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The Icelandic Festival of Manitoba
On July 19, 1888 the need for a gathering of Icelandic immigrants to Canada and the U.S. was mentioned in an Icelandic ethnic newspaper Heimskringla. Eggert Johannsson, the editor at the time states “Icelandic immigrants are now scattered throughout western Canada and Dakota. An annual event would serve as a means to unite them. Icelandic heritage is in great danger on this continent and if we make no effort to preserve it, we might as well cease from calling ourselves Icelandic.”
The first Icelandic Festival, Íslendingadagurinn, held in Winnipeg in 1890, was a one day event and consisted of a traditional program with speakers, poetry and musical entertainment and a dance. In 1932 a decision was made to hold the Icelandic Festival in Gimli, Manitoba where it has since been held annually.
Today, the festival includes all of the original components but has expanded to include activities far beyond what the original organizers would ever have imagined. There is now a large art show, a poetry and writing contest, sandcastle contest, a Viking Village that has grown to the largest Viking re-enactment camp in North America, musical entertainment every night at multiple venues, cultural displays, the sale of traditional Icelandic food, pancake breakfasts, a mid-way, and much more. It now draws as many as 50,000 visitors over a four day period, and is not only attended by people of Icelandic decent but by others seeking to learn more about a fascinating culture in a beautiful resort town. Yet, the tradition of re-uniting with family and friends to share and maintain Icelandic traditions remains the most important aspect of the festival.
The Icelandic Festival represents, in part, a success story that belongs not only to the earliest Icelandic settlers, but to all Canadians, because being able to proudly celebrate our ethnic origins is one of the great privileges we enjoy in our nation.
