Tonight Askasleikir, the 6th Yule Lad comes to town This is a 15-day Icelandic Christmas series. To hear about the  other Yule Lads that have already arrived and an overview of this Icelandic Christmas series, check out Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5 and Day 6.

Below is the Icelandic and English version of the poem about Askasleikir by Jóhannes úr Kötlum.

Icelandic version of the Poem about Askasleikir

Sá sjötti Askasleikir, 
var alveg dæmalaus.- 
Hann fram undan rúmunum 
rak sinn ljóta haus. 

Þegar fólkið setti askana 
fyrir kött og hund, 
hann slunginn var að ná þeim 
og sleikja á ýmsa lund.

English version of the Poem about Askasleikir

Bowl Licker, the sixth one,
was shockingly ill bred.
From underneath the bedsteads
he stuck his ugly head.

And when the bowls were left
to be licked by dog or cat,
he snatched them for himself –
he was sure good at that!

Icelandic Christmas Tradition

Laufabrauð – leaf bread

Laufabrauð is a traditional Icelandic bread that is eaten in the Christmas season. Even though it is said to have originated in the north of Iceland, it is now eaten all around the country.

The look of it is a very thin flat cake with a diameter of about 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8 inches), and is decorated with leaf-like, geometric patterns. It is fried to a crispy texture in hot fat or oil.

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About the Author
Jewells is a native New Yorker that fell in love with an Icelander and now lives in one of the most fascinating countries in the world. As the host of the All Things Iceland podcast, she shares about Icelandic culture, history, language and nature. When she is not making podcast episodes or YouTube videos, you can find her attempting to speak in Icelandic, hiking up mountains, reading books and spending time with her family.

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