Þjóðhátíð: Part III

Þjóðhátíð: Part III

I didn't find myself at the festival grounds until just before midnight.  Guess I wasn't much interested in the music after all or tired from the Eldfell hike.  But at midnight, I find the crowd huge.  And like me, all anticipating the grand fireworks to begin at midnight.   I walkt over to the beer tent first, and found that it wouldn't be open until midnight!  My watch said it's about 20 minutes before.  The German waiting there was disgusted and that rubbed off.  I wandered off to the main stage and here again, families with kids and infants in prams, and every age above that.  This was still a family-oriented crowd, and to keep things traditional, not a few stumbling about and tripping over themselves truly wasted.  Lots of Icelandic sweaters and lots lots more in fluorescent orange overalls like fishermen or firemen might wear, and I regret not asking why.

It was a long while before I wised up to why so many children were up past bedtime with their parents in tow, waiting for the fireworks to begin.  Hazard a guess yourself?  It doesn't get dark enough for fireworks until after midnight.  Walking over to the festival ground at 11:30, it was still too bright a twilight and it didn't register as too bright for fireworks.

I described the festival grounds as being in a natural amphitheatre, surrounded on three sides by enormously high slopes and higher cliffs above them.  Tonight I noticed a LOT more persons up there above The Wall.  Tiny dots of orange in the growing darkness.  Way high.  Way way high.  I didn't get it.  Hazard another guess?  

Promptly at midnight the first Roman candles were lit and the crowd roared in delight, and then the major fireworks were shot high into the air.  They actually didn't seem to go above the height of the cliffs, so the fireworks were contained in this bowl.  Three or more things notable.  Those person high high high on the slopes had this most excellent view of the fireworks.  They were exploding right in front of them! not above them!  They probably felt as if they were inside the explosions! WOW!  How bloody cool is that!?  

Secondly, the explosions as I said were completely inside the bowl of the festival grounds, so to triple the fun, we had massive echoes.  First the bomb blast of the firework, then immediately, the echo off the cliff behind, then the more MASSIVE echo on the cliffs behind us.  To be honest, it was scary at times, because it outdid any thunderstorm I'd ever been in ten-fold, AND, won't all that vibration cause a boulder to cleave off and roll and bounce down?  (I worry way too much.  Þor, God of Icelandic Thunder, save me or crush me with a tumbling boulder and get it over with.)   

I didn't want it to end, no one did of course, and it was just like fireworks at home, a constant finale and huge cheers from the crowd.  WE ALL LOVED IT!!! and screamed our delight and appreciation and clapped and whistled forever when it ended.  And so, there's an encore!  Wow!  Where does that happen?  Such a teasing!  I always feel I might be exaggerating, so let me just say honestly, that after the encore and a nice finish with excellent Roman candles and then lots of yells and whistling of appreciation again, we had another encore.  Did they know how to keep us enthralled or what?!

When I think about that evening or rather, early morning at Þjóðhátíð, what is the one thing that keeps me excited having experienced it?  The impossibly massive echoing through your bones thunder.  You can't record it, photograph it, describe it.  Through your bones shuddering crashing hide for dear life thunder.  True awe.