Jun 17, 2021
Iceland National Day 2021
This Doodle’s Key Themes
Today’s Doodle celebrates Iceland National Day, an annual holiday commemorating the day in 1944 when the nation officially became a sovereign republic. Celebrations fall on June 17 in honor of the birthday of Jón Sigurðsson, a historian, philologist, and leader of Iceland’s 19th-century independence movement.
The Republic of Iceland was officially declared on this day in 1944 in Þingvellir, a city with great significance as it’s also where the nation’s parliament was first established in 930 A.D. Although now operating in the capital city of Reykjavík, Iceland’s parliament continues to serve the nation as the longest-running representative assembly in the world!
Celebrations of freedom can be heard each National Day with bells that ring in harmony across Reykjavík. Their chimes echo into downtown’s Austurvöllur Square where a public poetry recital is performed by the Lady of the Mountain, a person chosen each year to represent Iceland’s otherworldly natural landscape and feminine spirit. A day full of festivities traditionally follows this event, as Icelanders throughout the world celebrate their cultural heritage and national pride in merriment.
Gleðilegan þjóðhátíðardag, Ísland!
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