Bolludagur, or "Cream Bun Day", is a holiday in Iceland associated with
Fastelavn, the carnival tradition before
Lent
Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...
celebrated in Scandinavian countries. ''Bolludagur'' is celebrated on
Shrove Monday; the following days are ''Sprengidagur'' (on
Shrove Tuesday), 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 falls on the first day of Lent (the six weeks of penitence before Easter). It is observed by Catholics in the Rom ...
).
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 bun
Variations of cream buns or cream rolls exist all around the world. Typically they are made with an enriched dough bread roll that is split after baking and cooling and filled with cream.
Among the numerous international variations are the splits ...
s; the filling is cream and jam. The buns are topped with chocolate.
References
Icelandic cuisine
Buns
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