Every country has its own interesting and often unexplainable traditions…right? While we like to think of ourselves as a modern nation, sometimes you just have to kick back and celebrate like it’s 1549. Here are some of our favourite weird Danish traditions that make perfect sense to us.
1. Jumping into the new year
If you plan to spend New Year’s Eve in Denmark, don’t be alarmed when you see Danes standing on chairs just before midnight. It’s not because we’re drunk (though we might be), it’s simply an old tradition. We’ll be jumping into the new year as the clock strikes 12.
And it’s vital that we do it too, because it’s supposed to bring bad luck for the entire new year if you forget to jump at midnight. Though you might also say it’s not exactly good luck if you end up falling on your face as you try to jump off the chair – not that any of us have ever tried anything that embarrassing…
2. Hitting the cat out of the barrel at Fastelavn
In February, we celebrate Fastelavn which is a mash up of Halloween and carnival. Children dress up in costumes and hit a cat out of a barrel. It’s similar to a piñata, though instead of sweets we traditionally had a black cat inside the barrel. But don’t worry! We’ve swapped out the cat for the sweets and simply decorate the barrel with a cut-out version of a black cat. Much better.
3. Our special Easter letters
Our Easter letters (or gækkebreve as we call them) are truly Danish. Since the18th century, young Danes have folded and cut intricate patterns into paper and written short, ryhming poems inside. These are signed with the number of dots corresponding to the number of letters in their name (so if your name is Paul you’d sign off with four dots).
If the recipient guesses who the sender is, they are owed an Easter egg. But! If they can’t figure it out, the recipient owes the sender an Easter egg. With this many chocolate eggs at stake, let’s just say little (and big) Danes take this very seriously. Just one of many quirky Easter traditions, you can see the rest here.
