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How to hiccup like a Dane… Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Feb 20, 2013
A non-Dane once left a Danish language course in Copenhagen just a wee bit frustreret (frustrated): How was he ever going to learn a language where you didn’t know whether you were crying mor! (mother!) or mord! (murder!)? However, there is a difference between the two words (and it’s not the d, which in this case is silent)! The first one is pronounced…
Buns Up Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Feb 10, 2013
It’s fastelavn [fast-eh-LAOON]! Last year I told you about this fun tradition, where children all over Denmark klæder sig ud (dress up) and pound a hanging barrel with a bat until the slik (candy) comes out. (This is called at slå katten af tønden, which roughly means ”beating the cat out of the barrel”. People say that many years ago, there used…
Danish Dialects Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Jan 31, 2013
Denmark is so small you can hide it from a standard-size globe with the tip of your finger. Railways and motorveje (motorways, freeways) crisscross the country, and besides Bornholm and a few other øer (islands), there are really no places where groups of people can live in isolation and become, let’s say, special! 🙂 (Sorry, Bornholmers, I couldn’t resist…)…
10 Danish Mountains You Should Climb Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Jan 20, 2013
One of the first things you’ll notice when going by train or bus in Denmark, is how extremely flat the country is. There are no mountains, only a few hills. The only klipper (rocks) are located on the island of Bornholm, between Sweden and Poland. The rest of Denmark is fladt som en pandekage (flat as a pancake). (Admitted, the Netherlands…
Let’s make frikadeller! Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Jan 9, 2013
Sikke et møgvejr! [SEKeh et MOYvare] What a cr*p weather! The days right now are cold, dark, grey and snowless in Denmark. Fortunately, people here are world champions in the noble art of hygge. The clue is to find de indre glæder (the inner pleasures), and enjoy yourself in the jolly company of others. Let’s open et par øller (a couple…
New Year’s Resolutions in Danish Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Dec 31, 2012
As 2012 is slipping away, it’s time to set the record straight for 2013! 🙂 Many people are making nytårsforsætter (et nytårsforsæt in the singular), or New Year’s resolutions, about things to improve or achieve during the upcoming year. I asked some family members and friends about their nytårsforsætter: at leve sundt (to live healthy) at begynde at træne (to start…
How To Make A Danish Christmas Star Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Dec 25, 2012
What you’ll need: a saks (pair of scissors) four papirstrimler (strips of paper), about 1 cm broad and 30 cm long a string (to hang it) How to do it: 1. Fold each strip in the exact middle (so that it closes like a book). 2. Braid all four strips so that the folded ends ”lock” each…