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Welcome Thorri!
by Dianne O’Konski | Thorri (Þorri), the fourth month of winter on the Icelandic calendar begins on Jan. 24th – the first Friday after January 19th! Scholars believe that the name of the month “Thorri” is either taken from the Norwegian king Thorri Snærsson or from Thor, the God of Thunder (my bet is on…
Read MoreSnorri Program Deadline is Today!
Today is the last day to apply for the 2020 Snorri cultural exchange program in Iceland. Snorri Plus applications will be accepted until January 31st. Don’t miss out on this opportunity. Please forward to interested friends and family. More information can be obtained at our friends at the Snorri Foundation in Iceland. Visit www.Snorri.is
Read MoreOctober 9th is the day we celebrate Leifur Eiríksson Day!
Almost five centuries before Christopher Columbus discovered America, Leifur Eiríksson and his group of travelers explored North America. Those with Scandinavian/Viking heritage celebrate Leifur Eiríksson Day/Leif Erikson Day each year. In Icelandic, his name is spelled Leifur Eiríksson. He is called, “The son of Iceland, grandson of Norway, and the discoverer of North America.” His…
Read MoreThe Adventure of Finding Your Heritage
By Heidi Herman-Kerr | Where are you from? It’s a common enough question. It’s asked a thousand times a day, usually as an icebreaker between strangers. In the United States, the typical answer is a state or metropolitan region. “I’m from Minnesota” or “I live in Los Angeles.” In casual conversation, seldom are you asked,…
Read MoreMidsummer is This Weekend!
By Heidi Herman-Kerr | Midsummer marks the summer solstice, traditionally celebrated in Nordic with large festivals. These countries – Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and the associated territories of Greenland, the Faroe Islands and the Åland Islands – endure winters marked by as much as twenty hours of darkness, it’s easy to see why they…
Read MoreJune 17th – Iceland’s National Day
By Heidi Herman-Kerr | June 17th is National Day in Iceland. It is celebrated with parades, bands, and music, marking an important day to the Icelandic people world-wide, commemorating the day Iceland in 1944 when the Republic of Iceland was founded, bringing back complete Icelandic independence for the first time since 1262. Today, we continue…
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