Got the travel bug but nowhere to go? Join us on a holiday exploration of one of the Duckfeet USA team's favorite locations: Denmark🇩🇰
Danes are known for how masterfully they cultivate coziness and warmth. Days of short sunlight and dropping temperatures are no match for thespiritof the holidays in Denmark. Between social Christmas markets and family traditions inside the home, we love the magic of the Danishway.
Glow Gardens
Christmas in Denmark
In Denmark, the holiday season begins much earlier than December. Starting in mid-November, the Tivoli Gardens open for the Christmas season. This festive destination provides beautiful decorated trees and traditional markets with handmade crafts and delicious treats.
Whether in the large Tivoli Gardens or in a small local town, Danes visit holiday markets in cold weather but with warm hearts.Families spend time together lookingat the decorations, purchasing gifts, and enjoying Æbleskiver (similar to a doughnut hole dipped in jam and sugar) and hot chocolate or afiery mulled wine called Gløgg.
Christmas (Jul)Traditions
Like many other European countries, Denmark celebratesthe holiday on December 24. To count down the days untilJul, many families light a calendar candle. These candles, which have numbers 1-24 written down theirlength,are burned until that day's date melts away. When the candle has burned down to number 24, it's time to celebrate!
A traditionalDanishChristmas tree is decorated with white lights andreal candles (to help keep the tree from lighting on fire, most families get a fresh tree onChristmas Eve itself). Before opening gifts, family members join hands and dancearound the tree singing Christmas songs together.
While kids here in the US are used to leaving out cookies for Santa, Danish children know to leave a treat (usually rice pudding) outdoors to appease the mischievous Christmas elves known asJulenisse. Leaving out this sweet dish encourages the Julenisseto play nicely for the holiday.
Food and Drink
For all of December, Danes gather to celebrate the season with long dinners or lunches, known asjulefrokost. These meals are hygge at its finest: full of hearty food and leisurely company to honor the season.
Christmas dinner is no exception. Tradition suggests roasted pork or duck, baked potatoes, and red cabbage. For dessert, everyone enjoys a rice pudding called Risalamande. Topped with a cherry sauce, it's made with one whole almond somewhere inside. Whichever family member gets the serving that contains the almond gets a prize!
Want to make your own Risalamande? Try this recipe
Familiar Cities
Did you know that every Duckfeet style is named after a town in Denmark? Here are Christmas snapshots for the namesakes of two of our most popular winter models
Visit Aarhus
Aarhus
Located in East Jutland, Aarhus is known for the way it celebrates Christmas. In the old town of Den Gamle By, the open air museum is decorated to honor the Christmas traditions of generations past. A giant Christmas tree lights up the center square.Visitors can stroll the town with a warm drink in-hand, see lantern-lit streets and people making traditional Danish cakes, listen tolocals singing carols, and visit the beautiful markets.
See the matching Duckfeet boot: Arhus
Glow Gardens
Odense
Celebrate Christmas in the birthplace of famous fairytale writer, Hans Christian Anderson. With the famous HC Anderson Market, visitors will hear live holiday music, purchase gifts from markets, and of course, fill their bellies with warm and sweet treats. Odenseis the perfect location for a true fairytale Christmas.
See the matching Duckfeet boot:Odense
FAQs
In common with much of Europe (but not the UK), Denmark celebrates Christmas on December 24, Christmas Eve. Traditionally, that means eating an elaborate Christmas dinner in the evening and opening presents, often late into the night, afterwards. In Denmark, the name for Christmas is jul.
How do they celebrate Christmas in Denmark? ›
In common with much of Europe (but not the UK), Denmark celebrates Christmas on December 24, Christmas Eve. Traditionally, that means eating an elaborate Christmas dinner in the evening and opening presents, often late into the night, afterwards. In Denmark, the name for Christmas is jul.
Is Denmark good to visit at Christmas? ›
there's nothing quite like it. Feel Denmark at its warmest in December, our peak hygge season. Come and enjoy our naughty elves (we call them nisse), discover an almond hidden in your rice pudding, try dancing around a Christmas tree and take in the sights, sounds and scents of a traditional Danish Christmas.
Is Copenhagen fun in Christmas? ›
Copenhagen is a genuine Christmas city, where it is impossible not to get in the spirit for the Christmas holiday season. The best place to soak up the atmosphere is at one of Copenhagen's many Christmas markets.
What is Danish Christmas Eve called? ›
On Christmas Eve (Julaften) Danish immigrants would have the most important feast of the year. The traditional dinner in many families consisted of rice pudding, roast goose with prune sauce or prune and apple stuffing, glazed potatoes, red cabbage with currant jelly, coffee and pastries.
What does Denmark call Santa? ›
In Denmark, Santa Claus is known as Julemanden (literally "the Yule Man") and is said to arrive on a sleigh drawn by reindeer, with presents for the children.
How do they say Merry Christmas in Denmark? ›
The Danish equivalent of "Merry Christmas" is God Jul (pronounced: /goo jool/) or Glædelig Jul (pronounced: /GLEH-deh-lih jool/). The word jul derives from the Old Norse jól, which was the name of a pagan feast.
How cold is Denmark at Christmas? ›
Denmark Weather in December: Overview
Temperature range: 0–5°C (32–40°F) Rainfall: 6 cm (2 inches) Rainy days: 15. Sunshine hours/day: 2.
Is Copenhagen too cold in December? ›
The winter weather in Copenhagen in December will see high temperatures reach 3°C or 4°C, with colder days struggling to get above 0°C. At night it'll fall below freezing and a thick winter coat and hat are a must if you're exploring the city in the evening.
What do they eat in Copenhagen for Christmas? ›
Danish Christmas is tied to traditions, and for many, the Christmas menu is probably synonymous with roasted duck, caramelised potatoes and Risalamande. We've found some places where you can have a Christmas feast in true Danish style, but also some that dare to challenge the traditions.
Gløgg – a hot and sweet mulled wine – goes hand in hand with the Danish Christmas season. Many Danes add additional alcohol in the form of schnapps or rum for fuller flavour and kick. You can also add fresh ginger for extra spice or chilli for heat. Enjoy!
What is the Christmas city in Denmark? ›
Odense, the third largest city in Denmark, is the hometown of fairytale poet Hans Christian Andersen. Every year, the city constructs an old-fashioned Christmas market complete with traditional decorations, a farmer's market, and lots of local entertainment inspired by the infamous author.
What is the Danish Christmas word? ›
Jul (similar to “yule”) means Christmas in Danish, and there are plenty of variations of it in festive-themed words: Julemanden (Santa or Father Christmas), julekalendar (a daily Christmas TV show), julepynt (Christmas decorations), julefrokost (work Christmas lunch) and so on.
What is the Christmas meal in Denmark? ›
Just like other Danish Christmas traditions, the Danish Christmas food has not changed much over the years. Among the Danish favourites are æbleskiver, risalamande with cherry sauce, crispy Christmas duck, and caramelised potatoes.
What are traditions in Denmark? ›
Many Danish traditions are based around the Christian calendar with Christmas, Easter and Sankt Hans aften being some of the most tradional days, which are typically spent with family and friends, but other days like Constitution Day or the festive Danish carnival Fastelavn are also getting great attention from the ...
What are the traditional Christmas games in Denmark? ›
Christmas games
But the Danes have a brilliant game called pakkeleg. Everyone brings a present, puts it in the middle of the table, then rolls a dice. If you roll a six you can select a gift. This continues around the table until all gifts are taken.
Why do Danish celebrate Christmas on 24th? ›
Q: Why do Norway, Denmark and Sweden celebrate Christmas on 24th dec.? The Scandinavian tradition is to celebrate all holidays on the eve before the Holy day(on which you should rest and go to church…). Midsummer is not celebrated on midsummer day, it's midsummer eve.
