Ketkrókur - 23. desember

Now there are only two yulelads left and Ketkrókur is the other, his name means the one who wants to hook meat, especially the smoked meat that we eat at Christmas time. The meat had been hanging in the chimney over the pot where the cooking was done. On the 23rd it was a tradition to cook it and then Ketkrókur was up on the roof and put his hook down the chimney and tried to get the meat from the pot. Today it is still very common to cook the smoked meat on the 23rd which is named Þorláksmessa or the day of St. Thorlákur which is our Icelandic saint. This is the day when preparation for Christmas is finished, everything has to be ready at the end of the day.