Girls' Day in Iceland

On this occasion, the boys are supposed to congratulate the girls.Simultaneously with the First Day of Summer, which falls on the third Thursday of April, according to the ancient Icelandic calendar, the first day of the month of Harpa comes. If the previous two months were devoted to the spouse and spouse respectively, then the meeting of this month is entirely the duty of unmarried girls (ungmeyjar). The origin of the name of the month has been lost in the centuries, but with the light hand of 19th-century romantics, Harpa has come to appear as a young girl, the daughter of Torrey and Goa - the last winter months.

Therefore, some villages have special traditions associated with unmarried girls. For example, in some localities, every day of the month was dedicated to one of the unmarried girls (according to the established procedure, depending on the place of residence). The weather on this day served as an occasion for "spirits" to address the temperament of the girl. Another fun was that the girls drew the names of unmarried guys who were supposed to come on the first day of the next month.

The people did not forget about the unmarried and, alas, the elderly: the elder bachelor of the village “received” the first unmarried girl who came to visit. The next day, the same was true of the second in seniority and so on.

So this holiday served as a kind of Valentine's Day - an occasion for dating and the beginning of romantic relationships. This tradition is maintained to this day, especially today, when in Iceland such ways of expressing feelings as flowers, chocolate and champagne are available.