Celebrating Christmas in Denmark is a unique experience, and it can be exciting to understand and learn about the special traditions that play a significant role in Danish homes during this festive season. From Christmas decorations and Advent to Christmas parties and the traditional meal on Christmas Eve—the Danish Christmas is filled with coziness (Hygge), warmth, and togetherness.
In this article, we take you on a journey through the most important traditions and give you tips on how to experience and participate in the Danish Christmas in the best possible way.
Christmas Decorations
One of the first things you will notice when you walk around the Danish streets at the end of November and beginning of December is the Christmas decorations. Danes love to decorate their homes and streets with lights, stars, and fir wreaths.
Many families gather during the Christmas season to create creative Christmas decorations and ornaments that can adorn their homes in the days leading up to Christmas Eve. In many institutions like kindergartens and schools, it is also traditional to decorate the premises with Christmas decorations, which the children make together on a cozy Christmas craft day.
Advent
Advent is a major part of Christmas; many families buy or make an Advent wreath with four candles, lighting a new candle each Sunday, marking the beginning of the preparation for Christmas and symbolizing the wait for Jesus' birth. In Denmark, Advent is used as a time to gather with family, create coziness at home, eat apple slices, and make the wait for Christmas a special time to look forward to.
Christmas Calendar
Advent calendars and Christmas calendars are popular traditions, where small packages or chocolate calendars are opened every day leading up to Christmas Eve. In many Danish families with children, it is also a staple to follow the annual Christmas calendar on TV, where a new episode is shown each day leading up to Christmas Eve. Both traditions help count down to Christmas Eve on the 24th of December.
Christmas Lunch and Christmas Cookies
When it comes to food and drink, the Danish Christmas lunch is something quite special. Traditional dishes such as herring (sild), liver pâté (leverpostej), Danish sausage (medisterpølse), and red cabbage (rødkål) along with schnapps (snaps) are staples at the Christmas table. In Denmark, Christmas lunches are held within the family, at workplaces, and with friends. These lunches often take place on the weekends in December or on the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd day of Christmas.
If you are lucky, you will also be offered small cookies like peppernuts (Pebernødder) and vanilla wreaths (Vaniljekranse), which you can eat along with a warm cup of gløgg. Gløgg is a hot spiced wine, often served with raisins and almonds—perfect for warming up on cold winter days.
The Grand Feast on Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve, the 24th of December, is the most important day in the Danish Christmas celebration. Many families start the day by going to the local church for a Christmas service. Others gather in the afternoon to play games or watch Christmas movies together.
After that, the festive Christmas meal starts, and as darkness falls, the family gathers around the decorated and illuminated Christmas tree. It is traditional to sing Christmas carols while walking around the Christmas tree, and the children eagerly await opening the presents that lie under the tree.
After the meal is eaten and the presents are opened, it is time to enjoy each other's company and relax together. In many Danish homes, it is a tradition to eat risalamande for dessert—a rice pudding mixed with whipped cream and chopped almonds, where one lucky person finds a whole almond and wins a gift.
New Year's Eve: A Festive End to the Year
When the Christmas celebration is over, it is time to look forward to the new year. New Year's Eve is a time for partying and celebration with friends or family. The Danes celebrate the new year with the king's New Year's speech, a large feast, and fireworks. When the clock strikes twelve, they toast with champagne, and the DR Girl Choir beautifully sings the Danish population into the new year.
A popular tradition is to eat kransekage—a marzipan cake with icing, which has become a fixed part of the Danish New Year's menu. New Year's Eve often ends with dancing and music, and it is not unusual to find yourself at a cozy New Year's party with both old and new friends.
How Can You Participate?
Even if you do not have the same Christmas traditions as the Danes, there are many ways you can become part of the Danish Christmas celebration. A good way to start is to participate in local Christmas markets, which are found in many places in Denmark in December, or to take part in a Christmas lunch. Making Christmas decorations or decorating a Christmas tree is also a good way to get into the Danish Christmas spirit.
Remember, Danes love when people try to engage in their traditions. If you wish, you can try baking cookies, listening to Christmas carols, or even helping to organize a Christmas lunch. It is a fun and educational way to experience Christmas while improving your Danish skills.