When the ceremony ends, guests at Miðbakki harbour are invited by Brim to enjoy fish soup at Landsbankinn, Reykjastræti 6. Guests will be entertained by Santa and accordion music, both during the ceremony and at the Bank.
The event is hosted by Landsbankinn, Brim, Faxaflóahafnir, Heimar, Sjómannadagsráðið and the German-Iceland Chamber of Commerce.
Programme
- Christmas greetings from Faxaflóahafnir
- Dr. Sverrir Schopka tells the tale of the Hamburg tree
- Clarissa Duvigneau, Germany’s ambassador to Iceland, lights the Hamburg tree
- Santas sail into the old harbour on Magni, land at Miðbakki, and entertain the kids before leading guests to the fish soup festivities in Landsbankinn, Reykjastræti 6
History of the Hamburg tree
Icelandic seamen who docked at Hamburg after WWII invited the hungry at the harbour to partake of their fish soup during unshipping. In gratitude, several associations and companies in Hamburg joined forces to send a Christmas tree to Reykjavík in 1965. Now, Icelandic companies who operate in and around the old harbour, in association with the German embassy, are carrying on the tradition to ensure that the tree is always in place for Christmas.
More about the history of the Hamburg tree on Umræðan (in Icelandic).
