Icelanders spend more than a billion krónur (USD 9.1 million, EUR 8.5 million) a year on confirmations, RÚV reports. Those either take place in church, where teens affirm their Christian belief, or they can be a civil ceremony, which is a secular alternative .
Confirmation gifts can vary from headphones to TV sets. Large cakes, traditionally served at confirmation parties, have been replaced by popcorn, ice cream and fruits this year.
About 80 percent of Icelandic teens are confirmed, either in church or at a civil ceremony. If a party is given for each teen at the cost of ISK 200,000, that brings the cost of the parties to ISK 660 million (USD 6 million, EUR 5.6 million), and if the gifts each teen receives amount to a total of ISK 200,000, that’s another ISK 660 million.
About 70 percent of teens are confirmed by the national church, which charges ISK 20,000 (USD 182, EUR 170) for the ceremony. That brings the national church an income of ISK 55 million, while the civil ceremony turns in about ISK 14 million for Siðmennt.
All of the above does not include the cost of clothing, photographing and haircuts, which all add up.
