Culture of Denmark
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Culture of Denmark |
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Folklore |
Cuisine |
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Art |
Literature |
Music and Performing arts |
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The culture of Denmark has a rich artistic and scientific heritage. The fairy tales of
Culture and the arts thrive as a result of the proportionately[clarification needed] high amount of government funding they receive, much of which is administered by local authorities so as to involve citizens directly.[2] 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.[3]
Hygge
Similar to other Scandinavian cultures, a fundamental aspect of Danish culture is
Danish Christmas
The Danish word for the Christmas holiday is
Folklore
Danish folklore is made up of folk tales, legends, songs, music, dancing, popular beliefs and traditions, mostly communicated 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 innumerable 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.[10] Today there are more than 12,000 folk dancers in 219 local clubs, providing courses in music, dancing and dressmaking.[11][12]
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).[13]
Numerous Danish folktales contain a range of mythical figures such as
Today, nisser are associated with Christmas, with some of them being portrayed as Santa Claus's helpers on Greendland. Whilst the superstition regarding the nisse has faded, it is still traditional for households with children to pretend that a nisse lives in the attic, or elsewhere in the house, and to offer it porridge in December. The parents will then, for the duration of the month, play mischievous, but harmless, jokes on the children. The nisse also provides daily gifts, that are laid in a sock, which is hung op on a wall at the start of the month.
Cuisine
Perhaps the most typically Danish contribution to the meals of the day is the traditional lunch or
In the evening, hot meals are usually served. Traditional dishes include fried fish, roast pork with red cabbage, pot-roasted chicken, pot-roast and slow cooked beef, meat balls, or pork chops. Game is sometimes served in the autumn. Steaks are now increasingly popular, but is a modern addition.
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 they are called æbleskiver, literally "apple slices".
In recent years, development of the
Sports
Sports are popular in Denmark, and its citizens participate in and watch a wide variety. The
Denmark's numerous beaches and resorts are popular locations for fishing, canoeing, kayaking and a broad-range of other water-themed sports.
In
As of January 2012[update], the national handball team are the current reigning European champions and the team with most medals won in European championship history on the men's side with a total of five medals, those being two gold medals (2008, 2012), and three bronze medals (2002, 2004 & 2006). And in 2016 Denmark's handball team won the gold medal for men at the Olympics in Rio.
Cycling
In recent years, Denmark has made a mark as a strong cycling nation, with Bjarne Riis winning Tour de France in 1996, and Michael Rasmussen reaching King of the Mountains status, in the Tour 2005 and 2006. The Tour d’France has been won for two consecutive years (2022 and 2023) by Jonas Vingegaard.
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,[20] with 36% of all citizens commuting to work, school or university by bicycle.[21] Cycling is generally perceived as a healthier, environmentally friendlier, 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.[22]
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.[23]
During the summer months, there are free "
Fine arts
Painting
Danish painting goes back hundreds of years. Earlier work is often manifested in churches, for example in the form of
Some years later, a number of painters including
Collections of modern art enjoy unusually attractive settings at the
Sculpture
Danish sculpture as a nationally recognized art form can be traced back to 1752 when
Literature
The principal contributors to Danish literature are undoubtedly Hans Christian Andersen (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.[citation needed]
Among today's Danish writers, probably the best-known to international readers is
Architecture
The architecture of Denmark has changed and evolved since prehistoric times, but the oldest buildings to have survived the ravages of time dates to the early
Photography
Photography in Denmark has developed from strong participation and interest in the very beginnings of the art 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.[27]
Design
Danish design is a term often used to describe a style of functionalistic design and architecture that was developed in mid-20th century, originating in Denmark. Danish design is typically applied to industrial design, furniture and household objects, which have won many international awards.
The Danish Porcelain Factory ("Royal Copenhagen"), including Bing & Grøndahl, is famous for the quality of its 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 (1914–1972), Finn Juhl (1912–1989), Hans Wegner (1914–2007), Arne Jacobsen (1902–1971), Poul Kjærholm (1929–1980), Poul Henningsen (1894–1967) and Verner Panton (1926–1998).[28] Georg Jensen (1866–1935) is known the world over for modern design in silver.
Other designers of note include
The
Performing arts
Music
Denmark's most famous composer of classical music is Carl Nielsen who is best known outside of Denmark for his six symphonies, but whose melodies for popular songs are cherished among Danes. 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. The Royal Danish Ballet specializes in the work of Danish choreographer August Bournonville (1805–79). Hans Abrahamsen, Per Nørgård and Poul Ruders are successful composers of contemporary classical music. Danish interest in classical 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.
Danes have also distinguished themselves in rhythmical music, with world-famous jazz musicians such as Svend Asmussen, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Niels Lan Doky and Marilyn Mazur. The Copenhagen Jazz Festival has acquired an international reputation.
The modern pop and rock scene has produced some bands of note like
Cinema
In recent years, Danish films have gained increasing recognition at home and abroad. Gabriel Axel'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
Theatre
The theatre in Denmark continues to thrive thanks to the many theatres 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.[30]
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).[31]
In recent years, there has been something of a revival in Danish theatre. Many new playwrights and producers have appeared including
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.[33]
To this day, Denmark also has a large tradition for children and youth theater, as it hosts the largest annual children and youth theater event in the world, Aprilfestivallen, every year.[34]
Television
Science
Denmark has a long tradition for scientific engagement in all fields, often with fundamental discoveries. The intelligentsia was involved in the European
The contributions to science has steadily continued through the ages, with the fundamental discoveries of Hans Christian Ørsted (1777–1851), the contributions to linguistics by Rasmus Rask (1787–1832), the neglected articulation of the principle of conservation of energy by Ludwig A. Colding's (1815–1888), Vilhelm Thomsen (1842–1927), Otto Jespersen (1860–1943) and others, into modern times with the brilliant contributions to atomic physics of Niels Bohr (1885–1962).
Niels Bohr founded several institutions in relation to quantum physics and both attracted and stimulated an important international and lasting scientific milieu in the country.[38] This has since produced many important discoveries and advancements in physics, astrophysics, chemistry, mathematics and engineering, particularly in the areas of quantum physics, quantum optics and lately nano-technology. Although an international environment, notable Danish scientists from this milieu includes Bengt Strömgren (1908–1987), Aage Bohr (1922–2009), Holger Bech Nielsen (born 1941) and Lene Vestergaard Hau (born 1959).
The sciences of geology and geophysics has benefited from Danish scientists who have been - and are - heavily involved in the description and understanding of the geology of Greenland, one of the most important regions in the world to study the geological evolution of Earth. The Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) was founded in 1888 and Inge Lehmann (1888–1993) revealed that Earth have a solid inner core in 1936, by the use of seismology. In the 1960s, Willi Dansgaard was the first to understand and describe how to use ice core drills to gain knowledge about Earth's paleoclimate, now a widely used method to understand climate changes. Lately, Greenland-born geologist Minik Rosing and his team, unravelled groundbreaking knowledge about the early evolution of life through studies of Greenland's geology in the 2000s.[39][40]
The young science of
Danes have made significant contributions to the field of computer science. Some notable figures include: Per Brinch Hansen, known for concurrent programming theory; Bjarne Stroustrup, who invented the C++ programming language; Janus Friis, the co-inventor of Skype; Jens and Lars Rasmussen, the co-founders of Google Maps; and Peter Naur, a contributor to ALGOL 60 and a recipient of the Turing Award.
LGBT
Public displays of affection between gay partners are less likely to provoke disapproval, even as compared to other liberal Western countries.
In 1989 Denmark became the first country in the world to offer same-sex couples most of the same legal rights as heterosexual couples, in the form of "registered partnerships.".[46][47] In March 2009 adoption was legalized for same-sex couples. Same-sex marriage became legal in 2012, after both the parliament and the Church of Denmark voted for it.[48]
See also
- Law of Jante
- Scandinavia
- Danish Golden Age
- List of museums in Denmark
- List of World Heritage Sites in Northern Europe (including Denmark)
- Culture of the Faroe Islands
- Danish Culture Canon
Further reading
Part of a series on the |
Culture of Denmark |
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- 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.
References
- ^ "kamera.co.uk - feature item - Carl Dreyer - Antonio Pasolini". www.kamera.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-02-22.
- ^ "Kommuner bruger flere penge på kultur", Dr.dk. (in Danish)
- ^ "The History of Danish Arts Policy", DanishArts.info. Retrieved 13 March 2010.
- ^ "Copenhagen Walking Tours – Danske autoriserede guider". 25 May 2007. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
- ^ "The art of Danish hygge". VisitDenmark. Archived from the original on February 20, 2016. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
- ^ BBC (London) (02/10/2015) Hygge: A heart-warming lesson from Denmark
- ^ Den Store Danske, Jul (in Danish). Retrieved 31 July 2009.
- ^ Iulia Kolesnicov, "Danish Christmas" Archived 2012-04-26 at the Wayback Machine, ForeignersIndenmark.dk. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
- ^ a b Danish Christmas traditions from VisitDenmark Archived 2009-12-04 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 25 July 2009.
- ^ "Dans" Archived 2012-04-26 at the Wayback Machine, Dansk Folkemindesamlings arkiv. (in Danish) Retrieved 24 November 2011.
- ^ "National dress and folk dancing" Archived 2011-10-08 at the Wayback Machine, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
- ^ "The National Association of Danish Folk Dancers" Archived 2016-03-10 at the Wayback Machine, Landsforeningen Danske Folkedansere. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
- ^ Frits Lilbæk, "Historiemaler F C Lund: Danske Nationaldragter" Archived 2012-01-11 at the Wayback Machine. (in Danish) Retrieved 24 November 2011.
- ^ "Nisse", Den Store Danske, (in Danish) Retrieved 23 November 2011.
- ^ "Julenissen", Den Store Danske. (in Danish) Retrieved 23 November 2011.
- ^ Danish Culture from PortlandDanes.org Archived July 23, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 4 December 2008.
- ^ "Denmark Special" Archived 2012-04-26 at the Wayback Machine, Food & design, #9 2011. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
- ^ Om DIF – Medlemstal (in Danish), The National Olympic Committee and Sports Confederation of Denmark
- ISBN 1-86200-013-1) p66. Archived from July 2007 and Retrieved June 2012.
- ^ "Bicycle Account – 2004Street" (PDF). Copenhagen Municipality. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-07-21. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
- ^ "Copenhagen's ambitious push to be carbon-neutral by 2025". Guardian News and Media Limited. 12 April 2013. Retrieved 2015-09-11.
- ^ "Grønne cykel router". Københavns Kommune. Archived from the original on February 28, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-05.
- ^ "Inspiration fra cykelbyen" Archived 2010-05-22 at the Wayback Machine, Odense.dk. (in Danish) Retrieved 10 June 2010
- ^ Visual Arts from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Denmark Archived 2007-06-12 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 4 December 2008.
- ^ Hans Edvard Nørregård-Nielsen (2006): "Magt og dragt: dansk teglstensarkitektur", Gyldendal (in Danish). About bricks in Danish architecture through history.
- ^ 'Ægget' fejrer 50 år med en særlig stol. Politiken 9. jan 2008 kl. 07:41. Archived 2010-07-28 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Contemporary Danish Photography. From Photography-Now Archived July 7, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
- ^ "Danish by Design", DDC. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
- ^ Cinema fact sheet from Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. Retrieved 5 December 2008.
- ^ Theatre from Denmark.dk. Archived 2016-03-08 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 22 December 2008.
- ^ Theatre from Golden Days in Copenhagen Archived 2004-10-16 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 22 December 2008.
- ^ Matador-stjerner er enige: Det betød alt from Avisen.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 23 December 2008.
- ^ "Danmark – revy", Den store Danske. (in Danish) Retrieved 19 March 2010.
- ^ "General festival information". www.info.aprilfestival.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 2017-05-23.
- bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
- ^ Edwin Arthur Burtt, The Metaphysical Foundations of Modern Physical Science; a Historical and Critical Essay (1925)
- OCLC 490802454.
- NORDITAfor example.
- ^ Anders Fjeldberg (3 August 2017). "UCPH scientists confirm the oldest life on earth". University Post (University of Copenhagen). Retrieved 31 October 2017.
- S2CID 205257931.
- Glyptoteket
- Glyptoteket
- ^ Denmark – Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette. From Kwintessential Archived 2012-06-10 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 4 December 2008.
- ^ Gay Copenhagen – Tolerant and Relaxed from Copenhagen Lodgings. Archived 2011-07-08 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 5 December 2008.
- ^ Gay Copenhagen from VisitCopenhagen.com. Archived 2008-11-10 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 5 December 2008.
- ^ Sheila Rule: Rights for Gay Couples in Denmark – The New York Times. Published: 2 October 1989. Retrieved 7 June 2012
- ^ "Same-Sex Marriage FAQ". Marriage.about.com. 17 June 2003. Archived from the original on 12 February 2009. Retrieved 5 May 2009.
- ^ AFP (7 June 2012). "Denmark passes bill allowing gays to marry in church". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
External links
- "A Delicious Taste of Denmark", Danish Food Culture & Culinary Heritage
- Facts about Denmark & Danish Culture
- Visitdenmark.com
- Figuring out Hyggelig.