Culture of Denmark
Encyclopedia
The culture of Denmark, while rich in the arts, has some general characteristics associated with Danish society and everyday culture
. Modesty, punctuality but above all equality
are important aspects of the Danish
way of life. Indeed, deliberate attempts to distinguish oneself from others may be viewed with hostility in line with Jante's Law
, respected by some as an unofficial code of Scandinavia
n conduct. In Denmark, culture and the arts thrive as a result of the proportionately high amount of government funding they receive, much of which is administered by local authorities so as to involve citizens directly. Thanks to a system of grants, Danish artists are able to devote themselves to their work while museums, theatres, and the film institute
receive national support.
Denmark
has a rich cultural and intellectual heritage. The astronomical discoveries of Tycho Brahe
(1546–1601), Ludwig A. Colding
's (1815–1888) neglected articulation of the principle of conservation of energy
, and the brilliant contributions to atomic physics of Niels Bohr
(1885–1962) indicate the range of Danish scientific achievement. The fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen
(1805–1875), the philosophical essays of Søren Kierkegaard
(1813–1855), the short stories of Karen Blixen
(penname Isak Dinesen, (1885–1962), the plays of Ludvig Holberg
(1684–1754), the modern authors such as Herman Bang
and Nobel laureate Henrik Pontoppidan
and the dense, aphoristic poetry of Piet Hein
(1905–1996), have earned international recognition, as have the symphonies of Carl Nielsen
(1865–1931). From the mid 1990s, Danish films have attracted international attention, especially those associated with Dogme 95
like those of Lars Von Trier
. Indeed, the country has always had a strong tradition of movie making and Carl Theodor Dreyer
is recognised as having been one of the world's greatest film directors.
One of the fundamental aspects of Danish culture is "hygge": relaxing with good friends or loved ones, often while enjoying good food and something to drink or creating a more friendly atmosphere by lighting a few candles. Christmas time
, when loved ones sit close together on a cold rainy night, is a true moment of hygge, as is grilling a pølse
(Danish sausage) on a long summer evening.
, from the Old Norse Jól akin to the English Yule
. As such the word does not refer to the birth of Christ, but instead to an ancient pagan winter feast. Its customs have, of course, changed over the years, but it has always been part of Scandinavian culture. It meant so much to the Scandinavians that the church adopted their winter celebrations into Christianity, which explains why it is still called Jul. In many countries Christmas is celebrated on the 25th of December, but in Denmark, and in the other Scandinavian countries, the most important day for celebrations is Christmas Eve on the 24th when the family comes together. The morning can be spent in various ways but most often it is the time when preparations are made for the evening.
Juleaften (Danish for Christmas Eve) or Yule Eve starts around 6 p.m. when a traditional dinner is served. The menu is:
Afterwards, the candles on the Christmas tree are lit and the family dance around it singing Christmas songs and carols and subsequently exchange presents.
s, songs, music, dancing
, popular beliefs
and traditions, mostly comuminicated by the inhabitants of towns and villages across the country. Many of these were passed on from generation to generation by word of mouth
. As in neighbouring countries, interest in folklore
grew with an emerging feeling of national consciousness in 19th century Denmark. Researchers travelled across the country collecting innummerable folktales, songs and sayings
while observing traditional dress in the various regions. Folklore today is part of the national heritage, represented in particular by national and local traditions, songs, folk dances and literature.
Today's folk dancing in Denmark dates back to the beginning of the 20th century, when there was renewed interest in the national heritage. A number of groups began to revive the music, dances and costumes of past generations. In 1901, the Society for the Promotion of Danish Folk Dancing (Foreningen til Folkedansens Fremme) was founded in Copenhagen, leading to local dancing societies throughout the country. Today there are some over 12,000 folk dancers belonging to 219 local clubs which provide courses in music, dancing and dressmaking. "National dress and folk dancing", Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
The traditional costumes of Denmark, though varying from region to region, date back roughly to the period between 1750 and 1900 when clothes were often home-made from yarn spun from wool or flax. In rural communities, the fabrication of garments for both family members and servants was an important part of everyday life. The artist Frederik Christian Lund
, who had travelled across Denmark as a soldier in the First Schleswig War, took an interest in sketching people in local costumes in various parts of the country. He completed his collection of 31 coloured sketches in 1864, publishing them as coloured lithographs in Danske Nationaldragter (Danish National Costumes).
Numerous Danish folktales contain mythical figures such as troll
s, elves
, goblin
s, and wight
s as well as figures borrowed from Nordic mythology
. The nisse
is a particularly well-known legendary figure in Danish folklore, apparently dating back to pre-Christian times when it was believed there were household gods. Traditionally each farm had its own nisse living on the loft or in a stable. Dressed in grey with a pointed red cap, he was no taller than a 10-year-old boy. The nisse would be helpful if treated properly, for instance by giving him a bowl of porridge with a clump of butter at night, but, failing such treatment, he could become quite troublesome.
Perhaps the most typically Danish contribution to the meals of the day is the traditional lunch or smørrebrød
consisting of open sandwich
es, usually on thinly sliced rye bread
. The meal usually begins with fish such as marinated herring
, smoked eel, crab, or breaded plaice filets with remoulade
and moves on with slices of roast pork or beef, frikadeller
(meat balls), hams and liver paté
. The sandwiches are richly garnished with onion rings, radish slices, cucumbers, tomato slices, parsely, remoulade
and mayonnaise
. The meal is often accompanied by beer, sometimes also by shots of ice-cold snaps
or akvavit
.
In the evening, hot meals are usually served. Traditional dishes include fried fish, roast pork with red cabbage (perhaps the national dish), pot-roasted chicken, or pork chops. Game is sometimes served in the autumn. Steaks are now becoming increasingly popular.
A popular traditional Danish dessert, especially around Christmas, consists of æbleskiver
, rather like small pancake doughnuts which are fried in butter in a special pan and are served hot with jam and sugar. Traditionally, they were made with small pieces of apple in the middle which is why the are called æbleskiver, literally "apple slices".
Danes are known for enjoying an open-minded drinking culture. Buying alcohol is legal in shops at the age of 16, and in bars at 18. There is no minimum drinking age. However teens are traditionally allowed to begin drinking after confirmation as 13-14 year olds.
, cheaper and often quicker way around town than by public transport or car and it is therefore municipal policy for the number of commuters by bike to go up to 40% by 2012 and 50% by 2015.
Odense
has been named the "bicycle city of the year" because of the great number of bicycle lanes in the city. A complete network of 350 km all-weather serviced lanes exists in the town.
During the summer months, there are free "City Bikes
" stationed at various spots in the downtown area of Copenhagen, Aarhus
and Aalborg
. The idea is that anyone can take a bike from one of the spots, ride it to one of the other spots and leave it there for the next person. There are lots of national and regional bicycle routes throughout Denmark. They are all marked and include rest areas with benches and other necessities.
Danish painting goes back hundreds of years. Earlier work is often manifested in churches, for example in the form of frescos
such as those from the 16th century artist known as the Elmelunde Master
. But it was not until the beginning of the 19th century that the Golden Age of Danish Painting
emerged with a marked increase in truly Danish art inspired by the country itself with its lifestyle and traditions. Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg
was an important influence on the following generation’s study of nature, in which landscape painting came to the fore. He had many successful students, including Wilhelm Bendz
(1804–1832), Christen Købke
(1810–48), Martinus Rørbye
(1803–1848), Constantin Hansen
(1804–1880), Jørgen Roed
(1808–1888), Wilhelm Marstrand
(1810–1873), Constantin Hansen
(1804–80), C.A. Jensen (1792–1870), J.Th. Lundbye
(1818–1848), and P.C. Skovgaard (1817–1875).
Some years later, a number of painters including P.S. Krøyer (1851–1909) and Michael
(1849–1927) and Anna Ancher
(1859–1935) moved to Skagen
in the far north of Jutland
to paint the natural surroundings and local people. In due course, the town developed into an artists' colony. A little later, a similar phenomenon developed on Funen
with artists such as Johannes Larsen
(1867–1961). Vilhelm Hammershoi is an important painter too.
Collections of modern art enjoy unusually attractive settings at the Louisiana Museum
north of Copenhagen
, at the North Jutland Art Museum in Aalborg
and at the ARoS art museum in Aarhus
. The National Museum of Art
and the Glyptotek
, both in Copenhagen, contain treasures of Danish and international art.
(1805–1875) with his fairy tales, the philosopher Søren Kierkegaard
(1813–1855), storyteller Karen Blixen
(1885–1962), playwright Ludvig Holberg
(1684–1754), and modern authors such as Henrik Pontoppidan
and Herman Bang
.
Among today's Danish writers, probably the best-known to international readers is Peter Høeg
(Smilla's Sense of Snow
; Borderliners
). Benny Andersen
writes poems, short stories, and music. Poems by both writers have been translated into English by the Curbstone Press. Klaus Rifbjerg
has published over 100 novels as well as poetry, short stories and TV plays. Two of his works have been translated into English: Witness to the Future
and War. Kirsten Thorup
's novel Baby
, winner of the 1980 Pegasus Prize
, is published in English by the University of Louisiana Press. The psychological thrillers of Anders Bodelsen
also appear in English as do some of the novels of intrigue by Leif Davidsen
. Suzanne Brøgger and Vita Andersen focus largely on the changing roles of women in society.
period but became recognizable in the Middle Ages
when first Romanesque, then Gothic churches and cathedrals sprang up throughout the country. Inspired by French castles
and with the assistance of Dutch designers, architecture during the Renaissance
flourished with magnificent royal palaces. Neoclassicism
came to Denmark from France and, in the 19th century, slowly merged into the National Romantic style
when Danish designers came into their own. It was, however, not until the last half of the 20th century that Danish architects entered the world scene with their highly successful Functionalism
. This, in turn, has evolved into more recent world-class designers such as Johann Otto von Spreckelsen
who designed the Grande Arche
in Paris. Internationally, perhaps the most celebrated of all is the architect who designed the iconic Sydney Opera House
, Jørn Utzon
, but within Danish borders, it is the architect Arne Jacobsen
who is perhaps held in highest esteem for developing the 'Danish Modern
' style and furniture/interior design, such as the now world-famous and much sought-after Swan
and Egg
chairs. A new wave of young Danish architects are rising into international prominence, like Bjarke Ingels
with works such as the Danish National Pavilion at the Shanghai 2010 Expo
in 1839 to some of the strongest contemporary photography in Europe today. Pioneers such as Mads Alstrup
and Georg Emil Hansen
paved the way for a rapidly growing profession during the last half of the 19th century while both artistic and press photographers have since made internationally recognised contributions. Today Danish photographers such as Astrid Kruse Jensen
and Jacob Aue Sobol
are active both at home and abroad, participating in key exhibitions around the world.
Danish applied art and industrial design have won many international awards for excellence. The name of Georg Jensen
(1866–1935) is known the world over for modern design in silver. The Danish Porcelain Factory ("Royal Copenhagen
"), including Bing & Grøndahl, is famous for the quality of its porcelain and ceramics and export products worldwide. Danish design
is also a well-known brand, often associated with world-famous designers and architects such as Børge Mogensen, Poul Kjærholm, Hans Wegner
, Poul Henningsen
and Arne Jacobsen
.
The Danish Museum of Art & Design in Copenhagen exhibits the best in Danish design.
who is best known for his six symphonies. Other well-known pieces of his are the incidental music for Adam Oehlenschläger's drama Aladdin (Nielsen)
, the operas Saul og David
and Maskarade, the concertos for flute
, violin
, and clarinet
, the Wind Quintet
, and the Helios Overture
, which depicts the passage of the sun in the sky from dawn to nightfall.
However Denmark has also produced a number of modern musicians. Examples such as D-A-D
, Aqua
and Dizzy Mizz Lizzy
have become well known.
The Royal Danish Ballet
specializes in the work of Danish choreographer August Bournonville
(1805–79). Danes have distinguished themselves as jazz
musicians, and the Copenhagen Jazz Festival
has acquired an international reputation. The modern pop and rock scene has produced a few bands of note (for example, The Raveonettes
, Kashmir
, Junior Senior
and Mew
).
Hans Abrahamsen
, Per Nørgård
and Poul Ruders
are successful contemporary composers.
Danish interest in music is exemplified by the prestigious Opera House completed in 2000. Strategically set on Copenhagen's waterfront, it has presented operas and musicals to full houses ever since its opening.
Not to be forgotten is the Black Metal scene, which although underground has a hub of followers.
's film based on Karen Blixen's Babette's Feast
was awarded an Oscar in 1987. In 1988, Bille August
also received an Oscar with Pelle the Conqueror
based on the novel by Martin Andersen Nexø
. In 1992, August went on to win the Palme d'Or
in Cannes with Ingmar Bergman
's autobiography, The Best Intentions
.
Since the late 1990s, the Dogme movement and figures such as Lars von Trier
, Thomas Vinterberg
, Søren Kragh-Jacobsen
and Lone Scherfig
have continued to contribute to the international success of Danish cinema. In 2011, Susanne Bier
's In a Better World
won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
.
The theatre in Denmark continues to thrive thanks to the many theatres in Copenhagen
and across the country which put on a wide variety of Danish and foreign performances. The flagship Royal Danish Theatre
presents drama
, opera
, ballet
and music
. Since the 18th century, Danish playwrights have been successful in attracting wide public interest.
Ludvig Holberg
(1684–1754) is considered by many to be the founder of the Danish theatre. Satirical comedies such as Jean de France and Jeppe of the Hill are still performed today.
Adam Oehlenschläger (1779–1850) introduced romanticism to the Danish theatre. Especially successful was his Earl Hakon the Mighty, premiered in 1808.
The Norwegian Henrik Ibsen
(1828–1906) also travelled to Copenhagen where he produced numerous plays such as A Doll’s House (1879).
In recent years, there has been something of a revival in Danish theatre. Many new playwrights and producers have appeared including Astrid Saalbach (b.1955), winner of the Nordic Drama Award in 2004, and Peter Asmussen (b.1957), who wrote the film script for Lars von Trier
's Breaking the Waves
. Danish musicals have also been a particularly successful feature of the modern theatre. Knud Christensen, commonly known as Sebastian, was particularly successful with Cyrano (1992), based on Rostand
’s play and Klokkeren fra Notre Dame
(The Hunchback of Notre Dame) (2001). Bent Fabricius-Bjerre's musical Matador
(2007) is based on a successful TV series of the same name
.
Another popular Danish theatrical tradition is the revue
which has been thriving since the mid 19th century. Today revues are performed every summer to full houses in theatres across Denmark, poking fun at the politics of the day and even the monarchy. Among the most popular are Circusrevyen in Copenhagen with Lisbet Dahl, and the Nykøbing Revy directed by Flemming Krøll in Nykøbing Falster
.
Finally, Danish television
has also contributed to drama with a number of successful series
since the 1970s.
During the Christmas holidays (known as Jul
), making Christmas decorations is a big family event. Spending hours around a table with the family cutting paper into intricate designs has become a national pastime.
Danes have made significant contributions to the field of computer science. Some notable figures are:
Sexual equality is a high priority in Denmark. Danes are quite liberal and tolerant towards sexual minorities.
Copenhagen
is a popular destination for lesbian
and bisexual travellers. The main gay and lesbian festival of the year is the Copenhagen
Pride parade, a big Mardi Gras
-like bash that occurs on a Saturday in early August. There's also the Copenhagen Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
, held each year in October. In addition, Copenhagen has been host to the 2009 World Outgames
. The LBL (Landsforeningen for Bøsser og Lesbiske, a national organisation for gay men and lesbians) was established in 1948, and in 1989 Denmark became the first country in Europe
to offer gay partners most of the same legal rights as heterosexual
couples. Adoption laws are liberal compared to other Western countries and public displays of affection between people of the same sex are unlikely to provoke ire. Lesbians wishing to have access to artificial insemination do not provoke the sort of scandals that can occur in other societies, and in March 2009 adoption was legalized for homosexual couples.
with the most notable results being qualifying for the European Championships six times in a row (1984–2004) and winning the Championship in 1992
after being allowed to enter the competition due to the withdrawal of Yugoslavia
. Other significant achievements include winning the Confederations Cup in 1995 and reaching the quarter final of the 1998 World Championships.
Other popular sports include handball
, cycling
, sailing
sports, tennis
, badminton
, ice hockey
, and golf.
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
. Modesty, punctuality but above all equality
Social equality
Social equality is a social state of affairs in which all people within a specific society or isolated group have the same status in a certain respect. At the very least, social equality includes equal rights under the law, such as security, voting rights, freedom of speech and assembly, and the...
are important aspects of the Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
way of life. Indeed, deliberate attempts to distinguish oneself from others may be viewed with hostility in line with Jante's Law
Jante Law
The Jante Law is a pattern of group behaviour towards individuals within Scandinavian communities, which negatively portrays and criticises individual success and achievement as unworthy and inappropriate.The Danish-Norwegian author Aksel Sandemose...
, respected by some as an unofficial code of Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n conduct. In Denmark, culture and the arts thrive as a result of the proportionately high amount of government funding they receive, much of which is administered by local authorities so as to involve citizens directly. Thanks to a system of grants, Danish artists are able to devote themselves to their work while museums, theatres, and the film institute
Danish Film Institute
The Danish Film Institute is the national Danish agency responsible for supporting and encouraging film and cinema culture, and for conserving these in the national interest....
receive national support.
Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
has a rich cultural and intellectual heritage. The astronomical discoveries of Tycho Brahe
Tycho Brahe
Tycho Brahe , born Tyge Ottesen Brahe, was a Danish nobleman known for his accurate and comprehensive astronomical and planetary observations...
(1546–1601), Ludwig A. Colding
Ludwig A. Colding
Ludwig August Colding was a Danish civil engineer and physicist who articulated the principle of conservation of energy contemporaneouly with, and independently of, James Prescott Joule and Julius Robert von Mayer though his contribution was largely overlooked and neglected.-Life:Born in Holbæk,...
's (1815–1888) neglected articulation of the principle of conservation of energy
Conservation of energy
The nineteenth century law of conservation of energy is a law of physics. It states that the total amount of energy in an isolated system remains constant over time. The total energy is said to be conserved over time...
, and the brilliant contributions to atomic physics of Niels Bohr
Niels Bohr
Niels Henrik David Bohr was a Danish physicist who made foundational contributions to understanding atomic structure and quantum mechanics, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922. Bohr mentored and collaborated with many of the top physicists of the century at his institute in...
(1885–1962) indicate the range of Danish scientific achievement. The fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."...
(1805–1875), the philosophical essays of Søren Kierkegaard
Søren Kierkegaard
Søren Aabye Kierkegaard was a Danish Christian philosopher, theologian and religious author. He was a critic of idealist intellectuals and philosophers of his time, such as Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling and Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel...
(1813–1855), the short stories of Karen Blixen
Karen Blixen
Baroness Karen von Blixen-Finecke , , née Karen Christenze Dinesen, was a Danish author also known by her pen name Isak Dinesen. She also wrote under the pen names Osceola and Pierre Andrézel...
(penname Isak Dinesen, (1885–1962), the plays of Ludvig Holberg
Ludvig Holberg
Ludvig Holberg, Baron of Holberg was a writer, essayist, philosopher, historian and playwright born in Bergen, Norway, during the time of the Dano-Norwegian double monarchy, who spent most of his adult life in Denmark. He was influenced by Humanism, the Enlightenment and the Baroque...
(1684–1754), the modern authors such as Herman Bang
Herman Bang
Herman Joachim Bang was a Danish author, one of the men of the Modern Breakthrough.-Biography:Bang was born into a noble family of Asserballe, on the small Danish island of Als, the son of a South Jutlandic vicar...
and Nobel laureate Henrik Pontoppidan
Henrik Pontoppidan
Henrik Pontoppidan was a realist writer who shared with Karl Gjellerup the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1917 for "his authentic descriptions of present-day life in Denmark." Pontoppidan's novels and short stories — informed with a desire for social progress but despairing, later in his...
and the dense, aphoristic poetry of Piet Hein
Piet Hein (Denmark)
Piet Hein was a Danish scientist, mathematician, inventor, designer, author, and poet, often writing under the Old Norse pseudonym "Kumbel" meaning "tombstone"...
(1905–1996), have earned international recognition, as have the symphonies of Carl Nielsen
Carl Nielsen
Carl August Nielsen , , widely recognised as Denmark's greatest composer, was also a conductor and a violinist. Brought up by poor but musically talented parents on the island of Funen, he demonstrated his musical abilities at an early age...
(1865–1931). From the mid 1990s, Danish films have attracted international attention, especially those associated with Dogme 95
Dogme 95
Dogme 95 was an avant-garde filmmaking movement started in 1995 by the Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg, who created the "Dogme 95 Manifesto" and the "Vow of Chastity". These were rules to create filmmaking based on the traditional values of story, acting, and theme, and...
like those of Lars Von Trier
Lars von Trier
Lars von Trier is a Danish film director and screenwriter. He is closely associated with the Dogme 95 collective, although his own films have taken a variety of different approaches, and have frequently received strongly divided critical opinion....
. Indeed, the country has always had a strong tradition of movie making and Carl Theodor Dreyer
Carl Theodor Dreyer
Carl Theodor Dreyer, Jr. was a Danish film director. He is regarded by many critics and filmmakers as one of the greatest directors in cinema.-Life:Dreyer was born illegitimate in Copenhagen, Denmark...
is recognised as having been one of the world's greatest film directors.
Hygge
Jul (Denmark)
Jul, the Danish Christmas, is celebrated throughout December starting either at the beginning of Advent or on December 1 with a variety of traditions. Christmas Eve, Juleaften,, the main event of Yule, is celebrated on evening of December 24, the evening before the two Christmas holidays, December...
, when loved ones sit close together on a cold rainy night, is a true moment of hygge, as is grilling a pølse
Pølser
Rød Pølse is a type of boiled sausage very common in Denmark and Norway. Since hot dog stands are ubiquitous in Denmark some people regard røde pølser as one of the national dishes. Their most noticeable aspect is that the skin often contains a traditional red dye making it bright red...
(Danish sausage) on a long summer evening.
Danish Christmas
The Danish word for "Christmas" is JulJul (Denmark)
Jul, the Danish Christmas, is celebrated throughout December starting either at the beginning of Advent or on December 1 with a variety of traditions. Christmas Eve, Juleaften,, the main event of Yule, is celebrated on evening of December 24, the evening before the two Christmas holidays, December...
, from the Old Norse Jól akin to the English Yule
Yule
Yule or Yuletide is a winter festival that was initially celebrated by the historical Germanic people as a pagan religious festival, though it was later absorbed into, and equated with, the Christian festival of Christmas. The festival was originally celebrated from late December to early January...
. As such the word does not refer to the birth of Christ, but instead to an ancient pagan winter feast. Its customs have, of course, changed over the years, but it has always been part of Scandinavian culture. It meant so much to the Scandinavians that the church adopted their winter celebrations into Christianity, which explains why it is still called Jul. In many countries Christmas is celebrated on the 25th of December, but in Denmark, and in the other Scandinavian countries, the most important day for celebrations is Christmas Eve on the 24th when the family comes together. The morning can be spent in various ways but most often it is the time when preparations are made for the evening.
Juleaften (Danish for Christmas Eve) or Yule Eve starts around 6 p.m. when a traditional dinner is served. The menu is:
- White (boiled) and sugar-browned potatoes, red cabbage and brown sauceBrown sauceBrown sauce may refer to:* Brown sauce , in French and Scandinavian cuisines* Steak sauce, a spiced condiment containing fruits and vinegar** A1 Steak Sauce, an American brand of steak sauce** HP Sauce, a British brand of sauce...
(gravy) accompanying either roast duck or goose depending on the size of the family. Some families enjoy a special Danish version of roast pork, called flæskesteg complete with cracklingPork rindPork rind , is the fried or roasted skin of a pig. Frying melts most of the fat from the pork rind...
or maybe a special sausage called medisterpølseMedisterpølseMedisterpølse or simply medister, is a Danish specialty food consisting of a thick, spicy sausage made of minced pork stuffed into pig intestines....
.
- For dessert, ris á l'amande is served, a name that suggests a French origin - but it is Danish. Sometimes it is confused with rice puddingRice puddingRice pudding is a dish made from rice mixed with water or milk and sometimes other ingredients such as cinnamon and raisins. Different variants are used for either desserts or dinners. When used as a dessert, it is commonly combined with a sweetener such as sugar.-Rice pudding around the world:Rice...
, since they share the main ingredient (rice). Ris á l'amande needs to be prepared a day in advance, and then on serving, chopped almondAlmondThe almond , is a species of tree native to the Middle East and South Asia. Almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree...
and vanillaVanillaVanilla is a flavoring derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily from the Mexican species, Flat-leaved Vanilla . The word vanilla derives from the Spanish word "", little pod...
can be added, among other things. It is served cold, with hot cherry sauce. An unchopped almond is also added and hidden in the rice. The person who finds it in his portion receives a small prize.
Afterwards, the candles on the Christmas tree are lit and the family dance around it singing Christmas songs and carols and subsequently exchange presents.
Folklore
Danish folklore is made up of folk tales, legendLegend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
s, songs, music, dancing
Folk dance
The term folk dance describes dances that share some or all of the following attributes:*They are dances performed at social functions by people with little or no professional training, often to traditional music or music based on traditional music....
, popular beliefs
Superstition
Superstition is a belief in supernatural causality: that one event leads to the cause of another without any process in the physical world linking the two events....
and traditions, mostly comuminicated by the inhabitants of towns and villages across the country. Many of these were passed on from generation to generation by word of mouth
Oral tradition
Oral tradition and oral lore is cultural material and traditions transmitted orally from one generation to another. The messages or testimony are verbally transmitted in speech or song and may take the form, for example, of folktales, sayings, ballads, songs, or chants...
. As in neighbouring countries, interest in folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
grew with an emerging feeling of national consciousness in 19th century Denmark. Researchers travelled across the country collecting innummerable folktales, songs and sayings
Proverb
A proverb is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity. They are often metaphorical. A proverb that describes a basic rule of conduct may also be known as a maxim...
while observing traditional dress in the various regions. Folklore today is part of the national heritage, represented in particular by national and local traditions, songs, folk dances and literature.
Today's folk dancing in Denmark dates back to the beginning of the 20th century, when there was renewed interest in the national heritage. A number of groups began to revive the music, dances and costumes of past generations. In 1901, the Society for the Promotion of Danish Folk Dancing (Foreningen til Folkedansens Fremme) was founded in Copenhagen, leading to local dancing societies throughout the country. Today there are some over 12,000 folk dancers belonging to 219 local clubs which provide courses in music, dancing and dressmaking. "National dress and folk dancing", Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
The traditional costumes of Denmark, though varying from region to region, date back roughly to the period between 1750 and 1900 when clothes were often home-made from yarn spun from wool or flax. In rural communities, the fabrication of garments for both family members and servants was an important part of everyday life. The artist Frederik Christian Lund
Frederik Christian Lund
Frederik Christian Lund , commonly known as F. C. Lund, was a Danish genre and history painter...
, who had travelled across Denmark as a soldier in the First Schleswig War, took an interest in sketching people in local costumes in various parts of the country. He completed his collection of 31 coloured sketches in 1864, publishing them as coloured lithographs in Danske Nationaldragter (Danish National Costumes).
Numerous Danish folktales contain mythical figures such as troll
Troll
A troll is a supernatural being in Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore. In origin, the term troll was a generally negative synonym for a jötunn , a being in Norse mythology...
s, elves
Elf
An elf is a being of Germanic mythology. The elves were originally thought of as a race of divine beings endowed with magical powers, which they use both for the benefit and the injury of mankind...
, goblin
Goblin
A goblin is a legendary evil or mischievous illiterate creature, a grotesquely evil or evil-like phantom.They are attributed with various abilities, temperaments and appearances depending on the story and country of origin. In some cases, goblins have been classified as constantly annoying little...
s, and wight
Wight
Wight is a Middle English word, from Old English wiht, and used to describe a creature or living sentient being. It is akin to Old High German wiht, meaning a creature or thing.In its original usage the word wight described a living human being...
s as well as figures borrowed from Nordic mythology
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
. The nisse
Nisse
Nisse can refer to:* Nisse, Netherlands, a town in the municipality of Borsele* Another name for the tomte, a mythical creature in Scandinavian mythology* A pet form of the Scandinavian given name Niels, Nils-See also:...
is a particularly well-known legendary figure in Danish folklore, apparently dating back to pre-Christian times when it was believed there were household gods. Traditionally each farm had its own nisse living on the loft or in a stable. Dressed in grey with a pointed red cap, he was no taller than a 10-year-old boy. The nisse would be helpful if treated properly, for instance by giving him a bowl of porridge with a clump of butter at night, but, failing such treatment, he could become quite troublesome.
Danish cuisine
Smørrebrød
Smørrebrød usually consists of a piece of buttered rye bread , a dense, dark brown bread. Pålæg , the topping, then among others can refer to commercial or homemade cold cuts, pieces of meat or fish, cheese or spreads...
consisting of open sandwich
Open sandwich
An open sandwich, also known as an open face/faced sandwich, Ulrich Sandwich, bread baser, or tartine, consists of a single slice of bread with one or more food items on top.- In various countries :...
es, usually on thinly sliced rye bread
Rugbrød
Rugbrød is a very commonly used bread in Denmark. The common rugbrød usually resembles a long brown rectangle, no more than 12 cm high, and 30–35 cm wide, although shapes and sizes may vary, as well as the ingredients...
. The meal usually begins with fish such as marinated herring
Herring
Herring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...
, smoked eel, crab, or breaded plaice filets with remoulade
Remoulade
Remoulade or rémoulade, invented in France, is a popular condiment in many countries. Very much like the tartar sauce of some English-speaking cultures, remoulade is often aioli- or mayonnaise-based. Although similar to tartar sauce, it is often more yellowish , often flavored with curry, and...
and moves on with slices of roast pork or beef, frikadeller
Frikadeller
Frikadeller are flat, pan-fried dumplings of minced meat, often likened to the Danish version of meatballs. They are a popular dish in Germany, where they are known as Frikadellen, Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Norway, Poland , Russia, Ukraine and the Netherlands...
(meat balls), hams and liver paté
Leverpostej
Leverpostej , leverpostei , leverpastej , , maksapasteija or leverpastei is a "pâté" made of pork liver and lard, which is a popular spread in northern Europe...
. The sandwiches are richly garnished with onion rings, radish slices, cucumbers, tomato slices, parsely, remoulade
Remoulade
Remoulade or rémoulade, invented in France, is a popular condiment in many countries. Very much like the tartar sauce of some English-speaking cultures, remoulade is often aioli- or mayonnaise-based. Although similar to tartar sauce, it is often more yellowish , often flavored with curry, and...
and mayonnaise
Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise, , often abbreviated as mayo, is a sauce. It is a stable emulsion of oil, egg yolk and either vinegar or lemon juice, with many options for embellishment with other herbs and spices. Lecithin in the egg yolk is the emulsifier. Mayonnaise varies in color but is often white, cream, or pale...
. The meal is often accompanied by beer, sometimes also by shots of ice-cold snaps
Snaps
Snaps is a Danish and Swedish word for a small shot of a strong alcoholic beverage taken during the course of a meal. A ritual that is associated with drinking snaps is a tradition in Scandinavia, especially in Denmark and Sweden, where it is very common to drink snaps at holidays such as...
or akvavit
Akvavit
Akvavit or aquavit is a traditional flavoured spirit that is principally produced in Scandinavia, where it has been produced since the 15th century....
.
In the evening, hot meals are usually served. Traditional dishes include fried fish, roast pork with red cabbage (perhaps the national dish), pot-roasted chicken, or pork chops. Game is sometimes served in the autumn. Steaks are now becoming increasingly popular.
A popular traditional Danish dessert, especially around Christmas, consists of æbleskiver
Æbleskiver
Æbleskiver are traditional Danish pancakes in a distinctive shape of a sphere. Somewhat similar in texture to American pancakes crossed with a popover, æbleskiver are solid like a pancake but light and fluffy like a popover...
, rather like small pancake doughnuts which are fried in butter in a special pan and are served hot with jam and sugar. Traditionally, they were made with small pieces of apple in the middle which is why the are called æbleskiver, literally "apple slices".
Danes are known for enjoying an open-minded drinking culture. Buying alcohol is legal in shops at the age of 16, and in bars at 18. There is no minimum drinking age. However teens are traditionally allowed to begin drinking after confirmation as 13-14 year olds.
Cycling
Most Danes are active cyclists, often using their bikes to commute to work or to go off on trips at the weekend. With its well-engineered cycle paths, Copenhagen is especially suited to city cycling. Every day 1.3 million km are cycled in the city, with 36% of all citizens commuting to work, school or university by bicycle Cycling is generally perceived as a healthier, environmentally friendlierEnvironmentally friendly
Environmentally friendly are terms used to refer to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies claimed to inflict minimal or no harm on the environment....
, cheaper and often quicker way around town than by public transport or car and it is therefore municipal policy for the number of commuters by bike to go up to 40% by 2012 and 50% by 2015.
Odense
Odense
The city of Odense is the third largest city in Denmark.Odense City has a population of 167,615 and is the main city of the island of Funen...
has been named the "bicycle city of the year" because of the great number of bicycle lanes in the city. A complete network of 350 km all-weather serviced lanes exists in the town.
During the summer months, there are free "City Bikes
Copenhagen City Bikes
Copenhagen City Bikes or Bycykler København is the bicycle sharing system of Copenhagen, Denmark. Launched in 1995 with 1,000 cycles, the project was the world's first large-scale urban bike-sharing scheme. It features specially designed bikes with parts that cannot not be used on other bikes...
" stationed at various spots in the downtown area of Copenhagen, Aarhus
Aarhus
Aarhus or Århus is the second-largest city in Denmark. The principal port of Denmark, Aarhus is on the east side of the peninsula of Jutland in the geographical center of Denmark...
and Aalborg
Aalborg
-Transport:On the north side of the Limfjord is Nørresundby, which is connected to Aalborg by a road bridge Limfjordsbroen, an iron railway bridge Jernbanebroen over Limfjorden, as well as a motorway tunnel running under the Limfjord Limfjordstunnelen....
. The idea is that anyone can take a bike from one of the spots, ride it to one of the other spots and leave it there for the next person. There are lots of national and regional bicycle routes throughout Denmark. They are all marked and include rest areas with benches and other necessities.
Painting
Danish painting goes back hundreds of years. Earlier work is often manifested in churches, for example in the form of frescos
Church frescos in Denmark
Church frescos or church wall paintings are to be found in some 600 churches across Denmark, no doubt representing the highest concentration of surviving church murals anywhere in the world. Most of them date back to the Middle Ages...
such as those from the 16th century artist known as the Elmelunde Master
Elmelunde Master
The Elmelunde Master, Danish Elmelundemesteren, is the designation given to the nameless 16th century artist who painted the frescoes in the churches of Elmelunde, Fanefjord and Keldby on the island of Møn in south-eastern Denmark....
. But it was not until the beginning of the 19th century that the Golden Age of Danish Painting
Golden Age of Danish Painting
The Danish Golden Age covers the period of creative production in Denmark, especially during the first half of the 19th century. Although Copenhagen had suffered from fires, bombardment and national bankruptcy, the arts took on a new period of creativity catalysed by Romanticism from Germany...
emerged with a marked increase in truly Danish art inspired by the country itself with its lifestyle and traditions. Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg
Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg
Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg was a Danish painter. He was born in Blåkrog in the Duchy of Schleswig , to Henrik Vilhelm Eckersberg, painter and carpenter, and Ingeborg Nielsdatter...
was an important influence on the following generation’s study of nature, in which landscape painting came to the fore. He had many successful students, including Wilhelm Bendz
Wilhelm Bendz
Wilhelm Ferdinand Bendz Danish painter mainly known for genre works and portrait which often portray his artist colleagues and their daily lives...
(1804–1832), Christen Købke
Christen Købke
Christen Schiellerup Købke , Danish painter, was born in Copenhagen to Peter Berendt Købke, a baker, and his wife Cecilie Margrete. He was one of 11 children...
(1810–48), Martinus Rørbye
Martinus Rørbye
Martinus Christian Wesseltoft Rørbye was a Danish painter, known both for genre works and landscapes. He was a central figure of the Golden Age of Danish painting during the first half of the 19th century....
(1803–1848), Constantin Hansen
Constantin Hansen
Carl Christian Constantin Hansen was one of the painters associated with the Golden Age of Danish Painting. He was deeply interested in literature and mythology, and inspired by art historian Niels Lauritz Høyen, he tried to recreate a national historical painting based on Norse mythology...
(1804–1880), Jørgen Roed
Jørgen Roed
Jørgen Roed, , Danish portrait and genre painter associated with the Golden Age of Danish Painting, was born in Ringsted to Peder Jørgensen Roed and wife, Ellen Hansdatter.-Growing up:...
(1808–1888), Wilhelm Marstrand
Wilhelm Marstrand
Nicolai Wilhelm Nikolaj Marstrand , painter and illustrator, was born in Copenhagen, Denmark to Nicolai Jacob Marstrand, instrument maker and inventor, and Petra Othilia Smith...
(1810–1873), Constantin Hansen
Constantin Hansen
Carl Christian Constantin Hansen was one of the painters associated with the Golden Age of Danish Painting. He was deeply interested in literature and mythology, and inspired by art historian Niels Lauritz Høyen, he tried to recreate a national historical painting based on Norse mythology...
(1804–80), C.A. Jensen (1792–1870), J.Th. Lundbye
Johan Lundbye
Johan Thomas Lundbye was a promising young Danish painter and graphic artist, known for his animal and landscape paintings who died at the age of 29...
(1818–1848), and P.C. Skovgaard (1817–1875).
Some years later, a number of painters including P.S. Krøyer (1851–1909) and Michael
Michael Peter Ancher
Michael Peter Ancher was a Danish impressionist artist. He is most associated with his paintings of fishermen and other scenes from the Danish port of Skagen. His paintings are classics and he is probably one of Denmark's most popular artists.-Background:Michael Peter Ancher was born at Rutsker on...
(1849–1927) and Anna Ancher
Anna Ancher
Anna Ancher was a Danish artist associated with the Skagen Painters, an artists' colony in the very north of Jutland.-Background:...
(1859–1935) moved to Skagen
Skagen
Skagen is a projection of land and a town, with a population of 8,515 , in Region Nordjylland on the northernmost tip of Vendsyssel-Thy, a part of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark...
in the far north of Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
to paint the natural surroundings and local people. In due course, the town developed into an artists' colony. A little later, a similar phenomenon developed on Funen
Funen
Funen , with a size of 2,984 km² , is the third-largest island of Denmark following Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy, and the 163rd largest island of the world. Funen is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 454,358 inhabitants . The main city is Odense, connected to the...
with artists such as Johannes Larsen
Johannes Larsen
Johannes Larsen was a Danish nature painter.-Biography:Born in Kerteminde on Funen, Larsen studied art at the Free School in Copenhagen under Kristian Zahrtmann in the 1880s. There he met other painters from Funen, notably Fritz Syberg and Peter Hansen, both from the southern port of Faaborg, and...
(1867–1961). Vilhelm Hammershoi is an important painter too.
Collections of modern art enjoy unusually attractive settings at the Louisiana Museum
Louisiana Museum
Louisiana Museum can refer to:*Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark*Louisiana State Museum in the United States...
north of Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, at the North Jutland Art Museum in Aalborg
Aalborg
-Transport:On the north side of the Limfjord is Nørresundby, which is connected to Aalborg by a road bridge Limfjordsbroen, an iron railway bridge Jernbanebroen over Limfjorden, as well as a motorway tunnel running under the Limfjord Limfjordstunnelen....
and at the ARoS art museum in Aarhus
ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum
ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum is an art museum in Aarhus. ARoS is one of the largest art museums in northern Europe, 10 storeys tall with a total of 17,000 m². The museum opened on 8 April 2004 after a construction process that started with Danish architects schmidt hammer lassen winning the design...
. The National Museum of Art
Statens Museum for Kunst
Statens Museum for Kunst is the Danish national gallery located in Copenhagen....
and the Glyptotek
Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek
The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek is an art museum in Copenhagen, Denmark...
, both in Copenhagen, contain treasures of Danish and international art.
Literature
The principal contributors to Danish literature are undoubtedly Hans Christian AndersenHans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."...
(1805–1875) with his fairy tales, the philosopher Søren Kierkegaard
Søren Kierkegaard
Søren Aabye Kierkegaard was a Danish Christian philosopher, theologian and religious author. He was a critic of idealist intellectuals and philosophers of his time, such as Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling and Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel...
(1813–1855), storyteller Karen Blixen
Karen Blixen
Baroness Karen von Blixen-Finecke , , née Karen Christenze Dinesen, was a Danish author also known by her pen name Isak Dinesen. She also wrote under the pen names Osceola and Pierre Andrézel...
(1885–1962), playwright Ludvig Holberg
Ludvig Holberg
Ludvig Holberg, Baron of Holberg was a writer, essayist, philosopher, historian and playwright born in Bergen, Norway, during the time of the Dano-Norwegian double monarchy, who spent most of his adult life in Denmark. He was influenced by Humanism, the Enlightenment and the Baroque...
(1684–1754), and modern authors such as Henrik Pontoppidan
Henrik Pontoppidan
Henrik Pontoppidan was a realist writer who shared with Karl Gjellerup the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1917 for "his authentic descriptions of present-day life in Denmark." Pontoppidan's novels and short stories — informed with a desire for social progress but despairing, later in his...
and Herman Bang
Herman Bang
Herman Joachim Bang was a Danish author, one of the men of the Modern Breakthrough.-Biography:Bang was born into a noble family of Asserballe, on the small Danish island of Als, the son of a South Jutlandic vicar...
.
Among today's Danish writers, probably the best-known to international readers is Peter Høeg
Peter Høeg
Peter Høeg is a Danish writer of fiction. He received a Master of Arts in Literature from the University of Copenhagen in 1984.-Early life:Høeg was born in Copenhagen, Denmark...
(Smilla's Sense of Snow
Smilla's Sense of Snow
Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow or Smilla's Sense of Snow is a 1992 novel by Danish author Peter Høeg. It was translated into English by Tiina Nunnally...
; Borderliners
Borderliners
Borderliners is the English translation of De måske egnede, a novel written by Danish author Peter Høeg in 1993. It is about three children, Peter, Katerina and August who attend a private school in Copenhagen in the mid 1970s. It is not long before the children realise they are part of an...
). Benny Andersen
Benny Andersen
Benny Andersen , is a Danish song-writer, poet, author, composer and pianist. He is the most widely read, most often sung and best loved of modern Danish lyricists, often associated with his collaboration with Povl Dissing. His collected poems have sold over 100,000 copies...
writes poems, short stories, and music. Poems by both writers have been translated into English by the Curbstone Press. Klaus Rifbjerg
Klaus Rifbjerg
Klaus Rifbjerg is a Danish writer. He has written more than 170 novels, books and essays.- Biography :Rifbjerg was born in Copenhagen and grew up on the island of Amager, a part of the city, the child of two teachers...
has published over 100 novels as well as poetry, short stories and TV plays. Two of his works have been translated into English: Witness to the Future
Witness to the Future
Witness to the Future is a novel written by Danish author Klaus Rifbjerg in 1981.It is about two young boys who are playing in the woods outside Copenhagen in occupied Denmark in the Second World War. They discover a cave with a tunnel that leads them from 1941 to 1981...
and War. Kirsten Thorup
Kirsten Thorup
Kirsten Thorup, a Danish author, was born in Funen, Denmark, in 1942 and now lives in Copenhagen. She is the author of three poetry collections, a volume of short stories, and three novels including Baby which has been translated into English. She has also written for films, television, and radio....
's novel Baby
Baby (Danish novel)
Baby is a 1973 novel by Danish author Kirsten Thorup. It deals with the disadvantaged members of society, those who have failed to make a mark.The novel traces the movements of a selection of losers as they leave a cheap Copenhagen nightclub...
, winner of the 1980 Pegasus Prize
Pegasus Prize
The Pegasus Prize for Literature is a literary prize established by the Mobil Corporation in 1977 to honor works from countries whose literature is rarely translated into English....
, is published in English by the University of Louisiana Press. The psychological thrillers of Anders Bodelsen
Anders Bodelsen
Anders Bodelsen is a prolific Danish writer primarily associated with the 1960 new-realism wave in Danish literature, along with Christian Kampmann and Henrik Stangerup. Bodelsen prefers the social-realistic style of writing, often thrillers about middle-class people that faces the consequences of...
also appear in English as do some of the novels of intrigue by Leif Davidsen
Leif Davidsen
Leif Davidsen is a Danish author. Educated as a journalist, in 1977 he started working in Spain as a freelance journalist for Danmarks Radio. In 1980 he began covering Soviet news with frequent news reports to Danmarks Radio from Russia. From 1984 to 1988 he was stationed in Moscow. As a...
. Suzanne Brøgger and Vita Andersen focus largely on the changing roles of women in society.
Architecture
The architecture of Denmark has its origins in the VikingViking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
period but became recognizable in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
when first Romanesque, then Gothic churches and cathedrals sprang up throughout the country. Inspired by French castles
Château
A château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...
and with the assistance of Dutch designers, architecture during the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
flourished with magnificent royal palaces. Neoclassicism
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
came to Denmark from France and, in the 19th century, slowly merged into the National Romantic style
National Romantic Style
The National Romantic style was a Nordic architectural style that was part of the national romantic movement during the late 19th and early 20th century. Designers turned to early Medieval and even prehistoric precedents to construct a style appropriate to the perceived character of a people...
when Danish designers came into their own. It was, however, not until the last half of the 20th century that Danish architects entered the world scene with their highly successful Functionalism
Functionalism (architecture)
Functionalism, in architecture, is the principle that architects should design a building based on the purpose of that building. This statement is less self-evident than it first appears, and is a matter of confusion and controversy within the profession, particularly in regard to modern...
. This, in turn, has evolved into more recent world-class designers such as Johann Otto von Spreckelsen
Johann Otto von Spreckelsen
Johann Otto von Spreckelsen was a Danish architect.He was born in Viborg and studied at the Viborg Katedralskole and Royal Academy of Arts in Copenhagen, and later served as director up to his death....
who designed the Grande Arche
Grande Arche
La Grande Arche de la Défense is a monument and building in the business district of La Défense and in the commune of Puteaux, to the west of Paris, France...
in Paris. Internationally, perhaps the most celebrated of all is the architect who designed the iconic Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
, Jørn Utzon
Jørn Utzon
Jørn Oberg Utzon, , AC was a Danish architect, most notable for designing the Sydney Opera House in Australia. When it was declared a World Heritage Site on 28 June 2007, Utzon became only the second person to have received such recognition for one of his works during his lifetime...
, but within Danish borders, it is the architect Arne Jacobsen
Arne Jacobsen
Arne Emil Jacobsen, usually known as Arne Jacobsen, was a Danish architect and designer. He is remembered for contributing so much to architectural Functionalism as well as for the worldwide success he enjoyed with simple but effective chair designs.-Early life and education:Arne Jacobsen was born...
who is perhaps held in highest esteem for developing the 'Danish Modern
Danish modern
Danish modern, frequently capitalized as Danish Modern, is a vintage style of minimalist wood furniture from Denmark associated with the Danish design movement...
' style and furniture/interior design, such as the now world-famous and much sought-after Swan
Swan (chair)
The Swan is a chair and a couch designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1958 for Radisson SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen. It is manufactured by Danish furniture manufacturer Republic of Fritz Hansen....
and Egg
Egg (chair)
The Egg is a chair designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1958 for Radisson SAS hotel in Copenhagen. It is manufactured by Republic of Fritz Hansen.The Egg was designed in a typical Jacobsen style, using state-of-the-art material....
chairs. A new wave of young Danish architects are rising into international prominence, like Bjarke Ingels
Bjarke Ingels
Bjarke Ingels is a Danish architect. He heads the architectural practice Bjarke Ingels Group which he founded in 2006. In 2009 he co-founded the design consultancy KiBiSi...
with works such as the Danish National Pavilion at the Shanghai 2010 Expo
Photography
Photography in Denmark has developed from strong participation and interest in the very beginnings of the artHistory of photography
The first permanent photograph was an image produced in 1826 by the French inventor Joseph Nicéphore Niépce.- Etymology :The word photography derives from the Greek words phōs light, and gráphein, to write...
in 1839 to some of the strongest contemporary photography in Europe today. Pioneers such as Mads Alstrup
Mads Alstrup
Mads Alstrup was the first Danish portrait photographer with his own studio. For 16 years, he produced an enormous number of daguerreotypes, in Copenhagen and the provinces, before his business suffered from the financial crisis of 1857. He moved to Sweden in 1858 and continued to take portraits...
and Georg Emil Hansen
Georg Emil Hansen
Georg Emil Hansen was one of Denmark's pioneering photographers in the second half of the 19th century. He had his own studio in Copenhagen and later became a successful court photographer.-Early life:...
paved the way for a rapidly growing profession during the last half of the 19th century while both artistic and press photographers have since made internationally recognised contributions. Today Danish photographers such as Astrid Kruse Jensen
Astrid Kruse Jensen
Astrid Kruse Jensen is a Danish photographer who specializes in artistic night photography where she brings out the mysteriously unreal, working on the play between artificial light and darkness...
and Jacob Aue Sobol
Jacob Aue Sobol
Jacob Aue Sobol is a Danish photographer. He has worked around the world, including in East Greenland, Guatemala, Tokyo, Bangkok and Copenhagen.Since 2007 Sobol has been a nominee at Magnum Photos...
are active both at home and abroad, participating in key exhibitions around the world.
Danish design
Danish applied art and industrial design have won many international awards for excellence. The name of Georg Jensen
Georg Jensen
Georg Arthur Jensen was a Danish silversmith.Born in 1866, Jensen was the son of a knife grinder in the town of Raadvad just to the north of Copenhagen. Jensen began his training in goldsmithing at the age of 14 in Copenhagen...
(1866–1935) is known the world over for modern design in silver. The Danish Porcelain Factory ("Royal Copenhagen
Royal Copenhagen
Royal Copenhagen, officially the Royal Porcelain Factory is a manufacturer of porcelain products and was founded in Copenhagen 1 May 1775 under the protection of Queen Juliane Marie...
"), including Bing & Grøndahl, is famous for the quality of its porcelain and ceramics and export products worldwide. Danish design
Danish design
Danish Design is a term often used to describe a style of functionalistic design and architecture that was developed in mid-20th century. Influenced by the German Bauhaus school, many Danish designers used the new industrial technologies, combined with ideas of simplicity and functionalism to...
is also a well-known brand, often associated with world-famous designers and architects such as Børge Mogensen, Poul Kjærholm, Hans Wegner
Hans Wegner
Hans Jørgen Wegner, , was a successful Danish furniture designer who contributed to the international popularity of mid-century Danish design. His work belongs to a modernist school with emphasis on functionality. He is probably best known for his chairs.-Early years:Born to cobbler Peter M...
, Poul Henningsen
Poul Henningsen
Poul Henningsen , Danish author, architect and critic, was one of the leading figures of the cultural life of Denmark between the World Wars. In Denmark, he is often referred to as PH.-Early life and education:...
and Arne Jacobsen
Arne Jacobsen
Arne Emil Jacobsen, usually known as Arne Jacobsen, was a Danish architect and designer. He is remembered for contributing so much to architectural Functionalism as well as for the worldwide success he enjoyed with simple but effective chair designs.-Early life and education:Arne Jacobsen was born...
.
The Danish Museum of Art & Design in Copenhagen exhibits the best in Danish design.
Performing arts
Music
Denmark's most famous composer is Carl NielsenCarl Nielsen
Carl August Nielsen , , widely recognised as Denmark's greatest composer, was also a conductor and a violinist. Brought up by poor but musically talented parents on the island of Funen, he demonstrated his musical abilities at an early age...
who is best known for his six symphonies. Other well-known pieces of his are the incidental music for Adam Oehlenschläger's drama Aladdin (Nielsen)
Aladdin (Nielsen)
Carl Nielsen's Aladdin, FS 89, is incidental music written to accompany a new production of Adam Oehlenschläger’s "dramatic fairy tale" presented at The Royal Theatre in Copenhagen in February 1919.-Background:...
, the operas Saul og David
Saul og David
Saul og David is the first of the two operas by the Danish composer Carl Nielsen. The four-act libretto, by Einar Christiansen, tells the Biblical story of Saul's jealousy of the young David, taken from the Book of Samuel. The first performance was at Det Kongelige Teater, Copenhagen on 28...
and Maskarade, the concertos for flute
Flute Concerto (Nielsen)
Carl Nielsen's Concerto for Flute and orchestra [D.F.119] was written in 1926 for Gilbert Jespersen, who succeeded Paul Hagemann as flautist of the Copenhagen Wind quintet. The concerto, in two movements, was generally well received at its premiere in Paris in October 1926 where Nielsen had...
, violin
Violin Concerto (Nielsen)
Carl Nielsen's Concerto for Violin and orchestra, op. 33 [D.F.61] was written for Hungarian violinist Dr. Emil Telmányi, Nielsen's son-in-law, in 1911. The concerto has two movements.-Background:...
, and clarinet
Clarinet Concerto (Nielsen)
Carl Nielsen's Concerto for Clarinet and orchestra, op. 57 [D.F.129] was written for Danish clarinetist Aage Oxenvad in 1928. The concerto is presented in one long movement, with four distinct theme groups.-History:...
, the Wind Quintet
Wind Quintet (Nielsen)
Carl Nielsen's Wind Quintet or, more correctly, the Quintet for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, French Horn and Bassoon, Opus 43, was composed early in 1922 in Gothenburg, Sweden, where it was first performed privately at the home of Herman and Lisa Mannheimer on 30 April 1922.-Background:According to his...
, and the Helios Overture
Helios Overture
Carl Nielsen's Helios Overture, Opus 17, was first performed by the Royal Orchestra, conducted by Johan Svendsen, on 8 October 1903 in the large hall of the Odd Fellows Mansion in Copenhagen.-Overview:...
, which depicts the passage of the sun in the sky from dawn to nightfall.
However Denmark has also produced a number of modern musicians. Examples such as D-A-D
D-A-D
D-A-D is a Danish rock band previously known as "Disneyland After Dark", a name that had to be changed after a threatening lawsuit from The Walt Disney Company. Their style of music is often categorized as melodic heavy rock...
, Aqua
Aqua (band)
Aqua is a Danish dance-pop group, best known for their 1997 breakthrough single "Barbie Girl". The group formed in 1989 and achieved huge success across the globe in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The group managed to top the UK Singles Chart with their first three singles. The group released two...
and Dizzy Mizz Lizzy
Dizzy Mizz Lizzy
Dizzy Mizz Lizzy was an alternative rock band from Denmark that started in 1988. Between 1994 and 1997, they were highly successful in Denmark and Japan, heading the early 1990s rock revival in Denmark. The trio consisted of Tim Christensen , Martin Nielsen and Søren Friis...
have become well known.
The Royal Danish Ballet
Royal Danish Ballet
The Royal Danish Ballet is one of the oldest ballet companies in the world. Based in Copenhagen, Denmark, it originates from 1748, when the Royal Danish Theatre was founded, and was finally organized in 1771 in response to the great popularity of French and Italian styles of dance...
specializes in the work of Danish choreographer August Bournonville
August Bournonville
August Bournonville was a Danish ballet master and choreographer. August was the son of Antoine Bournonville, a dancer and choreographer trained under the French choreographer, Jean Georges Noverre, and the nephew of Julie Alix de la Fay, née Bournonville, of the Royal Swedish Ballet.August was...
(1805–79). Danes have distinguished themselves as jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musicians, and the Copenhagen Jazz Festival
Copenhagen Jazz Festival
Copenhagen Jazz Festival is an annual Jazz event, taking place in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, each July. The first Copenhagen Jazz Festival was held in 1979. According to reports, around 240,000 people attended the festival in 2004...
has acquired an international reputation. The modern pop and rock scene has produced a few bands of note (for example, The Raveonettes
The Raveonettes
The Raveonettes are a Danish indie rock duo, consisting of Sune Rose Wagner on guitar, instruments, and vocals, and Sharin Foo on bass, guitar and vocals...
, Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
, Junior Senior
Junior Senior
Junior Senior was a pop musical duo from Denmark. The duo consisted of Jesper "Junior" Mortensen and Jeppe "Senior" Laursen ....
and Mew
Mew (band)
Mew is a Danish alternative music band consisting of Jonas Bjerre, Bo Madsen, and Silas Utke Graae Jørgensen. Bassist Johan Wohlert was also a founding member of the band, but left in 2006...
).
Hans Abrahamsen
Hans Abrahamsen
Hans Abrahamsen is a Danish composer.Born in Copenhagen, Abrahamsen first got to know music through playing the French horn at school. He went on to study music theory at the Royal Danish Academy of Music...
, Per Nørgård
Per Nørgård
Per Nørgård is a Danish composer.-Biography:Nørgård studied with Vagn Holmboe at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen, and subsequently with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. To begin with, he was strongly influenced by the Nordic styles of Jean Sibelius, Carl Nielsen and Vagn Holmboe...
and Poul Ruders
Poul Ruders
Poul Ruders is a Danish composer.Ruders trained as an organist, and studied orchestration with Karl Aage Rasmussen. Ruders's first compositions date from the mid-1960s...
are successful contemporary composers.
Danish interest in music is exemplified by the prestigious Opera House completed in 2000. Strategically set on Copenhagen's waterfront, it has presented operas and musicals to full houses ever since its opening.
Not to be forgotten is the Black Metal scene, which although underground has a hub of followers.
Cinema
In recent years, Danish films have gained increasing recognition at home and abroad. Gabriel AxelGabriel Axel
Gabriel Axel is an Oscar winning Danish film director, actor, writer and producer, best known for the Oscar-winning Babette's Feast , which he wrote and directed....
's film based on Karen Blixen's Babette's Feast
Babette's Feast
Babette's Feast is a 1987 Danish film directed by Gabriel Axel. The film's screenplay was written by Axel based on the story by Isak Dinesen , who also wrote the story which inspired the 1985 Academy Award winning film Out of Africa...
was awarded an Oscar in 1987. In 1988, Bille August
Bille August
Bille August is a Danish Academy Award winning film and television director. His film Pelle the Conqueror from 1987 won the Palme D'or, Academy Award and Golden Globe. He is one of the very few directors to win the Palme D'or twice, winning the prestigious award again in 1991 for The Best...
also received an Oscar with Pelle the Conqueror
Pelle the Conqueror
Pelle the Conqueror is a 1987 Danish film by Bille August that tells the story of two Swedish immigrants to Denmark, a father and son, who try to build a new life for themselves...
based on the novel by Martin Andersen Nexø
Martin Andersen Nexø
Martin Andersen Nexø was a Danish writer. He was the first significant Danish author to depict the working class in his writings, and the first great Danish socialist, later communist, writer.-Biography:...
. In 1992, August went on to win the Palme d'Or
Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...
in Cannes with Ingmar Bergman
Ingmar Bergman
Ernst Ingmar Bergman was a Swedish director, writer and producer for film, stage and television. Described by Woody Allen as "probably the greatest film artist, all things considered, since the invention of the motion picture camera", he is recognized as one of the most accomplished and...
's autobiography, The Best Intentions
The Best Intentions
The Best Intentions is a 1992 Swedish drama film directed by Bille August and written by Ingmar Bergman. It is semi-autobiographical and tells the story of the complex courtship of Bergman's parents, Erik and Karin , and the difficult early years of their marriage, up to the point where Anna is...
.
Since the late 1990s, the Dogme movement and figures such as Lars von Trier
Lars von Trier
Lars von Trier is a Danish film director and screenwriter. He is closely associated with the Dogme 95 collective, although his own films have taken a variety of different approaches, and have frequently received strongly divided critical opinion....
, Thomas Vinterberg
Thomas Vinterberg
Thomas Vinterberg is a Danish film director who, along with Lars von Trier, co-founded the Dogme 95 movement in filmmaking, which established rules for simplifying movie production....
, Søren Kragh-Jacobsen
Søren Kragh-Jacobsen
Søren Kragh-Jacobsen is a Danish film director, musician, and song writer. He was one of the founders and practitioners of the Dogme95 project, for creating films without artificial technology or techniques.-Early career:...
and Lone Scherfig
Lone Scherfig
Lone Scherfig is a Danish film director. She graduated in 1984, and began her career as a director with "A Birthday Trip". She is part of the Dogme 95 film movement, which espouses a form of cinéma vérité She made her mark with the Dogme95-film, Italian for Beginners , a romantic comedy which...
have continued to contribute to the international success of Danish cinema. In 2011, Susanne Bier
Susanne Bier
Susanne Bier is a Danish film director best known for her feature films Brothers, After the Wedding and the Academy-Award-winning In a Better World.-Life and work:Susanne Bier was born to Jewish parents in Copenhagen, Denmark...
's In a Better World
In a Better World
In a Better World is a 2010 Danish-Swedish drama thriller film written by Anders Thomas Jensen and directed by Susanne Bier. The film stars Mikael Persbrandt, Trine Dyrholm, and Ulrich Thomsen in a story which takes place in small-town Denmark and a refugee camp in Africa.A Danish majority...
won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
.
Theatre
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
and across the country which put on a wide variety of Danish and foreign performances. The flagship Royal Danish Theatre
Royal Danish Theatre
The Royal Danish Theatre is both the national Danish performing arts institution and a name used to refer to its old purpose-built venue from 1874 located on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. The theatre was founded in 1748, first serving as the theatre of the king, and then as the theatre of the...
presents drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
, opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
, ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
and music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
. Since the 18th century, Danish playwrights have been successful in attracting wide public interest.
Ludvig Holberg
Ludvig Holberg
Ludvig Holberg, Baron of Holberg was a writer, essayist, philosopher, historian and playwright born in Bergen, Norway, during the time of the Dano-Norwegian double monarchy, who spent most of his adult life in Denmark. He was influenced by Humanism, the Enlightenment and the Baroque...
(1684–1754) is considered by many to be the founder of the Danish theatre. Satirical comedies such as Jean de France and Jeppe of the Hill are still performed today.
Adam Oehlenschläger (1779–1850) introduced romanticism to the Danish theatre. Especially successful was his Earl Hakon the Mighty, premiered in 1808.
The Norwegian Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the father of prose drama" and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre...
(1828–1906) also travelled to Copenhagen where he produced numerous plays such as A Doll’s House (1879).
In recent years, there has been something of a revival in Danish theatre. Many new playwrights and producers have appeared including Astrid Saalbach (b.1955), winner of the Nordic Drama Award in 2004, and Peter Asmussen (b.1957), who wrote the film script for Lars von Trier
Lars von Trier
Lars von Trier is a Danish film director and screenwriter. He is closely associated with the Dogme 95 collective, although his own films have taken a variety of different approaches, and have frequently received strongly divided critical opinion....
's Breaking the Waves
Breaking the Waves
Breaking the Waves is a 1996 film directed by Lars von Trier and starring Emily Watson. Set in the Scottish Highlands in the early 1970s, it tells the story of an unusual young woman, Bess McNeill, and of the love she has for Jan, her husband. The film is an international co-production led by Lars...
. Danish musicals have also been a particularly successful feature of the modern theatre. Knud Christensen, commonly known as Sebastian, was particularly successful with Cyrano (1992), based on Rostand
Rostand
Rostand may refer to:*Edmond Rostand was a French poet and dramatist.*Jean Rostand was a French biologist and philosopher....
’s play and Klokkeren fra Notre Dame
Klokkeren fra Notre Dame (musical)
Klokkeren fra Notre Dame is a Danish musical written and composed by Knud Christensen, commonly known as Sebastian, in 2002. Based on Victor Hugo's novel of the same name, it was written for the Mastodonterne theatre company, where it was premiered in March 2002. It was highly successful and was...
(The Hunchback of Notre Dame) (2001). Bent Fabricius-Bjerre's musical Matador
Matador (Danish musical)
Matador is a Danish musical from 2007 based on the television series of the same name. It was first performed on 10 June 2007 at the Copenhagen Opera House. The production was created by Peter Langdale , Bent Fabricius-Bjerre with lyrics by Clemens Telling. The story is based on Lise Nørgaard's...
(2007) is based on a successful TV series of the same name
Matador (TV series)
Matador is a Danish TV series produced between 1978 and 1981. It is set in the fictional Danish town of Korsbæk between 1929 and 1947. It follows the lives of a range of characters from across the social spectrum, focusing specifically on the rivalry between the families of two businessmen: The...
.
Another popular Danish theatrical tradition is the revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
which has been thriving since the mid 19th century. Today revues are performed every summer to full houses in theatres across Denmark, poking fun at the politics of the day and even the monarchy. Among the most popular are Circusrevyen in Copenhagen with Lisbet Dahl, and the Nykøbing Revy directed by Flemming Krøll in Nykøbing Falster
Nykøbing Falster
Nykøbing Falster is a southern Danish city, seat of the Guldborgsund kommune. It belongs to Region Sjælland. The city lies on Falster, connected by the 295-meter-long Frederick IX Bridge over the Guldborgsund waterway to the island of Lolland. The town has a population of 16,464...
.
Finally, Danish television
Television in Denmark
Television in Denmark was established in the 1950s and was run by a monopoly with only one channel available until the 1980s.-History:The first television broadcasts in Denmark started on 2 October 1951. These were carried out by the national radio broadcaster Statsradiofonien and consisted of a...
has also contributed to drama with a number of successful series
Danish television drama
Danish television dramas have represented an important and popular aspect of Danish television, especially since the 1970s. There is little doubt that the most successful drama series was Matador which has been frequently rebroadcast and released on DVD....
since the 1970s.
Other contributions
Yule
Yule or Yuletide is a winter festival that was initially celebrated by the historical Germanic people as a pagan religious festival, though it was later absorbed into, and equated with, the Christian festival of Christmas. The festival was originally celebrated from late December to early January...
), making Christmas decorations is a big family event. Spending hours around a table with the family cutting paper into intricate designs has become a national pastime.
Danes have made significant contributions to the field of computer science. Some notable figures are:
- Per Brinch HansenPer Brinch HansenPer Brinch Hansen was a Danish-American computer scientist known for concurrent programming theory.-Biography:He was born in Frederiksberg, in Copenhagen, Denmark....
: Known for concurrent programming theory - Bjarne StroustrupBjarne StroustrupBjarne Stroustrup ; born December 30, 1950 in Århus, Denmark) is a Danish computer scientist, most notable for the creation and the development of the widely used C++ programming language...
: Inventor of C++ programming language - Anders HejlsbergAnders HejlsbergAnders Hejlsberg is a prominent Danish software engineer who co-designed several popular and commercially successful programming languages and development tools...
: Inventor of Turbo Pascal, lead architect for C# - Janus FriisJanus FriisJanus Friis is a Danish entrepreneur best known for co-founding the file-sharing application KaZaA, and the peer-to-peer telephony application Skype. In September 2005, he and his partner Niklas Zennström sold Skype to eBay for $2.6B...
: Co-Inventor of SkypeSkypeSkype is a software application that allows users to make voice and video calls and chat over the Internet. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free, while calls to both traditional landline telephones and mobile phones can be made for a fee using a debit-based user account system... - David Heinemeier HanssonDavid Heinemeier HanssonDavid Heinemeier Hansson is a Danish programmer and the creator of the popular Ruby on Rails web development framework and the Instiki wiki...
: Created Ruby on Rails - Lars RasmussenLars Rasmussen (Software Developer)Lars Eilstrup Rasmussen is a Danish-born computer scientist, software developer, and co-founder of Google Maps.-Qualifications:In 1990, Rasmussen graduated from the University of Aarhus with a major in Mathematics...
and Jens Rasmussen: Came up with Google Maps and Google Wave - Lars BakLars Bak (computer programmer)Lars Bak is a Danish computer programmer who currently works for Google where he has contributed to the Chrome browser by developing the V8 JavaScript engine...
: Created V8 Javascript VM for Google Chrome - Peter NaurPeter NaurPeter Naur is a Danish pioneer in computer science and Turing award winner. His last name is the N in the BNF notation , used in the description of the syntax for most programming languages...
: Turing Award winner, contributed to ALGOL 60 - Rasmus LerdorfRasmus LerdorfRasmus Lerdorf is a Danish programmer with Canadian citizenship and is most notable as the creator of the PHP scripting language. He authored the first two versions...
: Created PHP
Sexual equality is a high priority in Denmark. Danes are quite liberal and tolerant towards sexual minorities.
Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
is a popular destination for lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
and bisexual travellers. The main gay and lesbian festival of the year is the Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
Pride parade, a big Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras
The terms "Mardi Gras" , "Mardi Gras season", and "Carnival season", in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after Epiphany and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday...
-like bash that occurs on a Saturday in early August. There's also the Copenhagen Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
Film festival
A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...
, held each year in October. In addition, Copenhagen has been host to the 2009 World Outgames
2009 World Outgames
The 2009 World Outgames, the 2nd World Outgames, was hosted by Copenhagen, Denmark from July 25 to August 2, 2009. It was one of the largest international sports and cultural event ever held on Danish soil, with 8,000 people from all corners of the world expected to participate. The World...
. The LBL (Landsforeningen for Bøsser og Lesbiske, a national organisation for gay men and lesbians) was established in 1948, and in 1989 Denmark became the first country in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
to offer gay partners most of the same legal rights as heterosexual
Human sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
couples. Adoption laws are liberal compared to other Western countries and public displays of affection between people of the same sex are unlikely to provoke ire. Lesbians wishing to have access to artificial insemination do not provoke the sort of scandals that can occur in other societies, and in March 2009 adoption was legalized for homosexual couples.
Sport
Sports are popular in Denmark, and its citizens participate in and watch a wide variety. The national sport is footballFootball (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
with the most notable results being qualifying for the European Championships six times in a row (1984–2004) and winning the Championship in 1992
1992 UEFA European Football Championship
The 1992 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was hosted by Sweden between 10 and 26 June 1992. It was the ninth European Football Championship, which is held every four years and supported by UEFA. Eight national teams contested the championship, which was won by Denmark, one of...
after being allowed to enter the competition due to the withdrawal of Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. Other significant achievements include winning the Confederations Cup in 1995 and reaching the quarter final of the 1998 World Championships.
Other popular sports include handball
Team handball
Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...
, cycling
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
, sailing
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
sports, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, badminton
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
, ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, and golf.
See also
- Architecture of DenmarkArchitecture of DenmarkThe architecture of Denmark has its origins in the Viking period, richly revealed by archaeological finds. It became firmly established in the Middle Ages when first Romanesque, then Gothic churches and cathedrals sprang up throughout the country...
- Music of DenmarkMusic of DenmarkDenmark's most famous classical composer is Carl Nielsen, especially remembered for his six symphonies while the Royal Danish Ballet specializes in the work of Danish choreographer August Bournonville. Danes have distinguished themselves as jazz musicians, and the Copenhagen Jazz Festival has...
- Danish Golden Age
- Danish folkloreDanish folkloreDanish folklore consists of folk tales, legends, songs, music, dancing, popular beliefs and traditions comuminicated by the inhabitants of towns and villages across the country, often passed on from generation to generation by word of mouth. As in neighbouring countries, interest in folklore grew...
Further reading
- Morten Strange, "Culture Shock! Denmark", London: Kuperard, 1996, 228 pp. ISBN 1-85733-159-1.
- Helen Dyrbye, Steven Harris, Thomas Golzen, "The Xenophobe's Guide to the Danes", Horsham, West Sussex: Ravette Publishing, 1997, 64 pp.