Christmas officially starts four Sunday's before December 24th, where many Danes light the first of four candle lights. Each Sunday we light one more candle light, as a count down to Christmas. This is also called Advent Light, traditionally placed in a circle, but recently also in a line.
Most Danes also have a calender candle. It's a candle with the numbers 1-24 in a line downward's, with the highest number in the bottom. Each day you burn a little bit, counting down to Christmas.
Starting December 1st National TV stations broadcast one episode of a tv-show, contiuning until December 24th. This is a tradition going back to 1962. Most of them have been made for children, but in the 90's and 00's TV2 in Denmark also produced a number of TV calendars for adults. Most popular of these has been "The Julekalender", feauturing three elfs (nisser) who has been sent on a mission to find a key, but on their way their plane crash somewhere in rural Denmark. Hiding out in a hole underground close to a farm, they try to figure out where the key is. The tv-show is famous for the elfs speaking an odd combination of Danish and English, while the the residents on the farm is speaking a broad dialect. All characters but one, is played by the same three actors.
Denmark celebrates Christmas on the eve of December 24th. Many Danes goes to Christmas Service in the local church sometime during the day. When is different from church to church, as many priests serves multiple churches.
Many Danes go celebrate Christmas with their families. In the days prior it can therefore be difficult to get a ticket for public transportation, if you haven't ordered weeks or months ahead.
Traditionally the celebration starts by the dinner around 6 PM. The dinner is typically either pork belly with crisped skin or duck with apples and prunes, served with white boiled potatoes, caramelized potatoes, pickled red cabbage, salty potato chips and lots and lots of gravy.
For dessert is traditionally served a Danish dish with an oddly French name, called: "Ris á la Mande". It is rice porridge boiled in milk and colled down to cold. Then it is mixed with whipped cream, vanilla and chopped almonds, served with either cold or warm cherry sauce. There is one whole almond in the portion, and the one who gets this, gets a small gift. It's important if you get the whole almond you say nothing until all are finished eathing. Then everyone are to guess who the winner is.
Traditionally families walks around the Christmas Tree singing hymns and Christmas songs, but in modern days it varies from family to family. The tree is decorated with different kind of ornaments, but in Denmark it's also very popular using decoration made from paper. Since 1864 it has also been very popular to decorate with a guirlande with small Danish flags.
Sometime during the evening we open the presents. Each family have their own tradition on this.
An old tradition is to make a small bowl of 'risengrød' (rice porridge boiled in milk), with a little cinnamon and sugar, and some butter on the top, and put this on the attick to please the nisse (elf).
Christmas Days
The following two days (December 25 and 26) are National Holidays in Denmark. Stores are closed, except from small grocery stores and gas stations etc. Most Danes spend the days with family and/or relaxing, maybe taking a walk, depending on the weather.
New Years Eve is traditionally spend with close friends, more over than with family. New Years Eve is also known for large consumption of alcohol.
At 6 PM the King of Denmark gives a speech on live TV. All Danes gather around the TV to hear the speech. This year it will be the first time the King gives his New Year's Eve speech, as his mother, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, resigned as ruling monarch in January.
Danes spend lot's of money on fireworks. Firework can be purchased on special places from December 27th. It's only allowed to do fireworks from December 27th to January 1st.
Around 11.30 PM National TV broadcasts an old tv-show "Dinner for One", or: "Der 90. Geburtstag". In many families it is a tradition to watch this show New Years Eve.
At 12 PM TV broadcast live from the tower bell of the City Hall in Copenhagen. When it strikes midnight, people cheers in champagne, or likewise, and eating a small cake made from marcipan, before going outside doing fireworks.
An old religious celebration prior to Passover, celebrated before beginning of 40 days of fasting. Nowadays it is mostly kids and youngsters who celebrate 'Fastelavn' by dressing out. Taking turns every one are to hit a barrel filled with candy. The one to break the barrel is crowned "Kattekonge" (King of the cats), and the one to knock down the last wodden plank from the barrel is crowned "Kattedronning" (Queen of the cats). This names goes back to history, as before modern days the barrel didn't hold candy, but a living cat. There's usually also a price for the best dressed participant.
Fastelavn is also associated with a special kind of cake or treat. Traditionally it's a sweet bun with jam inside and glaze on top. A more modern version is made from pastery, slized in half and filled with cream.
Denmark do not have many traditions corrolated to celebrating Passover, also known as: "Easter". The most common tradition is gathering with family or friends having a lunch of multiple toppings, eaten on the famous Danish rye bread. Rye bread is a very dark bread made from sour dough.
One topping is almost mandatory: Pickled heerings with curry and eggs or onion rings.
The 4th Friday after Easter, also called: "The Great Day of Prayer", Denmark used to have a National Holiday. This was eliminated by the Government i 2023, but Danes still celebrate the tradition of eating toasted buns with butter that night.
The tradition goes back to mid 1800's where people were not allowed to work prior to morning service in the churches. This rule also affected the bakers. The bakers therefore sold buns the day before, and people heated them themselves.
The last day of school, before exam period start, is celebrated greatly. At public basic school's 9th grader's will dress out and throws caramels for the other kids and maybe shooting with water guns. They will have prepared a little show, for the younger pupils making fun with the teachers.
At high school level they also dress out. By the end of the afternoon they will probably gather in a park, drinking alcoholic beverages and partying.
Every Summer, when student's at high school levels are graduating, they wear a special sailor hat with different colors of ribbon. The color of the ribbon tells which high school education they graduated.
The most common colors are:
Bordeaux = STX (Gymnasium)
Royal Blue = HHX (Higher Trade Exam)
Navy Blue = HTX (Higher Technical Exam)
Light Blue = HF (Higher Preparation Exam)*
Others:
Dark Purple = HG2 (Business School)
Grey = EUX (STX combined with craft)
Striped = STU (Education for people with special needs)
Black with white top = STX with latin
Multiple flags = STX/HHX on an international line
Black with black top = Farmer
Inside the hat you write the grade you were given in your final exam in the center. All your friends and classmates writes a short message for you inside the hat, too, but only your boy-/girlfriend must write in the center.
There's a ton of rules and traditions on the hat, and it'll be too long to describe here.
In the following few weeks you will probably see the student's riding on a truck, decorated with banners and playing loud music, while cheering, drinking alcoholic beverages and dancing. They are going from family to family of the student's parents, where they are served a snack and alcoholic beverages. By the end of the day, they will all be pretty drunk.
During the summer the family's will host a graduation party for friends and family. It is very informal.
Crown Prince Christian of Denmark, graduated June 2024.
On the evening May 4th 1945 by 8 PM it was announced the Nazi-german soldiers in Denmark had surrendered. The Danes celebrated by tearing down the black out curtains, which prevented light from their homes in the nights, making them a target for bombing, and burned the curtains on bonfires in the streets.
Ever since Danes have commemorated the liberation from Nazi-Germany by placing lit candles in all windows on the night of May 4th at 8 PM.
June 5th is Constitution Day of Denmark. It is traditionally celebrated with public events with political speeches across the country.
This date is also Fathers Day in Denmark.
It is celebrated as a half National holiday, where many employee's, students and school pupils are off my 12 AM.
It is said that the National Flag of Denmark, Dannebrog, fell from the sky on this date back in 1219 in Estonia, where the Danes were fighting Estonians.
The flag has since been the National Flag of Denmark, and is the oldest ongoing National Flag in the world.
There's no special customs on this day, beside many raises their flags, and many city's put up flags along the main road and City Hall.