13 Yule Lads come to town to herald Icelandic Christmas

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13 Yule Lads come to town to herald Icelandic Christmas

2018-12-12 20:37 Last Updated At：20:50

The people of northern Iceland have had their travel plans disrupted with a record high snowfall this December. Roads have been shut, flights cancelled and school suspended.

But for the children of this isolated North Atlantic island nation, the main worry is how the waist-high snow might affect the Icelandic Santa, Stekkjastaur, who comes to town Wednesday.

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Local actors playing Iceland's infamous Yule Lads drag each other for "the first bath of the year" at the geothermal nature lagoon by Lake Myvatn, north Iceland, Saturday Dec. 8, 2018. Instead of a friendly Santa Claus, children in Iceland enjoy favors from 13 mischievous troll brothers called the Yule Lads who arrive from the mountains thirteen days before Christmas (AP PhotoEgill Bjarnason)

The people of northern Iceland have had their travel plans disrupted with a record high snowfall this December. Roads have been shut, flights cancelled and school suspended.

This photo taken Saturday Dec. 8, 2018, shows letters sent to Santa Claus. Instead of a friendly Santa Claus, children in Iceland enjoy favors from the brothers, who arrive from the mountains 13 days before Christmas. Yule Lads have also taken on the responsibility of replying to letters addressed to Santa Claus, their foreign colleague. (AP PhotoEgill Bjarnason)

Instead of a friendly Santa Claus, children in Iceland enjoy favors from the brothers, who arrive from the mountains 13 days before Christmas. They have names like Door-Slammer, Window-Peeper, Meat-Hook, Candle-Stealer.

Local actors at the Dimmuborgir lava field in northern Iceland on Saturday Dec. 8, 2018, pose as the Icelandic Yule Lads, a band of mischievous troll brothers that have taken the role of Father Christmas. Instead of a friendly Santa Claus, children in Iceland enjoy favors from 13 mischievous troll brothers that arrive from the mountains thirteen days before Christmas. (AP PhotoEgill Bjarnason)

A local actor at the Dimmuborgir lava field in northern Iceland on Saturday Dec. 8, 2018, poses as part of the Icelandic Yule Lads, a band of mischievous troll brothers that have taken the role of Father Christmas. Instead of a friendly Santa Claus, children in Iceland enjoy favors from 13 mischievous troll brothers that arrive from the mountains thirteen days before Christmas. (AP PhotoEgill Bjarnason)

A local actor at the Dimmuborgir lava field in northern Iceland on Saturday Dec. 8, 2018, posing as the Icelandic Yule Lads, a band of mischievous troll brothers that have taken the role of Father Christmas. Instead of a friendly Santa Claus, children in Iceland enjoy favors from 13 mischievous troll brothers that arrive from the mountains thirteen days before Christmas. (AP PhotoEgill Bjarnason)

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The people of northern Iceland have had their travel plans disrupted with a record high snowfall this December. Roads have been shut, flights cancelled and school suspended.

Instead of a friendly Santa Claus, children in Iceland enjoy favors from the brothers, who arrive from the mountains 13 days before Christmas. They have names like Door-Slammer, Window-Peeper, Meat-Hook, Candle-Stealer.

Local actors at the Dimmuborgir lava field in northern Iceland on Saturday Dec. 8, 2018, pose as the Icelandic Yule Lads, a band of mischievous troll brothers that have taken the role of Father Christmas. Instead of a friendly Santa Claus, children in Iceland enjoy favors from 13 mischievous troll brothers that arrive from the mountains thirteen days before Christmas. (AP PhotoEgill Bjarnason)

A local actor at the Dimmuborgir lava field in northern Iceland on Saturday Dec. 8, 2018, poses as part of the Icelandic Yule Lads, a band of mischievous troll brothers that have taken the role of Father Christmas. Instead of a friendly Santa Claus, children in Iceland enjoy favors from 13 mischievous troll brothers that arrive from the mountains thirteen days before Christmas. (AP PhotoEgill Bjarnason)

A local actor at the Dimmuborgir lava field in northern Iceland on Saturday Dec. 8, 2018, posing as the Icelandic Yule Lads, a band of mischievous troll brothers that have taken the role of Father Christmas. Instead of a friendly Santa Claus, children in Iceland enjoy favors from 13 mischievous troll brothers that arrive from the mountains thirteen days before Christmas. (AP PhotoEgill Bjarnason)

He is one of 13 mischievous troll brothers, called the Yule Lads, who have entertained and also frightened Icelandic children for hundreds of years.

Instead of a friendly Santa Claus, children in Iceland enjoy favors from the brothers, who arrive from the mountains 13 days before Christmas. They have names like Door-Slammer, Window-Peeper, Meat-Hook, Candle-Stealer.

To children in the region, their arrival marks the countdown to December 24, when Icelanders celebrate Christmas.

Poland's prime minister celebrates after his party wins a string of cities in mayoral votes

2024-04-22 22:18 Last Updated At：22:20

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk expressed satisfaction on Monday after a series of candidates supported by his party won weekend races for mayor.

Candidates from his pro-European Union centrist Civic Coalition, or running with the party's backing, won in a series of cities in the second round of local elections held on Sunday, among them Krakow, Poznan, Wroclaw and Rzeszow.

“It is very difficult to clearly say who won and who lost,” Tusk said Monday. “But if we compare these results, especially in the most attractive places, on these attractive battlefields ... then I actually have reasons for satisfaction.”

“Law and Justice has simply disappeared in many places,” Tusk added at a news conference, referring to the main opposition party.

The results put Civic Coalition in a favorable position as the country looks next to elections to the European Parliament on June 9.

Mayors were chosen in a total of 748 cities and towns where no single candidate won at least 50% of the vote during the first round on April 7.

Candidates for Tusk’s party also recaptured cities where they had not held power for many years, including Zielona Gora, Legnica and Torun.

The local and regional elections were viewed as a test for Tusk's pro-European Union government four months after it took power at the national level. Sunday's second round strengthened the Tusk government's leverage in the cities, which should facilitate cooperation on development projects and allotment of EU funds.

Tusk's allies also won in some places in the first round two weeks ago, including in Warsaw, where incumbent Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski was an easy victor.

In the first round, the right-wing Law and Justice, prevailed on the level of regional assemblies in the country's 16 provinces, where it took 34.3% of the votes, while Tusk's Civic Coalition got 30.6%. Law and Justice governed on the national level from 2015-23.

Tusk’s socially liberal Civic Coalition traditionally has strong support in cities, while Law and Justice has a more solid base in conservative rural areas, particularly in eastern Poland.

Civic Coalition is the largest group in a three-party coalition that governs the EU nation of 38 million people. The coalition is pro-European Union but otherwise spans a wide ideological spectrum with left-wing politicians in the Left party as well as conservatives in the Third Way.

13 Yule Lads come to town to herald Icelandic Christmas

ENT

13 Yule Lads come to town to herald Icelandic Christmas

The people of northern Iceland have had their travel plans disrupted with a record high snowfall this December. Roads have been shut, flights cancelled and school suspended.

Instead of a friendly Santa Claus, children in Iceland enjoy favors from the brothers, who arrive from the mountains 13 days before Christmas. They have names like Door-Slammer, Window-Peeper, Meat-Hook, Candle-Stealer.

The people of northern Iceland have had their travel plans disrupted with a record high snowfall this December. Roads have been shut, flights cancelled and school suspended.

Instead of a friendly Santa Claus, children in Iceland enjoy favors from the brothers, who arrive from the mountains 13 days before Christmas. They have names like Door-Slammer, Window-Peeper, Meat-Hook, Candle-Stealer.

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