On Saturday, November 16 at 5pm, the lights on the Yule Cat at Lækjartorg square will be switched on. Grýla, Leppalúði and the Svanurinn Brass Band will be on site to create a cozy and fun Christmas atmosphere.
The cat is about 5 meters tall, 6 meters wide, and illuminated with 6,500 LED lights. The Yule Cat was first installed in 2018 and has always attracted much attention from passersby. The Yule Cat's design is a collaboration between Reykjavík City, MK-illumination in Austria, and Garðlist.
The Yule Cat is one of the best-known Icelandic Yule spirits. It's enormous, as described in Jóhannes úr Kötlum's long poem about this monster said to eat those who don't get new clothes for Christmas. It's called "going to the Yule Cat" and it's best for both children and adults to avoid that grim fate, for example by earning at least one pair of socks. The Yule Cat is reminiscent of similar animal spirits in other Nordic countries and is related to them, such as the Yule Goat, which many Icelanders also know.
You all know of the Yule Cat,
– a feline vast and tall.
No one knew from whence he came
nor where he'd go at all.
He spread his glaring eyes so wide,
both glowing in the night.
– It wasn't easy for the meek
to gaze upon that sight.
Today, it's often claimed that the Yule Cat is the pet of Grýla and Leppalúði, but it's impossible to say whether it really lives with them or where it actually comes from. What's certain is that we can all help ensure no one ends up in the cat's jaws, if it even exists. Whatever the case, it lives on in folklore and poems that will hopefully continue to entertain – and frighten – us for years to come.
