Icelanders gift books to each other on Christmas Eve as part of a tradition called Jolabokaflod or “The Christmas Book Flood”. They spend the rest of the night reading them and drinking hot chocolate. The majority of books in Iceland are sold between September and December in preparation for Christmas giving. Jolabokaflod started during World War II when Icelanders gave books as gifts while other commodities were in short supply, turning them into a country of bookaholics to this day. Iceland publishes more books per capita than any other country; 50 per cent of Icelanders read more than eight books a year and 93 per cent read at least one.
“The culture of giving books as presents is very deeply rooted in how families perceive Christmas as a holiday,” Kristjan B. Jonasson, president of the Iceland Publishers Association, told NPR. “Normally, we give the presents on the night of the 24th and people spend the night reading. In many ways, it’s the backbone of the publishing sector here in Iceland.”
Ever since 1944, the Icelandic book trade has sent out a book bulletin to each household in the middle of November when the Reykjavik Book Fair happens. People use this catalogue to order books to give to their friends and family on Christmas Eve, the main gift-giving day in Iceland. After all the presents are open, everyone grabs a cup of hot chocolate and cozies up to spend the rest of the evening reading their books.
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