Town Festivals of Iceland

 

The number of town festivals held in Iceland in the summer has been increasing in recent years. They have become a valued part in the cultural life of many towns and communities in the country.

The stamp motifs are 5 town festivals held across the country. These are; The Reykjavik Gay Parade, Never Been South music festival in Isafjordur, The Great Fish Day in Dalvik, The Smelter music festival in Borgarfjordur eystri and The Vestmannaeyjar National Holiday.

The Reykjavík Gay Parade is held annually in the month of August. This festival originated in the U.S. and is now being held on most summer weekends around the world. The Gay Parade was first celebrated in Iceland in 2000.

Never Been South music festival was first held in Isafjordur in 2004. It is considered a special occasion because of its location and framework. It has had a positive impact on the local community and Isafjordur has renewed its image as music town.

The Great Fish Day is a family festival which is held on the first Saturday after the bank holiday weekend. The aim of the festival is for people to gather together, have fun and enjoy eating fish. The festival offers an array of entertainments.

The Smelter music festival in Borgarfjordur Eystri has over the years established itself as an important link in Iceland’s musical life. Concerts are being held in an old herring factory which the locals convert into a concert hall once a year.

The Vestmannaeyjar National Holiday was first held in 1874. The islands’ Sports Association organizes the holiday which has evolved into one the country’s most ambitious music festival and has never been cancelled due to weather or natural disasters on the islands.

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International Year of Water Cooperation

 

Date of Issue : 24 January 2013

United Nations General Assembly has declared the year 2013 the International Year of Water Cooperation. The purpose is to raise general awareness about the possibility of increased cooperation on this precious resource. Icelandic institutions and non profit organizations have been involved in international relief efforts, which include digging wells to provide water for people in drought areas.

The Icelandic International Development Agency (ICEIDA) has been working in several countries drilling for water and digging water wells. The Youth Organization of the National Church has also been actively involved in the relief effort, for instance in Malawi. With the assistance of the Icelandic Church Aid residents have been digging wells, installing water well pumps and thereby gaining better access to clean water.

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New stamps on Light Houses..

 

Date of Issue : 13 September 2012

Iceland Post issued  a set of two stamps on 13 September featuring Lighthouses.

The Engey lighthouse

A lantern was installed in Engey Island in 1870 and lighted when postal vessels were expected. The Reykjavík Harbour Fund was in charge of the installment and maintenance. In 1902 a small lighthouse was built in Engey, replacing the lantern. In 1937 a concrete lighthouse was erected in the island and was fitted with a 500 mm lens and gaslight equipment. It was powered with electricity in 1963. The lighthouse is a quadrilateral 5,5 m high tower with a 3,5 m high Swedish lantern. Originally the lighthouse was white with a vertical red stripe in the middle of the wall but was later painted yellow.

The Kálfshamar lighthouse

In 1913 a lighthouse was built at Kálfshamarsnes in the northwest of Iceland. It consisted of a Norwegian lantern of cast iron on a concrete plate. A new lighthouse was built at Kálfshamarsnes in 1940. It was taken into use in 1942 and fitted with a 500 mm lens and gaslight equipment. In 1973 it was powered with electricity. The Kálfshamar lighthouse is a concrete quadrilateral tower 16,3 m high on a low foundation. The tower walls have inlaid vertical stripes with a crucifix moulded in the surface over the entrance. The walls are plated with light quartz and the inlaid stripes with obsidian.

Other recent stamps from Iceland…

On 3rd May 2012 Iceland Post issued following stamps .

150th Anniversary of  Akureyri

 

Date of Issue : 3 May 2012

Akureyri is Iceland's fourth most populous municipality.Akureyri lost its township prerogatives 1836, but regained them in 1862. Farmers in Eyjafjörður established organizations to strengthen their position against the Danish merchants. They founded the KEA cooperative which played a substantial role in the growth of the town of Akureyri, supporting a number of industrial companies in the town, many of which specialized in processing agricultural products.

The Akureyri Park

The Akureyri Park is run by the town as a botanical garden and a nature park. The latter was formally opened to the public in 1912 while the botanic garden opened in 1957. The Park Society was founded in 1909 with Sigridur Sæmundsdóttir as its first president. Margrethe Schiöth contributed to the growth and development of the park for more than thirty years. The Akureyri Embellishment Society promoted the acquisition of a remarkable and unusual botanical collection owned by Jón Rögnvaldsson, a pioneer in the cultivation of plants in Iceland. Now the park contains nearly 7000 foreign species and most of the Icelandic flora.

The Hallargarður park in Reykjavík

The Hallargarður park in Reykjavík, constructed in 1953-4, was designed by Jón H. Björnsson, Iceland´s first trained landscape architect. The park is influenced by American modernism, with curves and constantly changing vistas. It was completed in summer 1954. In 1986 the park was altered and the pond and fountain replaced by shrubs and flowerbeds. There is a monument in the park of the entrepreneur Thor Jensen and his wife, Thorbjorg Jensen. In the uppermost part of the park there is a sculpture “A boy and a girl” by Ásmundur Sveinsson.

Scouting in Iceland 100th Anniversary

Date of Issue : 3 May 2012

Ingvar Ólafsson founded the first scouting patrol in Iceland in 1911 and the first scout meeting was held on July 16th of that year. Ingvar had been introduced to the scouting idea in Denmark, where he lived for a while. In 1912 the first Boy Scout district became a reality and was named Skátafélag Íslands (Iceland Scout Association), later changed into Reykjavik Scout Association led by Sigurjón Pétursson of Álafoss.

The first girl scout association was founded in July 1922 with Jakobína Magnúsdóttir as the first group leader. Gertrud Fridriksson, the first group leader of the scouts in Husavik, played a crucial part in the establishment of the association. The Girl Scout Association was founded 23rd March 1939 with a membership of 459. In 1944 the two national associations merged into the current Icelandic Boy and Girl Scout Association.

 

 The London Olympic Games

Day of Issue: 3 May 2012

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