Discover Europe by Art

Folk art

2006 – 2007

Iceland

The story of the Icelandic Seaman´s Day

The Seaman´s day was first held in Reykjavik and Ísafjörður (in the west of Iceland) the 6th of June 1938. The festival is usually held on the first Sunday in June. In the morning festive flags decorate the ships in the harbour.

The updated Festival of the Sea is a celebration that honours the many Icelanders who make a living from the ocean. Some of the most popular events include fishing, swimming, sailing and rowing competitions which are hotly contested by a mix of locals and visitors. Many other events take place on terra firma with cultural displays, parades, arts and crafts activities, food fairs and live musical performances where visitors can enjoy the odd sea shanty and mariner’s tale. Events take place throughout the country including many of the bigger towns and cities as well as in some of the smaller fishing communities.

The sea festival in 7th grade

The pupils cooked two kinds of seafood courses. They sang sea songs, danced

waltz, put up a play about fishermen and recited sea poems. They revealed

“sea patchwork”.

The parents were invited.

Pupils made a play from Icelandic poems about the sea

Hið sólhvíta ljósog hinn suðandi kliður

eru systkini mín.

Ég hef setið og hlustað,og hafið kom til mín

í líki ljóshærðar konu.

Ég sá nóttina nálgast,og hönd mín svaf

meðan hjarta mitt vakti.

Og hún, sem ég elskaði,hló og sagði:

Ég er ekki til.

The sunwhite ligthand the whirr rheum

are my brothers and sisters.

I have been siting and listening,and the sea came to me

in a likeness of a blond woman.

I saw the nigth approaching,and my hand was sleeping

while my heart was waking.

And she, whom I loved,laught and said:

I do not exist.

By Steinn Steinarr

Goddesses of the sea

“Sea songs”

“The sea patchwork”

Dancing

Pupils made a play from folksongs about seamen. The sea has given but it has

also taken.Það gefur á bátinn við Grænlandog gustar um sigluna kalt,en togarasjómanni tamast það erað tala sem minnst um það allt.En fugli sem flýgur í austurer fylgt yfir hafið með þrá.Og vestfirskur jökull, sem heilsar við Horn í hilling með sólroðna brá, segir velkominn heim, segir velkominn heim,þau verma hin þögulu orð. Sértu velkominn heim, yfir hafið og heim.Þá er hlegið við störfin um borð.

By: Kristján from Djúpalækur

It is stormy near Greenlandand cold gust of wind on the mastbut fisherman is familiarnot to speak about that.But bird who is flying to the eastis followed over the sea with longing.And glacier in the West, who says hello by Hornmirage with redness of the sunsays welcome home, says welcome homethey warm you these silent wordsWelcome home, from the sea and the world.Then it is laughter working on board.

The play and the lyrics dictation