The Réttir day!

After the lambs are born in spring, farmers send the sheep into the mountains, where they spend the summer like wild animals, grazing freely. Our village has it own Skaftholtsréttir.

In September icelandic horseman and farmers ride into the mountains to collect the sheep. 

This activity is one of the Icelandic oldest cultural traditions where Icelandic sheep farmers invite friends and anyone who’s likes and is interested to help out. The sheep from their summer grazing period in the mountains and valleys.

On the day of Réttir the farmers run the sheep into réttir which is usually a circular. The sheep run into the middle of the sheepfold, right into the biggest section. Then we start to select them all.

How to select the sheep? You easily grab their horns, mount them and drag into the the right section. The way you recognize old sheep and lambs is by a special ear marking, Svenni knows most of them by their faces…

I would call Réttir really big festival in the area.

It involves lots of walking and horse riding also much celebration, with some traditional singing and dancing at the local ‘Réttaball’. All people from farms around show up with families also even with little children who try to drag the sheeps themselves.

We eat and drink well and bring our selected sheep home and that is how the circle continue.