Beer Day (Iceland)
In Iceland, Beer Day (Icelandic: Bjórdagurinn)[1] is celebrated every year on March 1, honoring the elimination of the 74-year prohibition of beer. Prohibition lasted from January 1, 1915 to March 1, 1989.
Origin
In a 1908 referendum, Icelanders voted in favor of a ban on all alcoholic drinks, going into effect January 1, 1915. In 1921, the ban was partially lifted after
As
Celebration
The first Beer Day, Ölstofan bar owner Kormákur Geirharðsson recalls:
I remember a lot of drinking and a lot of pissing all night long and the next days, and it [was] not stopping. This was the day Icelanders took the step to try to become civilized. Ölstofan was not open then, but the idea of owning a bar started there.
— The Reykjavik Grapevine, [5]
Following the end of prohibition, Icelanders have celebrated every Beer Day by imbibing the drink in various bars, restaurants, and clubs. Those located in Reykjavík, the capital and largest city in Iceland, are especially wild on Beer Day.;[6][7] A Rúntur (pub crawl) is a popular way of getting to know the various bars and beers in this city, many being open until 4:00 a.m. the next day.[8] The legalization of beer remains a cultural milestone in Iceland, and a major seismic shift in the nation’s alcoholic beverage preference. Beer has today become the most popular alcoholic beverage of choice.[5]
The celebration of Beer Day in Iceland has inspired a similar event in the U.S., known as Iceland Beer Day, or IBD.[9]
See also
- Beer in Iceland
- Prohibition in Iceland
- List of food days
- Beer Day Britain
- Green Beer Day
- International Beer Day
- International Women's Collaboration Brew Day
- National Beer Day (United States)
References
- ^ 8 Things You Might Not Know About Iceland Archived 2008-11-06 at the Wayback Machine from mentalfloss.com
- ^ "Beer (Soon) for Icelanders" the New York Times, May 11, 1988.
- ISBN 0-88729-176-7, 9780887291760)
- ^ "Beer-like = Bjórlíki?" Archived 2011-07-08 at the Wayback Machine föstudagur, 2007
- ^ a b "Iceland Gets the Beer Back" Archived 2008-11-29 at the Wayback Machine from the Reykjavik Grapevine
- ^ "March 1 is Beer Day!" Archived 2008-05-17 at the Wayback Machine from goscandinavia.about.com
- ^ "Yet another reason to love Iceland" from the Iceland Tourist Board
- ^ Beer Day Archived 2009-02-01 at the Wayback Machine from worldeventsguide.com
- ^ Iceland Beer Day USA Archived 2011-03-03 at the Wayback Machine official site