The present Doodle observes Iceland National Day, a yearly holiday commemorating the day in 1944 when the nation officially became a sovereign republic.
Festivities fall on June 17 in honor of the birthday of Jón Sigurðsson, an historian, philologist, and leader of Iceland’s 19th-century independence movement.
The Republic of Iceland was officially announced on this day in 1944 in Þingvellir, a city with great importance as it’s additionally where the country’s parliament was first settled in 930 A.D. Albeit now operating in the capital city of Reykjavík, Iceland’s parliament keeps on serving the country as the longest-running representative gathering on the world!
Festivities of freedom can be heard every National Day with bells that ring in harmony across Reykjavík. Their chimes echo into downtown’s Austurvöllur Square where a public poetry recital is performed by the Lady of the Mountain, an person chosen every year to represent Iceland’s supernatural natural landscape and feminine spirit. A day full of festivities traditionally follows this event, as Icelanders all through the world celebrate their cultural heritage and national pride in merriment.
Gleðilegan þjóðhátíðardag, Ísland!