Holidays & Traditions

Explore Jewish holidays and traditions with an Icelandic perspective. Find celebration guides, ritual explanations, and cultural insights for the Jewish community in Iceland.

Jewish Daily Blessings (and Why It’s Beautiful

✨ Waking Up with Wonder: Jewish Daily Blessings Explained - What Jews Say and Why It’s So Beautiful In Judaism, life itself is sacred -...

The Kosher Viking

3 days ago2 min read

Priests, Levites, and Tithes: Mitzvot for Holy Service

Shalom, Icelandic Jews! We’re marching through our mitzvot marathon, like Vikings on a quest for sacred lore. Today, we’re diving into...

The Kosher Viking

Jul 33 min read

5 Everyday Habits Secretly Harming Your Gut Health

Our digestive system is a world unto itself, teeming with countless bacteria – some beneficial, some harmful. The delicate balance...

Duba

Jun 92 min read

Hvítasunnudagur and Shavuot: White Festivals Across Two Worlds

For Jewish Icelanders who embrace both cultural heritages, late spring brings a unique confluence of white festivals that share...

Duba

Jun 42 min read

Hvítasunnudagur, Shavuot, and a Single Spirit Across Faiths: A Jewish-Christian Reflection on Time and Torah

Every year, on the holiday of Shavuot , the people of Israel spiritually return to Mount Sinai . It is the Festival of the Giving of the...

The Kosher Viking

Jun 42 min read

Iceland's Remarkable Naming System: A Cultural Peculiarity

Iceland captivates visitors with its stunning natural phenomena - the mesmerizing Northern Lights, pristine wilderness, expansive...

Duba

Jun 42 min read

Mount Sinai Challah: The Forgotten Treasure of Spanish Jewry

In the world of Jewish baking traditions, there is one creation that has almost disappeared from collective memory - Mount Sinai Challah....

Duba

Jun 22 min read

Uppstigningardagur! A Quiet Holiday with a Higher Meaning

Some holidays are widely understood. Others - like Uppstigningardagur , Iceland’s Ascension Day, are less familiar, even to the people...

Duba

May 282 min read

The Samaritans: Photography Time Capsule from the Early 1900s

The Samaritans – perhaps one of the most fascinating and forgotten communities in Israel's history: are not merely remnants of an ancient...

Duba

May 272 min read

Lag BaOmer: Bonfires, Bows & Arrows, the Best Potatoes in the World

Meet Lag BaOmer .For Israeli kids, this holiday isn't about deep mysticism, rabbis, or religious rituals. It’s about Bar Kochba , a real...

Duba

May 162 min read

Lag B’Omer - A Jewish Celebration of Fire and Spirit

A Night of Bonfires and Stories Picture a crisp spring evening, the sky aglow with the flicker of bonfires, laughter echoing, and tales...

The Kosher Viking

May 153 min read

Shabbat: A Jewish Island in Time

For many Icelanders, Judaism may seem like something distant—rooted in ancient history or perhaps glimpsed briefly in films or books. But...

Duba

May 93 min read

The Harvest Festival: A Mostly Harmless Guide to Jewish Agricultural Celebrations

There's this Jewish holiday called Shavuot, and it's undergone some rather interesting transformations over the centuries - the sort of...

Duba

May 22 min read

How Israel’s Memorial and Independence Days Shape National Identity

In Israel, two consecutive days on the national calendar lie at the emotional and symbolic heart of the country: Memorial Day and...

Duba

Apr 292 min read

The Curious Case of the Chocolate Messiah

An Israeli abroad tries to make sense of chocolate eggs, Jesus, and Icelandic spring traditions. Some answers found. Most... deliciously...

Duba

Apr 182 min read

Passover: When Freedom Meets Family Feasts and Hidden Matzah!

Friends, let me tell you about Passover (Pesach) - one of the most beloved Jewish holidays that combines deep history, delicious food...

Duba

Apr 152 min read

Ten Reasons to Leave Egypt (and One Pharaoh Who Disagreed)

A Very Slightly Rewritten Account of the Exodus, in Which Everyone Is Tired and Most Things Go Poorly In the beginning, the Hebrews were...

Duba

Apr 122 min read

Charoset for Passover: A Sweet Tradition

Charoset is an essential part of the Passover Seder plate. This delicious mixture represents the mortar used by the Israelites during...

Duba

Apr 21 min read

From Egypt to Iceland: The Unexpected Links Between Passover & Easter

Once upon a time-around 3,000 years ago-an entire nation of slaves packed their bags in a hurry, baked some really bad bread, and walked...

Duba

Apr 13 min read