Sailors' Day in Iceland (05/06)

Every year on the first Sunday of June, Iceland celebrates Sailors' Day (Sjómannadagurinn). But if this Sunday falls on Pentecost, then the celebration is postponed by a week.

Fishing has always been of great importance for Iceland, through whose maritime possessions there are routes of high-quality cod, haddock, flounder and salmon. Icelanders joke that the only war their country has ever gotten involved in — is the so-called «crack war», when Icelandic patrol boats cut off the nets of foreign fishing trawlers. However, the total mass of sailors compared to the rest of the population sitting on their shoulders is extremely small — only 2-3%.

However, such an important minority for the country was given the honor of — all fishermen, as well as other kinds of navigators, and a special holiday was given. Despite the enormous role of navigation in the economy, as well as in the history of Iceland (as is known, without the Vikings plowing the seas, the island itself would not have been discovered and populated), the decision on a special day came very late, and only in 1937 the state supported the request of the Icelandic Maritime Association.

On this day, the best sailors who have distinguished themselves with heroic deeds or super-large catches are given medals and certificates, and dinner parties with lavish speeches of gratitude are held in honor of the sailors.

After formal receptions, the heroes of the day indulge in more reckless fun at the Maritime Festival: they race on sailing ships, compete in swimming and the skill of rescuing drowning people, play out military battles on land and at sea and engage in other «sea» activities.

The holiday is invariably accompanied by the gifts of the sea — fish, whale meat and shrimp, perfectly combined with beer, intimate sea conversations and songs.

122