10 DANISH HOLIDAYS WE LOVE: One Year of Holidays in Denmark Explained
#Denmark #Danmark #DanishCulture
In this @RobeTrotting video, we take you through a year of Danish holidays and traditions. We focus on the Danish holidays and traditions that are unique and different for us as expats living in Denmark.
New Years Eve comes with a fixed schedule across the country – queen’s speech at 18h, a long dinner, then shortly before midnight everyone watches “90th Birthday Party”. Midnight traditions include jumping off of the couch and lots of fireworks.
Fastelavn is like a Danish version of Carnival to mark the start of lent, like a kids-oriented blend of Halloween and Mardi Gras. The most famous tradition is to slå katten af tønden or knock the cat out of the barrel. This is basically a Danish pinata, with candy inside for kids to knock out.
As Americans in Denmark, our favorite part of Fastelaven is the pastries!
Easter is next, and compared to other parts of Europe, Easter is relatively low-key in Denmark – people may go to church, but you don’t see the public passions like in other countries. Like most Danish holidays it is centered around booze like Påskebrygs and snaps.
The Queen’s Birthday is worth mentioning, but not a day off of work. Traditionally people will go to Amalienborg to sing to the Queen on her birthday – April 16th and all Royal birthdays are celebrated with Danish flags all over the country, from buildings to buses.
Great Prayer Day or Store Bededag in Danmark was first established under Christian V in 1686 to consolidate some minor saint days as part of the Reformation. Basically, he wanted to reduce the number of saint days in the spring, and move away from the old Catholic calendar. Great Prayer day also starts the Spring holiday season where we get 3 long weekends in April and May with Ascension and Whit Monday.
Labor Day is on 1May, and trade unions have the day as a holiday, but typically not white-collar workers (even though most are in a union)
May 5th is Liberation Day, marking the end of the German occupation of Denmark during WW2. But the celebration comes the night before. At 8:35pm on May 4th, the BBC broadcasted that German forces in Denmark had surrendered, effective the next day, but Danes could not wait a day to celebrate after 5 years of occupation. Danes still place candles in their windows every year on the evening of May 4th to commemorate the liberation.
Constitution Day on 5 June marks the signing of Denmark’s first constitution in 1849 and the most recent one in 1953.
Sankt Hans Day is in June and is Denmark’s version of Midsummer. Sankt Hans is the Danish name of John the Baptist and the memorable part of the tradition is a giant bonfire on a beach or lakeshore with the effigy of a witch – and burning the witch sends them back to a witch meeting on the Brocken in Germany
Christmas in Denmark is called Jule and it’s fantastic. Even though there aren’t any legal holidays between June and December, a lot is going on in Denmark. There are festivals and music events along with other traditions.
Christmas markets and street decorations are a big part of Juletime in Denmark. Danes celebrate with their family on 24 December, which is different for us.
CHAPTERS:
0:00 – Intro
0:38 – New Year’s Eve (Nytår)
2:48 – Fastelavn
4:21 – Easter (Påske)
5:29 – Queen’s Birthday
6:28 – Great Prayer Day (Store Bededag)
7:45 – Labor Day (Arbejdernes Kampdag)
8:23 – Liberation Day (Danmarks Befrielse)
9:01 – Constitution Day (Grundlovsdag)
10:38 – Sankt Hans Aften
11:45 – Summer and Fall festivals
12:39 – Christmas (Jul)
14:20 – Final Thoughts
Nytårsaften Speech – Det Danske Kongehus
Fastelavn – Unknown author unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Politken Headline – Randers Library,
Grundlov, Dinner for One – Constantin Hansen, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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