{"id":1326,"date":"2015-12-18T11:33:58","date_gmt":"2015-12-18T11:33:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/danish\/?p=1326"},"modified":"2021-04-11T19:24:22","modified_gmt":"2021-04-11T19:24:22","slug":"christmas-preparations-in-denmark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/danish\/2015\/12\/18\/christmas-preparations-in-denmark\/","title":{"rendered":"Christmas Preparations in Denmark"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Copenhagen Street decorated for jul! (Photo courtesy of at Comrade Foot at Flickr<\/a>, Creative Commons license.)<\/p><\/div>\n

Sikken voldsom tr\u00e6ngsel og alarm! \/ Det er koldt og man m\u00e5 g\u00e5 sig varm!<\/b> (What a tremendous crowd and commotion! \/ It\u2019s cold and you have to \u201dwalk yourself warm\u201d.) This 1848 hit ballad (by Peter Faber) is still sung by Danes during julen<\/b> (Christmas) \u2013 probably because its description of travle mennesker<\/b> (busy people) in the julegader<\/b> (Christmas streets) is totally up to date! Dagene er korte<\/b> (days are short) in Denmark now, and soon it\u2019s 24. december<\/b> and juleaften<\/b> (Christmas Eve)! Har du k\u00f8bt alle dine gaver?<\/b> (Have you bought all your presents?) Skynd dig<\/b> (hurry up) \u2013 or butikkerne<\/b> (the shops) will be empty! \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

Of course, buying julegaver <\/b>(Christmas gifts) for your venner<\/b> og<\/b> familie <\/b>is only one part of alle forberedelserne<\/b> (all the preparations) inden jul <\/b>(before Christmas)! Way before december<\/b> many Danes have been busy with the activity known as \u201dat pynte til jul<\/b>\u201d (to decorate for Christmas). In streets, shops and private hjem<\/b> [yemm] (homes) you\u2019ll find everything from red-capped nisser<\/b> (Scandinavian pixies or \u201dmini-Santas\u201d) to granguirlander<\/b> [grahn-gearLANDor] (spruce festoons), julelys<\/b> (Christmas lights, candles) and h\u00e5ndflettede julehjerter<\/b> (hand-braided Christmas hearts). And from the 1st<\/sup> till the 24th<\/sup> of December b\u00f8rn<\/b> (children) \u2013 and some voksne<\/b> (adults)! \u2013 are busy keeping up to date with a heap of julekalendere<\/a><\/b> (Christmas\/Advent calendars): gift calendars, chocolate calendars, televison calendars, kalenderlys <\/b>(calendar candles)\u2026<\/p>\n

Between all the julefrokoster<\/a><\/b> (Christmas \u201dlunch\u201d parties, where you eat, play games and drink with friends and kollegaer<\/b>) you also have to find time for julereng\u00f8ringen<\/b> (the Christmas cleaning). This is the time when your lost USB drive magically reappears from underneath your sofa! \ud83d\ude42 People who write julekort<\/b> (Christmas cards) must hurry up to mail them inden det er for sent <\/b>(before it\u2019s too late) \u2013 or resort to a desperate last-minute e-mail<\/b> fight!<\/p>\n

Juleaften<\/b> is h\u00f8jdepunktet<\/b> (the culmination) of the Christmas period in Denmark. For many people, preparing julemaden<\/b> (the Christmas food) takes a lot of time as well \u2013 whether your meal-of-choice is and <\/b>(duck), g\u00e5s <\/b>(goose),\u00a0 kalkun <\/b>(turkey) <\/b>or fl\u00e6skesteg <\/b>(roast pork)! When juletr\u00e6et<\/b> (the Christmas tree) has been pyntet<\/b> (decorated) and the small stearinlys<\/b> (stearin candles) on its grene<\/b> (branches) have been lit, and familien er samlet<\/b> (the family is gathered), then, finally, there is a chance that julefreden s\u00e6nker sig<\/b> (\u201dChristmas Peace descends\u201d)!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Sikken voldsom tr\u00e6ngsel og alarm! \/ Det er koldt og man m\u00e5 g\u00e5 sig varm! (What a tremendous crowd and commotion! \/ It\u2019s cold and you have to \u201dwalk yourself warm\u201d.) This 1848 hit ballad (by Peter Faber) is still sung by Danes during julen (Christmas) \u2013 probably because its description of travle mennesker (busy…<\/p>\n

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