{"id":1559,"date":"2017-06-23T13:45:58","date_gmt":"2017-06-23T13:45:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/danish\/?p=1559"},"modified":"2017-06-23T13:48:10","modified_gmt":"2017-06-23T13:48:10","slug":"danish-summer-weddings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/danish\/2017\/06\/23\/danish-summer-weddings\/","title":{"rendered":"Danish Summer Weddings"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(Photo courtesy of Andres Klinke Johannsen at Flickr<\/a>, CC License.)<\/p><\/div>\n

Mange danskere gifter sig om sommeren. <\/b>(Many Danes marry in the summer.) Having recently been a guest at a Danish bryllup<\/b> (wedding), I feel a bit more qualified to tell you about this tradition in Danmark<\/b>.<\/p>\n

Of course, it often starts with the classical question: Vil du gifte dig med mig?<\/b> (Wanna marry me?) Take care, though, so it doesn\u2019t get too awkward when you\u2019re practicing your Danish skills! \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

If the answer is ja <\/b>[ya!], <\/i>the two persons are now called forlovede<\/b> (engaged ones), since they\u2019re forlovet <\/b>(engaged). Each one often carries a forlovelsesring<\/b> (engagement ring). Since 2012 same-sex marriage has been allowed in Danish churches (and outside of churches it has been normal for a long time), so of course, the two persons aren\u2019t always one kvinde<\/b> (woman) and one mand<\/b> (man).<\/p>\n

A few weeks before festen<\/b> (the celebration), the (traditionally male) friends of brudgommen<\/b> (the bridegroom) surprise him and \u201dabduct\u201d him for a night of crazy activities that often include lots of drinking of alkohol<\/b>. The (traditionally female) friends of bruden<\/b> (the bride) do the same for her. This is the polterabend<\/b> (which is, strangely, a German word rarely used in modern German \u2013 meaning \u201dcrash evening\u201d, if I\u2019m not mistaken?) Polterabender<\/b> sometimes get so extreme that they merit their own post\u2026<\/p>\n

Bryllup!<\/b> Traditionally, a pr\u00e6st<\/b> (priest) viede<\/b> (married) brudeparret<\/b> (the bridal couple) in a kirke<\/b> (church). During the last decades, vielsen<\/b> (the wedding ceremony) is often led by a politiker<\/b> (politician) in a r\u00e5dhus <\/b>(town hall) or another non-religious place. This is a borgerlig vielse<\/b> (civil wedding), which is very popular, since many Danes don\u2019t believe in Gud<\/b> (God). Of course, in 2017, lots of couples also marry in a mosk\u00e9 <\/b>(mosque), a synagoge<\/b> or some other tempel<\/b>.<\/p>\n

No matter the ceremony, most people look forward to the moment when the couple receive their ring\/e<\/strong> (ring\/s) and may kysse hinanden<\/b> (kiss each other).<\/p>\n

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Ding ding ding!<\/em> If you want to hold a tale<\/strong> (speech) at a Danish wedding, grab the spoon and tap the wine glass gently. (Photo is public domain.)<\/p><\/div>\n

Then it\u2019s time to fejre<\/b> [fire] (celebrate). The bride and the groom\u2019s familiemedlemmer<\/b> (family members) gather at a nice place to eat, drink, laugh and say sk\u00e5\u00e5\u00e5l <\/b>(cheers!) G\u00e6sterne<\/b> (the guests) normally bring some kind of bryllupsgaver<\/b> (wedding gifts), which are very often things that can be useful in the couple\u2019s future life.<\/p>\n

An American guest at the wedding I was invited to, was surprised by the duration and amount of the taler<\/b> [TAA-lor] (speeches). From an American perspective, I guess, a Danish wedding might look quite “formal”. The speeches \u2013 by the couple\u2019s parents, for example \u2013 tend to be more subdued and lengthy than a typical American wedding speech (which I guess many Danes would find \u201dsuperficially emotional\u201d and filled with too many clich\u00e9d \u201dI love yous\u201d?)<\/p>\n

There are too many wedding traditions in Denmark to list them all, but here\u2019s a few:<\/p>\n