The contemporary and conservative way of the Icelandic people

From far away it may seem that Iceland is a country full of ice and chilly weather and Eskimos live there but the fact is totally different from this misconception. The Icelanders are very contemporary and yet very conservative when it comes of following and preserving their traditions. It is said that some of their traditions are prevailing from twelfth century. If it is so, then it must be said that Icelanders have continued and kept their traditions alive in a very nice manner.

Traditions in calling and greetings: people of Iceland call each other by their first name and even in telephone and other directories people are listed by their first name and not by the surname. People of Iceland greet each other with a kiss on each other’s cheek on meetings. Only two persons i.e. the honorable president and the honorably chief bishop of Iceland are addressed formally.

Traditions while visiting somewhere: it is a very sweet tradition in Iceland that guests are accommodated in homes rather than hotels or restaurants as seen in many countries. The other tradition widely followed here is that people often remove their shoes before entering the house.
Traditions in dressing and seating: dressing is very normal and casual until it is said to dress formally. All formal parties’ ends before midnight but this time can be extended depending on the size of the occasion. At formal events seating for guests are arranged in international format. The seat of guest of honor is on the right side of the hostess if guest of honor is male and if guest of honor is female then she is seated on the right side of the host.

Traditions for gifts: a very common tradition is that to take a bouquet of flowers or gift when going to an Icelandic home for the first time. It is also seen that if someone forgets this tradition then he will send a bouquet or a small gift, the other day with a thanksgiving greeting card. It is usual to bring gifts to attend birthday parties, wedding parties, at Christmas parties. At the time of birth, gifts are given to newborn child.

Tipping: as per rule of government of Iceland, tipping is strictly prohibited in Iceland, especially to taxi drivers, in hotels and restaurants and to tour guides. But their is no restriction on offering tip to fishing guide

Traditions in dining: cooking and food of Iceland is almost alike the other bigger countries of Europe but the essence and love are totally Icelandic. Raw material used for cooking is extremely natural. Many types of freshwater fish and sea fish are used as food product. Very widely used meat are of lamb, pork, beef and poultry includes chicken, turkey, geese and some names like ptarmigan. There is no scope of growing vegetation because of extremely cool weather but still vegetables are grown their in warm houses which are warmed by the heat of geo-thermally heated water. Traditional Icelandic food includes smoked lamb, singed sheep, meat soup and some vegetarian also. Dried fish and cured shark are another two traditional foods but they are more used like appetizers. Whipped cream with blue berries is the most popular dessert of Iceland. All types of beers, hard drinks and soft drinks are made in Iceland but wine is all imported from neighboring countries.

Author Bio:
Dagur Jonsson is the editor of Iceland Guest, a website specializing in tourist information for travelers to Iceland. For more information visit www.icelandguest.com