Today is “bolludagur”( bun-day).
It is the day when everyone tries to eat as many buns as possible!
Everyone has their favorite. I prefer the choux pastry ones over the yeast ones. Fortunately, everyone in the family agrees so I just make the choux pastry ones.
Some like them with a lot of chocolate, some just want a little chocolate and some prefer powdered sugar.
Actually, the bun-eating starts on Sunday in most families, seeing that it is easier to gather everyone around on a Sunday than a Monday.
Besides, that way people get 2 days of bun eating. Which is more then enough….believe me…
I understand the tradition comes from Denmark.
In the end of the 19th century / beginning of the 20th – Danish bakers working here brought the tradition over.
Tomorrow, everyone will be eating “saltkjöt” ( salted meat ) on “Sprengidagur”( explosion-day!!) or Shrove Tuesday/Pancake day
In many countries there are similar traditions, although the names and traditions are different.
Mardi gras, carnival…
It all marks the beginning of the 7 week fast before easter.
So, technically tomorrow should be the last day to meat for the next 7 weeks.
I must admit, that I haven´t had saltkjöt since I was a child.
I really don´t think it´s worth a few days of massive water retention!!
On Öskudagur ( Ash-day ) or Ash Wednesday, children would try to hang as many small bags ( that they had been sowing the days before and filling with ash if they could find it – otherwise just the bags ) on randomly chosen, unsuspecting people. I remember it was a lot of fun!!!
These days, the tradition seems to have somehow gotten mixed somehow up with Halloween – so instead of trying to hang bags on people, children spend the day walking shop to shop, singing, expecting candy in return.
I think that´s a shame, because they will miss the fun and excitement of trying to get away with hanging bags ( “öskupoki” ) on strangers!
Sigurveig 