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IcelandSymbolsFlag of Iceland

Coat of arms is a cross of silver on a

sky-blue shield, with a fire-redcross inside the silver cross 

The "Lady of the Mountain" (Fjallkonan) is the female incarnation (national

personification) of Iceland. While she symbolised what Icelanders considered to

be genuine and purely Icelandic, in her purity she reflected a deep-seated, but

unattainable, wish of Icelanders to be a totally independent nation. 

LanguageIceland's official written and spoken language is Icelandic, a North Germanic

language descended from Old Norse. 

Culture

The culture of Iceland is rich and varied as well as being known for its literary

heritage which stems from authors from the 12th to 14th centuries. OtherIcelandic traditional arts include weaving, silver crafting, and wood carving. The Reykjavík area has

several professional theatres, a symphony orchestra, an opera, and a large amount of art galleries,

bookstores, cinemas, and museums. There are also four active folk dance ensemble in Iceland.

Iceland's literacy rate is among the highest in the world, and a love of literature, art, chess, and other

intellectual pursuits is widespread.

Icelanders generally have a traditional liberal Nordic outlook, similar to other Nordic countries such

as Norway and Sweden. Yet, an important key to understanding Icelanders and their culture (and which

differentiates them from the majority of their contemporary Nordic peoples) is the high importance they

place on the traits of independence and self-sufficiency. Icelanders are proud of their Viking heritage and Icelandic language and take great care to preserve their

traditions and language. Modern Icelandic remains close to the Old Norse spoken in the Viking Age. For

example, the word for computer (an introduced object) is tölva which combines the ancient terms for

number and seer.

Until the Christianisation of Iceland, many traditional Viking beliefs were strongly held, remnants of which

remain today. According to a 2005 New York Times article, the majority of Icelanders either believe in

elves or are unwilling to rule out their existence. There are a number of accounts of roads that have been

re-routed and building plans redesigned or abandoned to avoid disturbing rocks where elves are said to

live.

Icelandic society and culture has a high degree of gender equality, with many women in leadership

positions in government and business. Iceland also has a highly progressive gay rights legislation, with

couples having been able to register civil unions since 1996, adopt since 2006 and marry since 2010.

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Women retain their names after marriage, since Icelanders generally do not use surnames but patronyms or

(in certain cases) matronyms. 

Iceland also has the most extensive and progressive child protection law. The new Children's Act, passed in

March 2003, and effective as of November 1, 2003, not only places Iceland on the list of twenty-five

nations that have outlawed spanking, the act also outlaws verbal and emotional abuse and makes child

protection a priority. Physical or mental violence is punishable by imprisonment and/or fine, and there is no

legal defense.In 2006, Iceland was ranked as the fourth happiest nation in the world by an independent scientific study. 

Local and national festivals include the annual National Day, celebrating the country's independence in

1944, Sumardagurinn fyrsti which celebrates the first day of summer, and Sjómannadagurinn which is held

every June to pay tribute to the country's seafaring past.

Easily solved, you might think, but raincoats are somewhat of a taboo in Iceland. They are anything but

fashionable and if you see a person wearing a raincoat in Iceland, it’s probably a foreigner .

Religion

Religion in Iceland was initially the Viking religion that

believed in Norse mythology. Later the nation became half-

Christian and then more fully Christian. This

increasing Christianisation culminated in the Pietismperiod

when non-Christian entertainments were discouraged. At

present the population is overwhelmingly, if 

nominally, Lutheran. However there are

also Catholics, Jehovah's

Witnesses, Mormons, Muslims and others. There are also

folk beliefs concerning elves that do not rise to the level of 

religion, but have gained some note. 

Cuisine

Iceland offers wide varieties of traditional

cuisine. Þorramatur (food of the þorri) is the Icelandic

national food. Nowadays þorramatur is mostly eaten

during the ancient Nordic month of þorri, in January and

February, as a tribute to old culture. Þorramatur consistsof many different types of food. These are

mostly offal dishes like pickled ram's testicles, putrefied

shark, singed sheep heads, singed sheep head jam, blood

pudding, liver sausage (similar to Scottish haggis) and

dried fish (often cod or haddock) with or without butter.

Much of the cuisine centres around Iceland's fishing

industry. Traditional dishes include Hákarl (putrefied shark), gravlax (salmon marinated

in salt and dill), hangikjöt (smoked lamb), hrútspungar (pickled ram's testicles), and slátur (sausages made

from sheep entrails). A popular food is skyr made of cultured skim milk, in the summer time it may beserved with bilberries as a dessert. Brennivin is an Icelandic liquor made from potatoes and caraway.