It’s the most wonderful time of the year…

In early November, us colleagues at the International Staff Office start talking about Christmas. We represent many different cultures in the office, so Christmas is celebrated in many ways and with various cultural traditions. We love talking about these different traditions. Even among Danes many different Christmas traditions exist.

December also marks the first month of winter in Denmark and with that comes colder temperatures, less sunlight, too much snow/not enough snow, and slippery roads. But if there is one thing Danes are good at, then it is to create hygge and make the best out of the brisk winter weather. In December, Danes go all in on Christmas hygge, and the month of December is therefore full of traditions and activities for all to participate in.

To get a good overview of many of the Christmas festivities in the Aarhus region, have a look at Visitaarhus.com. If your located on Sjælland you can get a similar overview here. For those located near Herning Campus, see this page for fun December activities, and finally if you live near Viborg there are also many activities for you to participate in. Viborg has been designated Denmark’s Christmas Town 2023, so if you’re struggling to find your Christmas spirit, a visit to Viborg might just be what’s missing!

In this newsletter, we will highlight some of the Danish December traditions such as the countdown to Christmas Eve, Christmas Eve traditions, and how Danes celebrate New Years Eve. So if you’re curious about how Danes ‘dance around the Christmas tree’, or if they really ‘jump into the new year’, then read the full article below.

The countdown to Christmas Eve

December 1^st marks the official beginning of Christmas, at least if you take part in the official count down to Christmas. Well known are the chocolate calendars that you can buy from the beginning of November in most grocery shops. But did you also know that in many families a nisse (Christmas elf) moves into the house and gives children a small present to open every day up until Christmas Eve? These gifts are referred to as kalendergaver (calendar gifts). The nisse can also get up to mischief and make small pranks during the month of December (similar to the American ‘Elf on the shelf’)

Kalendergaver can also be a present given on each of the 4 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 will have a juleklipsdag (Christmas craft day), where they meet and make Christmas crafts together as well as making the kalender lys decoration and the advent wreath. Some families also have a ‘julebagedag’ (Christmas baking day) where they will make Christmas cookies or make julekonfekt (shaped marzipan, nougat or dates with chocolate coating).

Danes also count down 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) (https://juleweb.dk/julekalendere/julekalendere-2023/)

If you want to know more about the many Danish Christmas traditions, make sure you follow International Staff Office on Facebook as we introduce many of them December.

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 referred to in Danish, often visits houses where children live sometime during the late afternoon/evening on the 24^th. No need for chimneys or middle-of-the-night magic. Julemanden often knocks on the door and comes in for a visit where he gives presents to the children.

For those culturally mixed families, the visit from Julemanden often creates a little dilemma. Does he visit on the 24^th or on the 25^th? Or does Julemanden visit children on this side of the world first, and then continue all through the night to other countries? Nobody really knows the answer to this…

Dancing around the Christmas Tree

You may have heard that in Denmark, they dance around the Christmas tree. And this is true. Although, it’s more of a soft walk than a dance. It’s a tradition in Danish houses to dance around the Christmas tree, holding hands as a family while you sing Christmas carols or hymns. Many households will have family traditions regarding which Christmas carols they sing, who light the candles on the tree and some even run though 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 27 – January 1, and they can be purchased from December 15 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. It is less common for people to attend corporate organisations’ large New Years Eve parties, as common in other countries. 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 Queen’s Speech

The evening starts at 18.00 sharp with the national broadcast of Queen Margaret’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. In her speech, the Queen summarises the year’s major political events, both global and local, and she always ends her speech saying: “Gud Bevare Danmark” (God save Denmark).  

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 are on the menu. However, many Danes come up with their own New Years Eve menu, and it has also become very popular to order a New Years Eve menu from a restaurant. If you can’t see yourself cooking on New Years Eve (and boiled cod is not your thing), 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 centres 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 been aired every single year since 1980 and Danes love it.

Midnight traditions

Just as the countdown to midnight begins, all party guests will turn on the TV to see the live broadcast from the City Hall Square in Copenhagen where the bells will ring 12 times at midnight.  The rather unusual tradition at this point is that many Danes will get on a chair/a sofa/anything above floor level and jump down aka ‘jump into the New Year’ when the clock strikes midnight. 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 30minutes to an hour depending on where you live.   

January the 1^st Danes sleep in, finish our 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 cosy and has lots to offer. If you want a taste of some of the Danish Christmas traditions, make sure you sign up to our ISO Christmas Part on December the 9^th.

We hope to see you around!