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The Capital of Danish Jokes Posted by on Jan 31, 2016 in Uncategorized

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Compared to Copenhageners, people from Århus speak in a slower and less ”singsong” way – maybe that’s why they have always been popular in jokes? Photo from Den Gamle By/The Old Town in Århus. (Courtesy of Erik Cleves Kristensen at Flickr, CC License.)

Danes love a good vittighed (joke) – especially about themselves… 🙂 Like in other countries, people i byerne (in the cities) make fun of people på landet (in the countryside) – and the other way around, I can assure you! 🙂 As you’re probably aware, in Denmark there’s a constant West vs. East ”mockery battle” going on between the Jylland (Jutland) peninsula and the capital København (Copenhagen). It’s maybe not so strange, then, that jokes about the people of Jutland’s ”capital” – Århus – have been really popular throughout the country (of course also among the århusianere themselves!) Here are a few ”århushistorier” (Århus stories); feel free to add your own favourites in the comments section! 🙂

– Hvorfor tager århusianerne pænt tøj på når det lyner? (Why are the Aarhusians putting on nice clothes whenever there’s lightning?)
– De tror de skal fotograferes! (They think they are going to be photographed!)

– Hvorfor har århusianerne stiger med når de går på indkøb? (Why are the Aarhusians bringing ladders when they are shopping?)
– Fordi priserne er så høje. (Because the prices are so high.)

– Hvorfor er børnesengene så høje i Århus? (Why are the children’s beds so high in Århus?)
– Så kan de bedre høre når børnene falder ud. (Then they can better hear when the kids are falling out.)

– Ved du hvad der står på skiltene ved en århusiansk rundkørsel? (Do you know what the signs at an Århus roundabout say?)
– Max tre omgange! (No more than three rounds!)

– Hvorfor tager århusianerne en bildør med ud i ørkenen? (Why are the Aarhusians bringing a car door to the desert?)
– Så kan de rulle vinduet ned når det bliver for varmt! (Then they can roll down the window when it gets too hot!)
–  Hvorfor tager de så to bildøre med ud i ørkenen? (But why do they bring two car doors to the desert?)
– Så kan de rulle begge vinduer ned og få gennemtræk! (Then they can roll down both windows and get a draught!)

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About the Author: Bjørn A. Bojesen

I was born in Denmark, but spent large parts of my childhood and study years in Norway. I later returned to Denmark, where I finished my MA in Scandinavian Studies. Having relatives in Sweden as well, I feel very Scandinavian! I enjoy reading and travelling, and sharing stories with you! You’re always welcome to share your thoughts with me and the other readers.


Comments:

  1. Kevin:

    Hello! I enjoy reading the blog but I was wondering if the following phrase is correct:

    – Hvorfor tager århusianerne pænt tøj på når det lyner? (Why are the Aarhusians putting on nice clothes whenever it is lightening?)

    In English, it is more normal to say “… whenever there’s lightning” rather than whenever it is lightening.

    • Bjørn A. Bojesen:

      @Kevin @Kevin
      Thanks for pointing this out! 🙂 English is not my native language, so sometimes errors do pop up… I’ll fix it ASAP. The Danish phrase, however, is correct… ”at lyne” is a verb rather than a noun (which is ”lyn”), and often when describing the weather the verb is indeed used…

  2. Isabella:

    That hits the target pecrlftey. Thanks!