With Christmas just over a week away, the world is awhirl with the chaos of the season as we prepare for the holiday and try to make the most of merrymaking. We turn to tradition to lead the way during the season, doing as we’ve always done or hoping to create new Christmas memories and traditions with friends and family. While there’s certainly a magic about Christmas traditions, they don’t happen on their own. They’re the result of loving family and friends who work quite hard to make the season as magical as possible. All this gift-buying, cookie-making, decking-the-halls stress can take its toll, though. Sometimes all you want is to take a deep breath, settle down with a cup of hot chocolate, and get lost in a good book—a quiet moment of respite amidst the flurry of Christmas.
And in Iceland, that’s exactly what they do each Christmas Eve.
The Drink
Today’s Liquor Literacy is inspired by the Icelandic tradition of Jolabokaflod, where everyone is gifted a new book on Christmas Eve that they spend the evening reading with a cup of hot chocolate and family.
Jolabokaflod—Christmas Book Flood
With the Poetic Edda and Icelandic Sagas within their rich literary history, Iceland developed into a modern culture and country that prioritizes books, reading, and writing in a most unusual, and fantastic, way. Literary history is at the heart of their nation, with narrative art being described as “the single most important part of its cultural history.” The capital city, Reykjavik, was named a City of Literature by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (an agency within the UN) in 2011 and hosts a number literary festivals each year. The Week of the Book is celebrated each April, followed by the International Literature Festival, which has been held biannually since 1985, and the Moorland International Children’s and Youth Literature Festival which has been celebrated biannually since 2001. Since being designated a City of Literature, Reykjavik has also celebrated Reykjavik Reads, a month-long festival in October that celebrates reading and writing for people of all ages that has a unique theme each year. Once Reykjavik Reads is over, November sweeps in with the Reykjavik Book Fair, a weekend-long affair that welcomes the public to a sort of precursor to Jolabokaflod where they can meet and discuss books with publishers and writers for free. Literary city walks are hosted regularly, or book lovers can take self-guided literary tours of Reykjavik themselves. Most of Iceland’s writers live in Reykjavik, where they can take advantage of the many, many bookstores with cafés inside them to get their writing done, not to mention all the writing retreats and seminars available.
Writing and books are so deeply ingrained in Icelandic culture. With so many literary events year round and such enthusiasm for books, it’s no surprise that the people of Iceland are among the most well read in the world. A 2013 study showed 50% of Icelanders read at least eight books per year, with 93% reading at least one book per year. In other nations, like the United States and the U.K., avid readers who read a lot bump up the overall average with their high number of books purchased and read, but Iceland’s reading habits are more evenly distributed. People might not read twenty books in a year, but most people are reading. With reading and writing so celebrated throughout everyday life, it’s also not surprising that Icelanders have a larger than average amount of writers for their small country. One in ten Icelanders will write and publish a book–absolutely astounding numbers, if you ask me.
Perhaps the most well known literary event within Iceland is Jolabokaflod–the Christmas Eve tradition that warms hearts and homes each holiday season. Translating to “Christmas Book Flood,” Jolabokaflod refers to the flood of books published between October and December each year in response to the buying and gifting of books to loved ones on each Christmas Eve. The tradition forms the backbone of Iceland’s publishing industry with publishers putting out new books in massive numbers in those few months. Each September, every household is sent a thick catalogue of the books, called Bokatidindi, that are to be published during the season and cafés, schools, libraries, bars, workplaces, and the media all put effort into promoting them. The public responds by attending events showcasing and discussing the new books, with readings hosted all throughout town and authors even becoming shop assistants at bookstores for the season. The tradition dates back to 1944 when World War II saw nearly everything but paper rationed and books were the only gifts that could be widely given. Since then, books have been the most popular gift given during the holiday season. Icelanders open their new books on Christmas Eve and spend the evening reading with something to drink, often hot chocolate or jólaöl, a mix of two Icelandic sodas that’s popular during the holidays. Sounds like a perfect, cozy Christmas.
The Recipe
Today’s recipe is inspired by the Jolabokaflod tradition of reading your new book with a mug of hot chocolate. This isn’t a particularly unique hot chocolate recipe, however it is inspired by an Icelandic café’s recipe with a little unexpected dash of sea salt. My contribution to the recipe is the whipped cream vodka—a favorite of mine—but so many other liquors could be used spice up the hot cocoa. Frangelico or Amaretto would be my recommendations.
This recipe originally appeared on Savory Tooth and makes two servings.
2 cups of whole milk
4 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon of white sugar
1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
3 ounces of whipped cream vodka (1.5 per mug)
Whipped cream
Directions
Heat the milk in a saucepan over medium-high heat. When it starts to froth, turn it down to medium-low.
Add cocoa, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Mix until well combined.
Pour into mugs and add one shot of vodka per serving.
Top with whipped cream and enjoy!
Pairs Well With
Whether you’d like to learn more about Icelandic literary history through exploration of their sagas or you prefer settling down with a brand new book as the Icelanders do, Jolabokaflod is all about the magic of books and time spent with friends and family. These books are my choice for Jolabokaflod Christmas Eve reading, and I’d love to hear yours.
Erik the Red and Other Icelandic Sagas
by Unknown, Gwyn Jones (Editor)
Selected by Gwyn Jones–the eminent Celtic scholar–for their excellence and variety, these nine Icelandic sagas include Hen-Thorir, The Vapnfjord Men, Thorstein Staff-Struck, Hrafnkel the Priest of Frey, Thidrandi whom the Goddesses Slew, Authun and the Bear, Gunnlaug Wormtongue, King Hrolf and his Champions, and the title piece.
A Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens
A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens. It was first published by Chapman & Hall on 19 December 1843. It tells the story of a bitter old miser named Ebenezer Scrooge and his transformation resulting from a supernatural visit by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present and Yet to Come.
The novella met with instant success and critical acclaim. The book was written and published in early Victorian era Britain, a period when there was strong nostalgia for old Christmas traditions together with the introduction of new customs, such as Christmas trees and greeting cards. Dickens’ sources for the tale appear to be many and varied, but are, principally, the humiliating experiences of his childhood, his sympathy for the poor, and various Christmas stories and fairy tales.
Hall of Smoke
by H.M. Long
Hessa is an Eangi: a warrior priestess of the Goddess of War, with the power to turn an enemy’s bones to dust with a scream. Banished for disobeying her goddess’s command to murder a traveller, she prays for forgiveness alone on a mountainside.
While she is gone, raiders raze her village and obliterate the Eangi priesthood. Grieving and alone, Hessa – the last Eangi – must find the traveller, atone for her weakness and secure her place with her loved ones in the High Halls. As clans from the north and legionaries from the south tear through her homeland, slaughtering everyone in their path, Hessa strives to win back her goddess’ favour.
Beset by zealot soldiers, deceitful gods, and newly-awakened demons at every turn, Hessa burns her path towards redemption and revenge. But her journey reveals a harrowing truth: the gods are dying and the High Halls of the afterlife are fading. Soon Hessa’s trust in her goddess weakens with every unheeded prayer.
Thrust into a battle between the gods of the Old World and the New, Hessa realizes there is far more on the line than securing a life beyond her own death. Bigger, older powers slumber beneath the surface of her world. And they’re about to wake up.
Final Thoughts
The spiked Icelandic Hot Chocolate was delicious. A simple but rich recipe, it was perfectly cozy and familiar with a bit of edge from the sprinkle of salt and the whipped cream vodka. Taking part in Jolabokaflod by spending Christmas Eve curled up with a great book and a mug of this fantastic cocoa would be absolutely wonderful. What a lovely way to spend the holidays.