it sounds like you have had!
Happy Independance day Minka!
Happy Independence Day!
Sounds like a great day, you look like it was a success.
I love the background, btw.
You feed my information junkie tendencies wonderfully.
Happy Independence Day!
that picture is not awful but very sweet, even thought Eeyore seems to have the biggest piles I've ever seen... :O
neva, yes you are first! It´s a good feeling, isnæt it?
kyahgirl, I will take the parka...and a warming bottle if you have it :) But I am going in 12 days to Germnay for a month...I have heard there are about 30 degrees Celsius over there :) I can´t remembe what it feels liek to go out and not feels wind!
Joel, this is it! It is summer in Iceland! Sometimes we get 25 Celsius and then we are very happy!
barefoot mistress, ok...octopus, grapes and a starfish. About time I figured it out!
Doug, I am not so sure. Looking at it now...a little ove rthe top :) But you have to be there in the moment, then it all makes sense. The day after? Not so much! :)
squaregirl, I had a blast. Especially when Iceland´s handball team made it into the World Championship on our Independence day...teh atmosphere was amazing!
Logo, gla dyou liked it. I am not very national-orientated by nature. But once in a while I let go and ride teh wave of national pride. There is something special belonging to the Icelandic nation, juts as much as you probably feel about being American.
ariel, I love eeyore, he is always alright :)
Great post! It is fun to learn more about places one has never been. Happy Independence Day!
You said it was cold. Here where I live, the temperature is in the upper eighties or low ninties degrees Fahrenheit. I spent yesterday at the Jersey shore - a great place to be in hot weather.
Minka, I think the original purpose of blogging is to give our embarrassments an international audience. That's also the purpose of wearing horned flags on our heads, so it all worked out just grandly.
And congratulations on your team handball semi-final victory. I look forward to updates on another sport I know little about.
My team handball memories amount to this: When Semisweet1 and I were in college there was a third friend, a large and lumbering man with aspirations of sport heroism. He decided to learn team handball because he thought since we don't play that here, he could maybe make our olympic team. I'm not sure he ever played but he read a lot of books on the subject to prepare.
"original purpose of blogging is to give our embarrassments an international audience." Quite right you are... I am doing a great job then!
It was not teh semi final though. It was just the pre-games to get into the World Championship of handball next year. We made it, for teh first time in our history I think. I will use this opportunity to say:
"Afram Island!*clap clap clap*"
Happy Independence Day... hmmmm.... so part of me rebelled against my other part? Although in my blood Denmark wins alas! ;-)
So cold there still? What happened to your trip to Spain? You can get naked and it is still not enough to cool off! Ay!
Seriously now, where are you? I have been waiting for you since May I tell you! MAY!
Besos to my sweet sistah!
of course, Monika, I do love Eeyore, too. even though it was embarrassing to me as a child how much he seemed to be just like me... :)
hey, Doug, how much do you know of water polo? 13th Fina Men's Water Polo World Cup in Budapest June 13-18 2006, and I know nothing of it because I don't follow the games and YOU don't keep me updated, either.
small nations love bragging, and even those Hungarians that don't give a toss about water polo normally will have a big mouth braggning that we are a Water Polo World Power. to us it's not a pride to be in the World Cup final because it's only natural, but it's shame to lose it. like we did today. but even then WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS, MY FRIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEND!!!
Miz Bohemia, well...we had those plans, but then Icelanæds only flying company cut in the way...by being ridiculously high and over prized. Since both of us are students and donæt have much money...we had to push Barcelona into the future. But in 12 days I will go to Germany and I will lie in the heat and complain about how hot it is...I can´t wait!
Ariel, wait a minute...I have heard soemthing about teh Hungarian Water Polo team. So they are really good? Sorry you guys lost but *clears throat* "You are the Winners, of Water Polo!" (sing along to the Lithuanian Eurovision song :)
Happy Independence Day to you and yours, my dear! :)
I'm late as usual, but I'll add my "Happy Independence Day" wishes to you anyway, Monika Youhaventoldusyetsdottir. (Or if you have I missed it.) Oh wait a minute, you said you're German so you actually have a last name. Like Icelanders do not - unless that's changed.
Of course, this time of year you can run around all night if you choose without it's getting dark. That's a party. If you can stand the cold and rain, that is ... Payback comes in late December, when the sun might get up just in time to go to bed.
eh?
Congratulations! Iceland looks like a fabulous place.
Very nice post. And great pix of you.
Ariel, how do they keep the horses from drowning?
Minka I'm absolutely going to root for Iceland in the team handball world championship.
Hungary - Serbia & Montenegro: 9:10. we was THIS close.
"You can lead a horse to the water but cannot make it play water polo." (an old water polo coach)
oh and Australians was THIS close, too. (Brazil - Australian 2:0) was a good game.
Shayna, Thank You! MOm chose to do something in the graden and dad cleaned teh garage :) Independence day big style :)
OC, yes I am soemwhat of a confusing package :) Icelanders do have a last name-of sorts. They get a first name and than as a last name they get the name of their father+son/dottir added to it. I think you knew that from what you have written. I, myself, have one of the most common surenames there are in Germany ;)
And you are right it is daylight all the time now. It doesn´t get dark at night, which totally screws up my body clock, becuase it seems like I never feel tired. And in december I go to university in the dark and come home in teh dark, all the while sunshine has happened between 2 and 3 in teh afternoon. Can be depressing for some, I think it is very romantic. Candlelights and stuff ;)
Kevin Beck, I believe this to be your first time here, so I´d just like to say welcome. And I might be partial, but Iceland is a magnificient place :)
TLP, Thanx and aehmm...thanx!
Doug, Nothing else wll be good enough! We won´t make it very far...so there are just a few games you have to root for, but at least we made it into the competition. I´ll lend you my Viking-hat so you´ll feel rigth about it :)
ariel, I think you have done just fine. And there is always next year!
Brazil made it through to teh 16 teams. Someone is celebrating :)
Happy extended Independence Day Minka! Sounds much better than belated or worse, yeah I am that late to comment. ;)
I'm glad you posted about the history behind the holiday. I learn and it enhances my vicarious visits with my sistah in Iceland.
Awful picture? Here, I brought you some glasses. :P
Minka, you'll warn me when the games happen, right?
Sar, you ar enever too late and as we all know the best thing always comes last! ;) Now put those glasses on and everything will become clear!
Doug, of course I will. I will have a scedule all ready for you, combined with appropriate phrases when we lose!
Brian, are you kidding me? I sure have better pictures than that particular one, around this blog somewhere. Gosh, that would be embarassing...we really shoudl talk about that!
Happy Independence Day!!
Looks like you had fun!! Yay - I love fun!!
Happy Independence Day to you. Looks like fun, especially the hat ;-)
now...I guess I voted right, I voted for my favorite icelandic princess. Love the hat!!
Oh, God bless you, Minka! Are you going to teach me to cuss in Icelandic?!?! I'm so happy right now!
snav...such days are all baout the fun!
cube...yeah I turned a couple of heads with that hat! It is all baout accessorizing :)
VI, you did? Well...I guess you can lose a couple of votes with the lead you have :)
Doug...let´s start with "Helvitis!"
Great post, Minka. Glad to see a picture of you. But, who is the person on the right?
miss minka! i came back over here to share a funny article i came across... and realized i was denied this picture of you when i first read this post! (did you put it up later? or did it just not load up on my computer?)
whatever... i'm just happy i can see it now! wowza! you're a doll! i can't believe someone can look so good in such a dorky hat! but you pull it off beautifully, girlfriend!
anyway, as i said, my original reason for being here was to show you this article, being the soccer fan that you are, i thought you'd find it amusing!
thanks again for that wonderful post... i'm sooo happy i came back in time to see this lovely picture of our favorite "penguin"!!
Brian...I´ll find soemthing appropriate for the family album!
Fred, very funny! *haha*
Puppytoes, I´ll read it as soon as I get home from work. And thanx for teh compliment, I might be arrogant in believing so...but this truly is not a good picture of me!
Hey, I thought the picture looked good too. And the lady's been known to moan about "no guys". Surely not. It'd be a challenge I'd perhaps take up ...
... but I'm an amoeba. What do I know?
Espanol - Tunézia, 1th half, 0:1. very good first half. I do not believe Tunézia will make it (they're gonna be too tired in the 2th half) but it's a fun to see that they do their best to spoil the Spanish guys' night. our commentator must root for Spanish because he became totally mute at the Tunisian goal, all he said was, "But I wouldn't say it was a good kick." LOL! it was in, so from the view of the Universe it was good.
end: 3:1. was a very good game apart from the referee that kept throwing yellow cards like candy on a match where there was not one real rough fault... I loved the Tunisian goal keeper, he was screaming like a lion, he was like a trailer truck, and was real good. (what to tell of Casillas? he's a classic and had not much to do tonight.)
Oc...if you say so :)
ariel, you canæt imagine how invaluable you are these days. Whenever I am at work, I just need to check for your comments and I am told about teh thinsg I have missed. Spain is so gonna sail through. Quite far, but not all the way!
referee that kept throwing yellow cards like candy
must have been the same guy that did USA/Italy ...
Why do all the gals that give me cute smiles have to be 10,000 km away ... ? You have any idea how long it takes a protozoon to cover that distance?
:)
Let me check up Protozoon and I´ll get back to you on that!
Wow, a trip of your own! Have loads of fun in Germany! I left you a comment at my place - second item down...asking about .....yes, COFFEEEEEEE in Iceland! Thanks for your awesome post on Independence Day! I was quite uninformed, and you provided great details, not to mention the cute picture :-D
Oc...I checked and I just donæt do molecules :)
terry, I just saw and answered. By the way feel free to contact me any time in case of emergencies or general coffee drinking :)
hey girl, dropping in - will try to get over and see Sar....getting ready to do the breast cancer post for tmrw...
Just for the record I wanted you to know that on Sunday I watched part of the Korea v. France World Cup match. I'm trying!!
When I was in Brasil this past month the sense of national pride as the World Cup frenzy swirled around was unlike anything I'd ever seen. Iceland seems to be coming pretty darn close :)
yeah, it's really annoying, in the end one cannot use all their holiday on the World Cup. :)
Jodes, good luck with it!
Joel, that is a really good start, although we don´t like either of the teams :)
aisha, it is always a matter of taking it over the top;)
ariel, maybe you shoudl go out once in a while????
You don't do molecules? Et tu, Minka? We amoebae don't get no respect nohow. I guess I'll just have to barrack for Germany then - after the US has its pipe dreams stuffed by Ghana on Thursday, that is.
I'd say more, but whilst your day is starting mine is ending. And if I don't get to bed soon it'll be morning even here and I'll miss my chance.
oh I don't use my holiday on the World Cup, I have 23 days all year.
YAY!!!! Spain won!!! SPAIN WON!!! Maybe we won't screw thing up this year! They have a history of f-ing up as they start to fly high so we were all quite pessimistic here and shocked about the win...
Tonight, I want Sweden to kick England's ass for sure! I hate England way more than I do Sweden! K-KISH BABY! "tis getting personal fo' sho'!
Hey! Damn that Icelandic Air carrier monopoly! But do come and stay with me if ever you make it to Spain! I had already planned where to take you! *sigh* And here i am, still waiting!
Besos!!!
England makes a quite boring football. you know what I like in German teams? they never stop. if they are behind with 10 goals and it's clear they cannot win, or if they are ahead with 10 goals and they could just sit down and eat lunch and they couldn't lose, even then they don't stop like many other nations in those situations. the match lasts until the referee says it's over, Germans do play until the referee says the game is over.
O C...I hope you had sweet dreams :)
Miz B. We all hate England together then:) That shoudl bring them down. Although I have to say that Mr.Beckham is one of the best passing guys I have seen. He is so precise and accurate...but other than that!
Ariel, usually I would say you are right. But today´s game, in the last 20 minutes I really had the exact opposite feeling. Equador had accepted defeat and Germany knew they had it in their bags. So both teams kicked teh ball more or less uncaringly back and forward!
It was not that cold. beautiful day I must say. you were dressed ten time more than I was. Thinking about the girls dancing Afro in downtown. Now that is really chilly. Great game, fine crowd, wonderful national day.
you must be right, I only had the chance to look at the game in the 75th minute or so, and soon left saying "nobody plays football here". but my belief is not damaged. :)
Minka -
re: sweet dreams. thanks. about to go try again. heck, you might even be having your morning coffee as you settle in. enjoy. have to tell you though - my bed sure don't have no room for no books. and it's only me and I'm not that large. I'm guessing you're ca. 175 cm - which would give you a ca. 8 cm height advantage over yours truly. microorganisms have it tough.
:)
Bjartur, I liked the fact that you wore sunglasses without a ray of sun vissible :)
ariel, mine isn´t either :) After Germnay has won all three games so far, I have hopes and dreams about this team :)
Oc...you just made me 10 cm taller...But thank you! It was a lovely gift. Seems like youa re two cm taller than I. Hey, youa re American. If i am 1.65 how much is that in feet? I always wanted to know!
Omar, auðvitað ;) Hvað varst þú að gera á 17 júni?
Minka, 2.5 cm is a just under an inch so you're 5'5" or 5'6" which makes your sister 7'1", I think.
Minka, da nada. Pleased to assist whereever I can.
165 cm divided by 2.54 cm/in yields 64.96 in. Or 5'5". Hey, I didn't win that propellor beanie for nuthin'. I'm 167 (5'6"). So we can look each other square in the eye. If you dare.
:)
Doug...good with numbers? There is a surprise :)
So I am 5 feet 5 as I understand. That is a lovely number.
Oc...is that a challenge? I have won staring competitions, my friend!
lllæl
bara bruva keturu sentm til baka á mína síðu
Thanks for sharing I didn't know all of that!
I was so looking forward the Netherland - Argentina match, and was sleeping through the first half. oh it was nice.
My utopia...I am glad you liked it.
Ariel, did you dream of hunky men in hsort pants, a sweaty shirt and lovely legs? Then we had the same dream :)
lol... I dreamt I am sleeping on a narrow edge of a very tall and vertical cliff, and the view was great but I got so frightened that almost fell off the sofa. then slept back. I'm the match was lukewarm like piss for understandable reasons but everytime I see something like this I have to wonder what the people payed for the airfare and the not at all cheap tickets have to say about understandable reasons... I mean everytime I sleep through something like this... :) there should be a law that those players who don't do their best on the field have to be sent to an ancient roman arena to fight with real gladiators...
I hear you. It has been tried but those darn soccer slackers chose a football as their weapon of choice, and teh gladioators received red card for unfair tackling all the time.
A challenge, Minka? Yes, for what that might be worth. My eyesight is good but it doesn't allow me to see an attractive gal's face in Iceland from California. dammit.
But I'm pretty good at this "staring contest" thing myself. Just be careful, my face has been known to crack camera lenses. I wouldn't have you "win" the contest 'cause you've been turned to stone.
Waiting for a German correspondent to join the Icelandic one ... :)
Very nice site! the masters golf pictures Protonix car amp 1991 prelude body kit Canadian average income tax rates Belgium travel insurence mazda body kits small+tits+big+cock Apartment renters madison wi Picture vicodin vs roof rack jeep cherokee off road light Advecia vs propecia Hardcore cocks free kayak roof rack online information security home volkswagen vanagon roof rack car surfboard rack 1996 subaru legacy outback parts and accessories Rent car collie 2004 dodge viper truck history of robot toys
best regards, nice info » » »
Post a Comment
Bow Before Your Queen and be Transported HOME!