It’s the most wonderful time of the year…

As the first winter chills set in, the International Staff Office starts buzzing about Christmas. With so many different cultures represented, we have a lot of unique ways to celebrate the season. We love sharing these traditions, and even among Danes, there are many ways of celebrating the holiday.

December marks the first month of winter in Denmark and with that comes colder temperatures, less sunlight, too much snow or too little snow, and slippery roads. But if there is one thing Danes excel at, it’s creating hygge and making the best of the brisk winter weather. In December, Danes go all in on Christmas hygge, filling the month with traditions and activities for all to enjoy.

To get a good overview of many of the Christmas festivities in Aarhus, have a look at the guide at aarhusinside.dk. If you’re located on Sjælland you can get a nice overview of the Christmas activities around Copenhagen here. For those staff members located near Herning Campus, see this page for fun December activities. Finally, if you live near Viborg, then you can see where to enjoy the Christmas atmosphere here.   

In this article we will take you through a Danish December and introduce some of the December traditions such as the countdown to Christmas Eve, how Danes celebrate Christmas Eve and whether Danes really ‘jump into the new year’ on New Years Eve. You can also learn more Danish Christmas traditions by following our Facebook page, where we ‘ll be posting many fun December traditions throughout the month.

The countdown to Christmas Eve

December 1st marks the official beginning of Christmas, at least if you’re taking part in the countdown to Christmas. Well-known are the chocolate calendars available from early November in most grocery stores. But did you know that in many families, a nisse (Christmas elf) moves into the house and gives children a small present to open every day until Christmas Eve? These gifts are called kalendergaver (calendar gifts). The nisse can also get up to mischief, playing small pranks throughout December, similar to the American ‘Elf on the Shelf.’

Kalendergaver can also be given on each of the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, in which case they are referred to as advent gifts.

In traditional Danish hygge-style, Danes also like to light a kalender lys (calendar candle). A kalender lys is a candle marked with the 24 days of Christmas, and you burn a little bit of the candle each day up until Christmas. Some will also have an advent wreath, which has four candles. On this wreath a candle is lit every Sunday until Christmas Eve.

Many families have a juleklipsdag (Christmas craft day) early in December. On this day, they make Christmas crafts together, including the kalender lys decoration and the advent wreath. Some families also have a julebagedag (Christmas baking day) where they bake Christmas cookies or make julekonfekt (shaped marzipan, nougat, or dates with chocolate coating).

Danes also countdown to Christmas on TV. In December, there is a TV Christmas calendar series, which airs an episode each night from the 1^st to the 24^th of December. There are a few different calendar series depending on which TV station you like to watch. You can see a full list of the Christmas calendar series for this year here (the website is in Danish)

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve in Denmark is something very special, at least if you ask Danes. Christmas Eve is celebrated on the 24^th of December, and there are many traditions on that day, and they vary from family to family.

The country more or less shuts down on the 24^th of December so do plan ahead if you need to go grocery shopping or plan to catch the bus. Most shops are closed on the 24^th, and many busses stop running between 17.30-22.00 on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve day is often spent preparing the Christmas meal. Some families also attend a church service, and for the kids the 1958 Disney special "From All of Us to All of You" is shown on the TV in the afternoon.

The Christmas Eve menu

The Christmas meal often consists of roast duck (most popular), goose or pork. The duck is served with caramelized potatoes, red cabbage and gravy.  

The traditional dessert on Christmas Eve is Risalamande with cherry sauce. Risalamande is a type of rice pudding made of milk, rice, vanilla, almonds, and whipped cream. All but one of the almonds are cut into pieces and the person who finds the whole almond hidden in their serving gets a prize. This prize is called mandelgave (almond present) and is often a small marzipan pig. As you may have realised by now, Christmas is a horrible time to be on a diet.

Father Christmas arrives

Father Christmas, or Julemanden as he is known to in Danish, often visits homes with children in the late afternoon or evening on the 24^th. There’s no need for chimneys or middle-of-the-night magic. Julemanden usually knocks on the door and comes in for a visit and hands out presents to the children.

For those culturally mixed families, the visit from Julemanden may create a bit of a dilemma. Does he visit on the 24^th or on the 25^th? Or perhaps Julemanden visits children on this side of the world first, and then continues his journey through the night to other countries? The answer remains a mystery.

Dancing around the Christmas Tree

You may have heard that in Denmark, Danes dance around the Christmas tree. And it’s true, though it’s more of a gentle walk than a dance. It’s a tradition in Danish homes to hold hands and walk around the Christmas tree while singing carols or hymns. Many families have their own traditions about which carols to sing, who lights the candles on the tree, and some even run through the house holding hands while singing the carol “Nu er det jul igen” (Now, it’s Christmas again). After dancing around the Christmas tree, presents are opened.

The days in between Christmas and New Years Eve

While many people around the world celebrate Christmas on the 25^th, Danes spend the day relaxing, going for a walk or seeing family. The 25^th has become a big night out for many young people, so bars and clubs will be buzzing.

Many people will take the days in between Christmas and New Years Eve off from work. Some families host Christmas lunches during this time, and it is for many a time to relax and get ready for the final party of the year – New Years Eve.

New Years Eve

If this is your first year celebrating New Years Eve in Denmark brace yourself for lots of fireworks. In Denmark there is no need fight the crowds to see a firework display. You just look outside! Danes are allowed to light fireworks from December the 27^th  –  January the 1^st, and it can be purchased from December the 15^th  from shops like Silvan or Bilka. Whether you want to light a rocket or two, or just stand back and watch the show, it is highly recommended to wear safety protection glasses!

New Years Eve in Denmark is mostly celebrated among family or friends with a private party at someone’s house. While common in other countries, it is less common in Denmark to attend corporate organisations’ large New Years Eve parties. Most Danes like to dress up for the occasion meaning men often wear a jacket and tie, and women might wear a nice dress or a shirt (yes, freezing is part of the outfit).

The King’s Speech

The evening starts at 18.00 sharp with the national broadcast of King Frederik’s New Years Eve speech. Actually, you may want to turn on the TV just before 18.00 so you don’t miss the changing of guards in front of the palace. This is the first time King Frederik does the New Years Eve speech as he acceded the throne in January after Queen Margarets’s abdication. In his speech, the monarch summarises the year’s major political events, both global and local. Queen Margaret always ended the speech by saying: “Gud Bevare Danmark” (God save Denmark), and Danes will be curious to see if King Frederik continues that tradition.   

New Years Eve Menu

Then starts the dinner at the often overly decorated New Years Eve themed dinner table. Traditionally boiled cod with creamed kale and potatoes would be on the menu. However, many Danes come up with their own New Years Eve menu, and it has also become very popular to skip cooking and order a nice New Years Eve menu from a restaurant. However, it is a good idea to order your New Years Eve menu well in advance as restaurants and catering companies get very busy. Many restaurants will also be closed for normal service in the evening.

Kransekage

Closer to midnight Danes will serve ‘Kransekage’, a marzipan cake shaped in rings and stacked like a tower filled with Danish flags. The original name for this cake was Overflødighedshorn, which not even Danes can pronounce after a few glasses of champagne, so these days it is just referred to as kransekage. If you want to try kransekage most bakeries will have different sizes available during the next few months.

Nytårsløjer

Should you live in a neighbourhood with many kids, don’t be alarmed if you find your house wrapped in toilet paper or there’s confetti in your driveway. Kids like to make ‘nytårsløjer’ (New Year’s pranks) but not all kids know where to draw the line, so if you’re not celebrating at home you may want to ask your neighbour to keep an eye on your house for you.

“Same Procedure as Last Year, Miss Sophie?”

Before midnight, the Danish national broadcaster DR, shows a short film Dinner for One, known in Denmark as The 90^th Birthday.

The comedy centers on an older woman, who sits at a table with all empty seats. Her loyal butler James must fill in for her four departed friends - and that includes lots of drinks before every course. This black-and-white German sketch (in English) has aired every single year since 1980, and Danes love it!

Midnight traditions

Just as the countdown to midnight begins, all party guests turn on the TV to watch the live broadcast from City Hall Square in Copenhagen, where the bells ring 12 times at midnight. At this moment, many Danes follow the rather unusual tradition of getting on a chair, sofa, or anything above floor level and jumping down as the clock strikes midnight – literally ‘jumping into the New Year.’ It is seen as good luck so unless you have weak ankles, join the Danes and jump into the New Year at midnight.

After the bells ring, DR’s Pigekor (DR’s Girls’ Choir) will sing “Vær velkommen, Herrens år”, and a few other hymns. You may only be able to hear the first hymn before the fireworks show sets off outside. The fireworks normally last 30min to an hour depending on where you live.   

On January the 1^st Danes sleep in, finish their New Year resolutions, and eat leftovers. Most shops are closed on the day so make sure to have some frozen pizzas on hand.

We hope you’ll enjoy the month of December. No matter if or how you celebrate Christmas, December is cold and cozy and has lots to offer. If you want a taste of some of the Danish Christmas traditions, make sure you sign up to the International Staff Office Christmas Hygge on December the 7^th.

We hope to see you around!