In Guðmundarlundur, an outdoor recreational area in Kópavogur, you will find a magical place for the young and old, a real Christmas treat. You will find the yulelads’ mother Grýla, their father Leppalúði, hear stories about the Christmas cat and the yulelads, who are dressed in their best suits all the way from America. After all, the Icelandic yulelads have changed a lot in the last 150 years. Before, they were mere trolls who did not like children, but things have changed for the better. The names of the Icelandic yulelads first appear in Jón Árnason’s Folktales in 1860. In 1932, the poem book Jólin koma (Christmas will come) by Jóhannes úr Kötlum was published, where he describes the thirteen Icelandic yulelads. With this book, it can be said that he really established the names of the yulelads and the order that they arrive in when they come to town, to put little gifts in childrens shoes and bring happiness to the young as well as the old.
Photographs & text: Páll Stefánsson
Kópavogur 12/12/2023 – A7C : FE 1.8/20mm G
