{"id":2096,"date":"2021-12-24T07:12:40","date_gmt":"2021-12-24T07:12:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/danish\/?p=2096"},"modified":"2021-12-23T22:00:02","modified_gmt":"2021-12-23T22:00:02","slug":"christmas-in-denmark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/danish\/2021\/12\/24\/christmas-in-denmark\/","title":{"rendered":"Christmas in Denmark"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(Photo by Sofus Rose<\/a> from Pixabay<\/a>; no copyright.)<\/p><\/div>\n

Hurra, s\u00e5 er det jul!<\/strong> (Hooray, then it\u2019s Christmas!) For billions of people, that means gl\u00e6de<\/strong> (joy) and spending time with familien<\/strong> (the family). But what is special about the h\u00f8jtid<\/strong> (feast, literally \u2019high time\u2019) in Denmark?<\/p>\n

Jul<\/strong> [yool] is a very old tradition in Danmark<\/strong> \u2013 in fact, even the Vikings had a party this time of year! They called it j\u00f3l<\/em><\/strong> [yohl], and it was a celebration of vintersolhverv<\/strong> (winter solstice): From now on, the days would get longer. After the Viking Age, the ancient jul<\/strong> was replaced by a kristen fest<\/strong> (Christian festival) celebrating1<\/a><\/sup>Of course, many modern Danes celebrate Christmas even if they\u2019re not religious.<\/span> the birth of Jesus. But the name stuck! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Nisser<\/strong> also survive from ancient times. The little \u201dhobgoblins<\/a>\u201d with r\u00f8de huer<\/strong> (red caps) appear in Christmas decorations everywhere in Denmark. And some children put on nissehuer<\/strong> and become like nisser <\/strong>themselves. Julemanden<\/strong>, the Danish version of Santa Claus, is like a big version of a nisse.<\/strong> Julemanden <\/strong>brings en s\u00e6k med gaver <\/strong>(a sack full of gifts), saying things like: \u201dHo, ho, er der nogen s\u00f8de b\u00f8rn her?\u201d <\/strong>(Ho, ho, are there any kind children here?)<\/p>\n

Most of the presents, however, are placed under juletr\u00e6et<\/strong> (below the Xmas tree) on juleaften<\/strong> \u2013 Dec. 24th<\/span>. This is the big day of julen<\/strong> (the Xmas), where people eat julemad<\/strong> (Xmas food\/dinner<\/a>) and unwrap their gifts to hinanden<\/strong> (each other) later in the evening. The dinner typically consists of a main dish \u2013 g\u00e5s, and, kalkun eller fl\u00e6skesteg<\/strong> (goose, duck, turkey or pork) \u2013 served with for example r\u00f8dk\u00e5l <\/strong>(red cabbage) and brunede kartofler<\/strong> (caramelled potatoes). If you\u2019ve never tried risalamande<\/strong> [reesalamang] it\u2019s hard to explain what the dessert is \u2013 the dictionary says \u201dDanish rice pudding with almonds\u201d. And mandler<\/strong> (almonds) it certainly contains, including one hel mandel <\/strong>(whole almond). The lucky person who finds it in her\/his bowl, will receive a little mandelgave <\/strong>(\u201dalmond gift\u201d).<\/p>\n

Before getting to the presents, most Danes also g\u00e5r rundt om juletr\u00e6et<\/strong> (walk around the Xmas tree) while singing traditional julesange<\/strong> (Xmas carols). The tree is lavishly decorated \u2013 often with levende lys<\/strong> (lit candles, literally \u201dliving lights\u201d) and hand-made julepynt<\/strong> (Xmas decorations). A Danish favourite is det flettede julehjerte<\/strong> (the \u201dbraided\u201d Christmas heart<\/a>), said to have been invented by the famous writer H. C. Andersen in the 1850s.<\/p>\n

M\u00e5 alle dine \u00f8nsker g\u00e5 i opfyldelse!<\/strong> (May all your wishes come true!)<\/p>\n

Gl\u00e6delig jul og godt nyt\u00e5r!<\/strong><\/p>\n

(Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!)<\/p>\n