This winter has been a cold one. There‘s no better way to spend the season than curled up with a good book, and the Ohio County Public Library has quite the collection of captivating books. If you’re looking for an excuse to read, try a new Christmas tradition–a bookish one. Join us to celebrate Jólabókaflóðið!
What is Jólabókaflóðið?
Jólabókaflóðið (pronounced yo-la-boke-uh-flowed) is an Icelandic tradition dating back to the 1940s. This practice sees family and friends gather together, with a steaming mug of hot chocolate or tea, to share the joy of reading. Traditionally, loved ones select books for one another to give as presents. They then spend the evening reading quietly with one another, exploring the worlds of their respective books. The expectation is to begin reading the books straight away. More and more, this trend is making its way outside of Iceland and becoming popular worldwide.
How can you celebrate Jólabókaflóðið with the Ohio County Public Library?
If you’re looking to spend Christmas Eve or any winter day reading with your loved ones, we’re happy to help. We also encourage you to break from tradition and pick out your own book. Wondering what to choose? Our staff members have put together a table with holiday-themed novels that is located to the left of the Circulation Desk until the end of December. The tradition of Jólabókaflóðið often sees people reading newly published books, so feel free to browse our new releases section for all the most current reads. If you’re in search of more dramatic, thrilling stories, our mystery and horror sections are fully stocked with books as chilling as the weather. We even have quite a collection of books by Icelandic authors. One in ten Icelanders will publish a book in their lifetime, so there’s no shortage of stories coming out of the Land of Fire and Ice. In 2021, Iceland published an astounding 834 fiction titles. Coming from a country with a population of 360,000, that’s a remarkable amount of literature.
Perhaps you prefer to celebrate Christmas with other traditions. If you love to spread holiday cheer through baking, we have a KitchenAid Stand Mixer, several kinds of baking pans, a Pizzelle maker, and even a Christmas cookie-cutter set. Is your family competitive? We’ve got so many games in our Library of Things that can set you up to go head-to-head. For those who may love to game with their cousins, siblings, or friends, be sure to check out our video games.
If you’re looking to get yourself a Jólabókaflóðið read, be sure to plan ahead, as the Ohio County Public Library will be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We hope you’ll pick up a book so you can spend some time under a reading light this Christmas Eve. We promise that several staff members will join you in celebrating the Icelandic Book Flood. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from everyone at the Ohio County Public Library!
Source: https://adventures.is/blog/iceland-christmas-eve-tradition/?srsltid=AfmBOooosUdw17jaFKtjkLQ_ShXMMaVk_4jURqmPle4mLS2zQz5-x9fa
