When I received the request to write about the Danes, my first thought was: “But there is not much to say, because we are quite ‘normal’, but after reading a book about Danes I realized that, like all cultures, we do have our own unique perspective and values. I hope I by this introduction can give you an insight into our culture, customs and our people; and that it might give you the wish to come and visit our great country. You are always welcome!
Denmark is a constitutional monarchy, and the queen is one of the most admired persons. Margrethe, known affectionately as “Daisy”, is looked up to not only because she is tall, but because she is multi-talented. In addition to costume design for television theatre and scenery for ballet, she is an accomplished linguist and artist.
In the heart of Copenhagen and near our office is Tivoli, the famous amusement park and pleasure garden. The park opened on August 15, 1843 and, except for Dyrehavsbakken in nearby Klampenborg, it is the oldest amusement park in the world. Tivoli has been maintaining a balance between well-loved traditions and the latest in entertainment for over 150 years. We are very proud that it was during a trip to Tivoli that Walt Disney decided Disneyland should try to emulate its “happy and unbuttoned air of relaxed fun.”. It’s no surprise that if you spell it backwards, it says “ i lov it”!
While Denmark is part of Scandinavia, one could say it’s a bit “light” on the real trademarks of being Scandinavian. For example, it has no midnight sun, no ski jumps and no reindeer. Of course, we envy the Swedes for having all these things and think that they really don’t deserve them! A quick look at a map will show you that Denmark is situated above Germany. The Danes try very hard to like their German neighbors, but it’s sometimes we find it difficult. By contrast, Americans are generally admired. If, however, a situation is approaching unacceptable levels, for example, children are being fed too much fast food, a Danish academic of some description will appear on the news proclaiming that Denmark is hurtling towards an “amerikanske tilstande” (American state of affairs). Perish the thought!
The official religion of the Danes is Lutheran. Everybody pays church tax, but still most only use the church four times in their lives, for their baptism, confirmation, marriage (at least one) and funeral. No one twitches an eyebrow at those who choose to share the morning newspaper prior to marriage, and a couple of children will often attend their wedding, as a high proportion of children are born to couples outside of marriage. In Denmark (as in much of Scandinavia), this makes a little or no difference.
Danes fly their flag with pride. The red and white “Dannebrog” against a clear sky is enough to bring a tear to their eyes, but there is nothing threatening about this nationalism. As a nation, the Danes have not been a threat to anyone for hundreds of years. Indeed, today the Danes are a peaceful people. The only helmeted warriors left are bikers. When the Danish Vikings colonized the British Islands, they must have taken all the most unruly elements - and left them there. Danish children are brought up with stories that feature Teddy, Chicken and Duckling. Teddy and his friends regularly face the conflict of individual needs versus common sense.
Even in such a small country as Denmark there are strong regional differences. Copenhagen makes great show of not being able to understand some of the thicker regional accent in Jutland and regard traveling there with foreboding. According to popular belief, the Jutlanders rarely say anything downright positive, e.g. when a Jutlander is asked if he/she wants a coffee, the reply will not be “Yes”, but instead “I wouldn’t say no”. On the flip side, Jutlanders see Copenhageners as slick, silver-tongued city-dwellers who do them an injustice. However, to understand the character of a Dane, regardless of their region, one must understand two very important concepts in our culture - hygge and Janteloven.
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The love or need for hygge is an important part of the Danish psyche. It is often translated as cosiness, but this is too simplistic. Cosiness relates to physical surroundings, whereas hygge has more to do with people’s behavior towards each other. To have a hyggelig time is social nirvana in Denmark. Candlelight is used to encourage a hyggelig atmosphere. In fact, the Danes are mad about candles and use them everywhere, both in public places like cafes, bars and restaurants, and in the home. Achieving hygge generally involves being with friends and family, and eating and drinking.
At the core of the second concept, Janteloven or Jante’s law is that anyone who sets himself above the rest of the group will be knocked off his perch. The code is so ingrained in the Danish mind that a good many believe it originated in the Middle Ages. In fact, it was written in 1933, and is still alive and kicking. To give you an idea of how it works in Danish society, take for example, a man who worked hard to save money for a brand new car. The minute he parks it in the driveway the questions begin: “Is it a company car?” and “Bought it second hand, did you?’”. This helps to explain why Danish exchange students and au pair’s sometimes have a hard time writing or, as they see it, bragging about their positive qualities and talents.
The Danish language is unique and also reflects our unique cultural values. And, while the Danish language may not be very beautiful, it is economical. Why invent a new word when two old ones are perfectly adequate? For example, direct translations give us such words as the dust sucker (vacuum cleaner), Swine meat (pork), body burning (cremation), and flying machine (airplane). Words, like everything else in Denmark, are recycled where possible. “Hej” means hello so it only makes sense that “hej hej” means goodbye. The verb at lide can mean to suffer or to like. Fyr has several meanings - lighthouse, fire, pine or young man. You get the idea that the listener has to pay attention to context and tone of voice if misunderstanding is to be avoided. Perhaps this is why Denmark produces about 25% of the world’s hearing aids!
Another aspect of the Danish language is that the word “please” simply does not exist in Danish. Instead, children are taught to say “Bede om” (literally “ask for”). Also, Danes don’t typically say they are sorry. If a customer calls in and asks to speak to Mr, Jensen, a Dane would simply reply “Mr. Jensen is not in”. The words “I’m sorry” would not factor into the interaction.
Not surprisingly, Danes will say what they think of sex, politics, religion, everything. They will frankly tell you what they earn or if they shave their armpits. And, they will ask you equally frankly “Is it hot in here or is it just my menopause?”. Doors are seldom held open for persons following behind and motorists hardly ever let other drivers join the stream of traffic. Standing in line is disliked. Indeed, nothing makes a Dane happier than if an additional checkout opens and he can beat other customers to the checkout line!
The Danes’ mission in life is to help the rest of the world to see just how wonderful Denmark is! They can feel sorry for all the poor souls who are not Danish, have never visited the country, or otherwise don’t live in their land of milk and honey. However, they cannot bring themselves to boast about how fantastically talented they are, so they use an inordinate amount of time and energy trying to get others to see the light. So, why not get to know a little bit of this beautiful country by hosting an exchange student from Denmark today?
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