A rundown of festive TV & radio treats

KvF is opening a treasure chest of twinkling entertainment for the holiday season, including traditional music, special documentaries and festive cuisine.

Although the programmes are in Faroese, even those with limited Faroese language proficiency will get a taste of the cultural experience of Christmas in the Faroes.

Radio highlights

The ever-popular phone-in with Santa returns on Christmas Eve, bringing festive cheer to little ears as children get to chat with the big man in red after the 10am news.

Jólamaðurin GMF

Equally popular are the funny and touching Christmas telegrams from Faroese expats abroad, starting at 1pm.

The Christmas Eve schedule (further details below) continues with a Christmas concert by the symphony orchestra followed by the traditional Yuletide chat with the bishop.

The evening kicks off with a nostalgic journey through time with popular Christmas carols and timeless holiday classics.

At midnight, enjoy a spiritual journey with the midnight mass at the Mariukirkjan catholic church.

Mariukirkjan, Katólska kirkjan, fransiskanarasystrar,

Caption: 

Mariukirkjan

The Christmas Day and Boxing Day schedule is also filled with festive delights, including concerts by various choirs and a programme with 12 new hymns by local composers.

This will be topped off with the traditional Boxing Day Faroese chain dance.

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TV highlights

The festivities begin tonight at 7.25pm with a Christmas edition of the popular ‘Foytar greyðir’ ('Great stuff') cooking show, a charming and lighthearted take on Faroese cuisine.

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On Christmas Eve, enjoy a special church service from Rituvík church, which celebrates its 150th birthday this year.

The afternoon is for the children, with the popular ‘Meðan vit bíða’ (‘While we wait’), featuring music, cartoons and other festive entertainment for the little ones.

Christmas Day begins with a live church service from Tórshavn’s cathedral at 10.30am.

At 7pm, watch the ‘Grindabitar’ (‘A Taste of Whale’) documentary by French director Vincent Kelner exploring the realities and complexities of whaling in the Faroes.

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This is followed by ‘Mýrarnar tala’ (‘The Marshes Speak’), a special documentary about the old Faroese tradition of peat cutting.

Next up is the popular ‘Jól við Løkin’ Christmas concert in Runavík.

These are just some of the highlights for the holiday season. See the full radio schedule here and the TV schedule here.

Read the Faroese version of this article here.

English version by prosa.fo.

More Faroese News in English.