| Icelandic National Day | |
|---|---|
 The national day procession inReykjavík June 17, 2007. | |
| Official name | Icelandic:Þjóðhátíðardagurinn |
| Date | 17 June |
| Next time | 17 June 2026 (2026-06-17) |
| Frequency | annual |
Icelandic National Day (Icelandic:Þjóðhátíðardagurinn, the day of the nation's celebration) is an annualholiday inIceland which commemorates thefoundation of The Republic of Iceland on 17 June 1944. This date also marks the end of Iceland's centuries-old ties with Denmark.[1] The date was chosen to coincide with the birthday ofJón Sigurðsson, a major figure ofIcelandic culture and the leader of the 19th-centuryIcelandic independence movement.[2]
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The formation of therepublic was based on a clause in the 1918Act of Union with Denmark, which allowed for a revision in 1943, as well as on the results of the1944 plebiscite.
Germanoccupation of Denmark meant that the revision of the Act of Union could not take place in 1943. However, the referendum on abolishing the monarchy went ahead in 1944 while Denmark was still occupied by Germany, and was overwhelmingly approved. At the time, the US military had taken over the defence ofIceland at Iceland's invitation, after being occupied by Britain in 1940. Although saddened by the results of the plebiscite,King Christian X sent a letter on 17 June 1944 congratulating Icelanders on the establishment of a republic.[citation needed]
Abolishing the monarchy resulted in little change to the Icelandic constitution, instances of "The King" simply being changed to "The President".[citation needed] Icelanders celebrated the severing of all formal ties with Denmark after centuries of sometimes difficult Danish rule. Iceland's national day was chosen as the birthday ofJón Sigurðsson who pioneered the early independence movement.Sveinn Björnsson became the country's first president.
Today, Icelanders celebrate this holiday on a national scale. The celebration traditionally takes the form of parades through each city, town, and village, usually with a brass band leading the way. Riders onIcelandic horses often precede the brass band, and a flag-bearing troop from the Icelandicscout movement traditionally follows the band. After the parade speeches are held out in the open, including one fromFjallkonan (the woman of the mountain), clad inSkautbúningur, who recites a poem. She represents the fierce spirit of the Icelandic nation and of Icelandic nature. In many ways this recalls the period ofromanticism that reigned when the first steps toward independence were taken. After the public speeches are over, less formal celebrations ensue, usually including a variety of musical performances.
