St. Thorlákur’s Day (Thorláksmessa) in Iceland – what’s that smell?!

Candle Beggar, as depicted at Iceland's National Museum in Reykjavik.

For the past three days, the Yuletide Lads arriving in town were Window Peeper (Gluggagægir), Door Slammer (Hurdaskellir) and Meat Hook (Ketkrókur). Tomorrow the final lad arrives, Candle Beggar (Kertasnikir).

But if you were wandering the streets of an Icelandic city or town today, you were perhaps less concerned about Meat Hook’s mischief, and more intrigued by the smell wafting out through restaurant windows – to most, a rather unpleasant smell!

This is skata, putrid skate, that is traditionally eaten on December 23^rd. The smell is increasingly less likely to emanate from private homes, as even Icelanders who enjoy eating skata don’t particularly want the house to smell that way in the lead up to Christmas, so often get together to eat it at a restaurant alongside us bewildered foreigners

According to a recent MMR poll, 41.8% of Icelanders planned to eat skata on St.Thorlákur’s Day this year. It’s common for people to decorate their Christmas trees today, or even to make laufabraud, an intricately patterned fried flat bread.

Today is also the final full shopping day before Christmas, with many shops in Reykjavik open until midnight. Like last weekend, the main street is closed to traffic and there are bands and street choirs adding to the Christmas cheer.

A band entertaining Christmas shoppers in the main street, Laugavegur, last weekend.