Bolludagur, or "Cream Bun Day", is a holiday in Iceland associated with

Fastelavn Fastelavn is a Carnival tradition in the Northern European, and historically Lutheran, nations of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Latvia, Estonia, Iceland, Faroe Islands, as well as Greenland. The traditions of Fastelavn vary somewhat by country and by ...

, the carnival tradition before

Lent Lent (, 'Fortieth') is the solemn Christianity, Christian religious moveable feast#Lent, observance in the liturgical year in preparation for Easter. It echoes the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring Temptation of Christ, t ...

celebrated in Scandinavian countries. ''Bolludagur'' is celebrated on

Shrove Monday Shrove Monday (also known as Collopy Monday, Rose Monday, Merry Monday or Hall Monday) is part of the Shrovetide or Carnival observances and celebrations of the week before Lent, following Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday and preceding Shrove Tuesd ...

; the following days are ''Sprengidagur'' (on

Shrove Tuesday Shrove Tuesday (also known as Pancake Tuesday or Pancake Day) is the final day of Shrovetide, which marks the end of the pre-Lenten season. Lent begins the following day with Ash Wednesday. Shrove Tuesday is observed in many Christian state, Ch ...

), and ''Öskudagur'' (

Ash Wednesday Ash Wednesday is a holy day of prayer and fasting in many Western Christian denominations. It is preceded by Shrove Tuesday and marks the first day of Lent: the seven weeks of Christian prayer, prayer, Religious fasting#Christianity, fasting and ...

). The holiday derives from the Lutheran countries, particularly Denmark and Norway, and was brought to Iceland in the 19th century. It took a specifically Icelandic form in the middle of the 20th century, with children decorating a stick with colored paper and spanking their parents with it while demanding buns ("bolla, bolla, bolla!"). In return, the parents give the children cream buns. The ''Encyclopedia of Easter Celebrations Worldwide'' suggests that the tradition may be based on a Catholic liturgical element of the service at the beginning of Lent, when the priest would use a wand to sprinkle holy water on the congregation. The buns are sweet cream buns; the filling is cream and jam. The buns are topped with chocolate.

References

Icelandic cuisine Buns {{iceland-stub