Hrafnseyri revives traditional haymaking with annual event planned
Friday 14th August 2026 on 01:45 in
Iceland
Haymaking was carried out using traditional methods at Hrafnseyri, the birthplace of Jón Sigurðsson, last weekend, Morgunblaðið reported. Margrét Hallmundsdóttir, the site manager, hopes the event will become an annual tradition.
People from nearby communities gathered on Sunday in the Westfjords to see how hay was made before the Industrial Revolution introduced new methods. This was the second time the event had been held at Hrafnseyri in recent years, following last year’s gathering.
Sigurlaugur Ingólfsson from Árbæjarsafn and his wife, Ingibjörg, first gave a lecture on traditional haymaking, including the terms and expressions once used and other information about the work. Visitors were then shown how to use haymaking tools, including the orf and ljár, and how to rake. They also learned about the various implements used in earlier times.
“We have large fields here and a turf-roofed farmstead, and this is how hay was made across the country until around 1950,” Hallmundsdóttir said. “It is important to preserve this knowledge and show people the techniques. It is incredibly easy to forget.”
People of all ages attended, ranging from two-month-old twins to a visitor in their eighties. The event drew people from Súðavík, Þingeyri and Ísafjörður, among other places, in exceptionally favourable haymaking weather.
Other events are planned at Hrafnseyri through the autumn. A national costume service will be held next weekend in connection with a conference organised by the National Costume Association of Iceland in Ísafjörður and Hrafnseyri.
Lectures on whales will take place at Hrafnseyri on August 30. Biologists conducting research on whales in the Westfjords will participate.
A service will also be held later in the year to mark the 140th anniversary of Hrafnseyrarkirkja. The church has no electricity, so candles will be lit and the service will take place at dusk, recreating the atmosphere of earlier times. Hallmundsdóttir said last year’s service filled the church.