Traditions in Iceland

Names and Greetings
Everyone, both friends and strangers, uses first names and the Icelandic telephone book lists people by their first names. People sometimes greet with a kiss on the cheek. Only two people in Iceland are addressed formally: the President of Iceland and the Bishop of Iceland.
=>> More on Icelandic names.

Visiting
It is more common in Iceland than in many places abroad to invite guests to one´s home instead of to a restaurant. Many Icelanders customarily remove their shoes in the hallway before entering a home.

Dress and Seating
Dress is usually casual except at formal affairs, in which case the invitation specifies formal dress. Formal occasions end around 23:30, but this can vary. At formal affairs, guests are seated according to international customs. The place of honor is beside the hostess on her right, if it is a man. If the guest of honor is a woman, she is seated on the right of the host.

Gifts
A common courtesy when invited for the first time to an Icelandic home is to bring along a bouquet of flowers or some other small gift, or send flowers the day after with a card. If invited to a birthday party, it is customary to bring a gift. Gifts are brought to wedding parties, and at christenings a gift is given to the child.

Tipping
As a rule, there is no tipping in Iceland (including taxi, hotel and restaurant services). Some exceptions are made, such as for fishing guides.

Dining
Cuisine in the larger hotels and restaurants is similar to European cooking. Raw materials are excellent. There are many species of freshwater and saltwater fish. The most common meats are lamb, pork, beef, poultry and game birds such as ptarmigan, goose and sea birds. Considerable quantities of vegetables are raised in greenhouses warmed with geothermally-heated water. There are a number of traditional Icelandic foods, smoked lamb, singed sheeps heads and meat soup with vegetables. Dried-fish or cured shark meat are sometimes served as appetizers. Skyr (similar to yogurt) with sugar, cream and sometimes blueberries is a popular dessert. Beer and soft drinks are produced in Iceland, but wine is mostly imported.
=>> More on Icelandic food.

Languages
Icelandic is the national language. Most people in Iceland speak some foreign language. English is most common, but many speak Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, German or French.
=>> More on the Icelandic language.

Adapted from "Iceland - The New Millenium Series", Carol Nord ehf, Reykjavík 2000.