Archive for 'Traditions'
Making it as a woman in Denmark Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Mar 31, 2021
Did you celebrate kvindedagen (Women’s Day) on March 8th? This year, many people decided to turn all of marts (March) into a kvindemåned (Women’s Month) to highlight women’s achievements and ongoing struggle around verden (the world). For this month’s post my idea was to interview en dansk kvinde i et mandsdomineret miljø (a Danish woman…
Peter’s Christmas Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Dec 25, 2018
Jeg glæder mig i denne tid – nu falder julesneen hvid – så ved jeg, Julen kommer. (I’m happy in this season – now the Christmas snow is falling white – then I know, Christmas is coming.) So begins Peters Jul (Peter’s Christmas), an old children’s book that still colours the way Danes view Christmas……
Fun with Easter Eggs Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Mar 31, 2018
Påske [pawskeh] (Easter) in Denmark is usually a lot more laid-back than jul (Xmas). For many Danes, this welcome break from work is associated with nice little things like the coming of forår (Spring), påskeliljer (”Easter” daffodils), påskebryg (Easter beer) and the uniquely Danish tradition of scissor-cut gækkebrev letters (which I already wrote about). Still…
Cake Parties in Southern Jutland Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Jan 31, 2018
Sønderjylland – the southernmost part of Jutland – is known for its sønderjysk kaffebord (Southern Jutish ”coffee table”), a cake extravaganza made in heaven. I met two women with Sønderjylland roots, Ditte and Marie, for a talk about the unique tradition. M: Back in the day when the Prussians took over Sønderjylland, the Danes used…
Looking Back and Looking Forward Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Dec 31, 2017
Så blev der minsandten nytår igen! (Then it really became New Year again!) Nytårsaften (New Year’s Eve) is a time for looking back at året der gik (the year that went) as well as looking forward to det nye år (the new year). Let’s look in both directions in this post. 🙂 To recall something…
Happy Anniversaries and Stuff Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Oct 31, 2017
Life is full of anledninger (opportunities, occasions) to fejre (celebrate) – and also sometimes to sørge [serw-eh] (mourn). Here’s a small guide to help you choose some kind words for your Danish friends’ great life events. Let’s start with the sad part: When somebody has lost a loved one, a decent way of showing your…
Top 6 Danish Monsters Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Sep 29, 2017
There really are two Denmarks: There’s the urban country most tourists see, with street art and vegan restaurants. Then there’s an ancient land of moser (bogs), dybe skove (deep woods) and øde strande (empty shores). Trolde (trolls), nisser and hekse (witches) you’ve already met. Now say hello to these 6 creatures from Danish traditional folklore…