Icelandic Culture

Icelandic Cultures

Far across the Atlantic Ocean lies the continent of Europe and in the northern section lies the country of Iceland fully of green fields and of many interesting customs and ideals.

Iceland is a European nation located in northern Europe several miles below the Arctic Circle. Large Glaciers, hot springs, geysers, and volcanoes are all numerously scattered throughout this island country. Iceland itself is named after and explorer who happened to be upset when looking out across the nation and saw nothing but coastal waters covered over with ice. Iceland is often referred to as the land of the midnight sun due to the fact that during June it is light nearly 24 hours a day.

Iceland is not like the US in the fact they have a Nationally Proclaimed language. The US is understood to have English as their language but it is not official. In Iceland though Icelandic is there official language and everyone is taught to speak it from cradle till grave.

Iceland’s government system is classified as a republic. The people elect a president for a four year term and the president is the official head of state but yet has little influence on the actual government. He is more like an authority icon. The prime minister and the cabinet actually propose and carry out all government policies. The prime minister and the cabinet itself are actually appointed by the Althing. The Althing is the equivalent of the parliament in England. The Current political leaders of Iceland are the president Olafur Ragnar GRIMSSON and the prime minister Halldor ASGRIMSSON. Something funny, in Iceland it was once against the law to own a pet dog.

Education in Iceland is of the greatest in the world. In Iceland being able to read is universal and has been since the end of the 18th century. Iceland’s education

Level not just its literacy level is also very high. Schooling is required for everyone in Iceland from the age of seven until the age of sixteen. Education in Iceland is different that it is here and in many places around the world. In Iceland every single child has the same opportunities for education, if they want higher education all they do is sign up basically. No matter what the circumstances everyone will have the same opportunities to receive higher education. They go to school for six years of primary school, three years of general secondary schooling, then the children may attend grammar school for four more years. Iceland itself has two major universities that are very famous. The school day in Iceland is based on a shift system or the simple system. On the shift system the school day lasts from eight a.m. till noon and then from one p.m. until four p.m. While on the simple system they go to school from nine a.m. until two-thirty p.m. with a lunch break between noon and one p.m.

In Iceland there’s a scattered variety of jobs but with Iceland being an island nation its quite obvious what will be its main occupation. Fishing the main occupation of Iceland and not just fishing but also all the jobs that have to do with fishing like boat companies and fish markets. Second to fishing, agriculture is the second most common job. The agriculture of Iceland is based upon the raising of dairy cattle and sheep. The average income for men is about 3,121 ISK per year and for the women the average income is about 1,740 ISK per year. ISK is the abbreviation for the Icelandic Krona.

Once again unlike the US Iceland has an official religion for the country. 85% of the nation of Iceland is evangelical Lutheran and it is the state church. Several other religions are scattered in various locations throughout the country, like Roman Catholic and Pentecostal. In worship the Lutherans try to be faithful by complying to the ecumenical creeds, Nicene, Apostles, and the Athanasian. In mass they regard the center, the sacrament of the Holy Communion. They use vernacular in their religious writings and they baptize the infants at birth. They recognize only two sacraments and they are the baptism and of the lords holy supper. The Lutheran doctrine states that a person is right with god by completely trusting in the work of Christ and not by making any human effort to appease god. The religion of Iceland might be officially but nobody is forced to be of that religion and believe their beliefs but they are raised that way and stick to the beliefs they were raised with.

Iceland believe it or not celebrates many of the same holidays as the US. They celebrate Independence Day but theirs is not from Britain but from the sovereign country of Denmark on