Iceland Edition
Regional/Cultural Day
Thjodhagid
June 17, 1944: Iceland declared independence from Denmark while the world was at war. The date was chosen because it is the birthday of Jon Sigurdsson, the leader of the independence movement. The celebration includes parades, speeches, and the Fjallkonan (Lady of the Mountain), a woman dressed in the national costume who recites a poem about the land. The poem is always moving, and the weather is always bad. It is tradition.
