Three Interesting Culture in Iceland

Iceland is the next country I want to explore. Here are 3 interesting culture in Iceland that is worth to look at:

1. There are no surnames or family names in Iceland

There are exceptions to this. There are a few family names in Iceland, mostly Danish. Some of them have lasted for decades but these family names are not that common and mostly originate from foreigners marrying into an Icelandic family.

For the majority of Icelanders people have a last name that is comprised from their father's (or mother's) first name with the addition of -dóttir (-daughter) or -son. F.ex. my father's first name is Gunnar, so my last name is Gunnarsdóttir (Gunnar's daughter). This means that a member of a family will have a different last name to both of their parents and their siblings of a different gender. Women also do not change their name when they get married (because they obviously don't become the 'son' of their husband's father).

This also means we call everyone by their first name, be it our teachers, our doctors, Björk (Guðmundsdóttir), Eiður Smári (a footballer known as his last name 'Gudjohnsen' abroad) or our former president Vigdís (Finnbogadóttir).

2. Parents leave their babies sleeping outside

It's a common sight to see mothers or fathers meeting up with their friends in cafés and catching up on the latest gossip. But they will sometimes leave their baby in the pram outside the café, where they can watch it through the window. That way the baby won't wake up from the hustle and bustle of the café - and the fresh air will do it good. Not to worry, it's perfectly safe.
There is hardly any crime in Iceland, at least not knife and gun crime (corrupt bankers are a different story). Not even policemen carry guns. A Brazilian friend pointed out to me that the difference to Brazil is that there are no policemen in Icelandic banks - instead they are in the alcohol shops.

3. Former Reykjavík Mayor Jón Gnarr

If you haven't heard or read anything about Jón Gnarr do so. This former comedian/actor/punk rocker that until shortly was Reykjavík's mayor formed The Best Party in 2009 and maybe-not-so surprisingly won the elections in 2010, defeating the established Independence party led government.
Since then he has been featured and written about all over the world, for his eccentric and fun style and mainly because he always dresses up in drag for Gay Pride. Jón had no background in politics when he became mayor. The picture of him at the top was taken after his pool jump campaign, which you can see in the video below.