Tag Archives: jul
Christmas Vocabulary Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Dec 24, 2016
Nu er det jul igen! (Now it’s Christmas again! – a line from a Danish Christmas song…) Few people are so crazy about jul (Christmas) as the Danes – maybe because it’s nice to have something to glæde sig til (look forward to/happily anticipate) in the dull Danish winter, where you never know if the…
Sing along, it’s jul! Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Dec 24, 2015
When learning languages, it’s a really good idea to SING! If the melody is really nice, the words will just etch themselves into your brain! 🙂 Forget about rules of grammar, forget about rules of pronunciation, just take it easy and sing along! Here are two danske julesange (Danish Christmas songs or carols) for you…
Christmas Preparations in Denmark Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Dec 18, 2015
Sikken voldsom trængsel og alarm! / Det er koldt og man må gå sig varm! (What a tremendous crowd and commotion! / It’s cold and you have to ”walk yourself warm”.) This 1848 hit ballad (by Peter Faber) is still sung by Danes during julen (Christmas) – probably because its description of travle mennesker (busy…
Sprites of Christmas Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Dec 25, 2014
If you go to Skandinavien in december, you’ll most certainly encounter little men (and women) with pointy røde huer (red caps) everywhere: In butikker (shops), in private homes, in fjernsynet (television). No, you’re not mad! Say hello to the nisser [NESSore]… The typical nisse looks like an old man with a langt, hvidt skæg (long…
Christmas Countdown! Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Nov 30, 2014
I dag er det første søndag i advent. (Today’s the first Sunday of Advent.) That means that there are still three Sundays left – og så er det jul (and then it’s Christmas)! Mange danske familier (many Danish families) celebrate this by lighting the first out of four stearinlys (stearin candles) on a special adventskrans (Advent…
Unwrapping the gifts of Christmas Posted by Bjørn A. Bojesen on Dec 30, 2013
Hvad fik du i julegave i år? (What did you get for Christmas this year?) Most Danes are crazy about giving & getting gaver (gifts). Too bad you can only celebrate fødselsdag (birthday) once a year. Heldigvis (fortunately), julen (”the Christmas”) is there to save every Dane from despair… During the December days leading up…
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…