How to Live in Denmark » Podcasts 4o2h61

There's a lovely May tradition in Denmark of setting a candle in the window on the evening of May 4. This is to commemorate the surrender of the Germans and the end of the Nazi occupation in 1945.  The Nazis imposed a blackout on Denmark to confuse the Allied air forces, so now that they were defeated, a candle in a window became a small symbol of rebellious light. I intend to participate every year on May 4, but I often forget, and to be honest I see very few candles in windows these days.  A ance ceremony, forgotten You’d have to be aged 85 or older now to the war, and is one of Denmark’s greatest friends and Allies.  In addition, the elderly who do the occupation and the blackout generally do not live with their families in Denmark, families to whom they might on the tradition.  Old people in Denmark primarily live alone, and municipal employees come to their house once or twice a week to help with cleaning and make sure they take their medicine.  When they can no longer take care of themselves, they’re moved to a publicly-funded care home or a hospice, but this is generally only for the last few months of life. Living cooperatives against loneliness The elderly in Denmark are often lonely.  In India or the Middle East, older people usually live with their families; in the US, where I come from, they “active adult” communities where they can golf and have affairs.  The Danish policy that encourages old people to remain in their homes as long as they can isolates them, in my opinion.  That’s why the Danish government, mindful of the fact that the average age in Denmark is advancing quickly, is encouraging the idea of bofæelleskab, or living cooperatives. That’s when a number of older people live together in a house or large apartment, a bit like university students, with a shared kitchen and laundry facilities.  This gives them a bit of company and, not coincidentally, frees up a lot of individual houses for younger families to move in when the old people move out.  You're not the hip new designer or management trainee Now, when I say old people, I’m talking about people over 67, which is the current Danish pension age. That will crawl up to age 70 for kids born today.  The problem for many people is that it’s hard to get a job after age 60. No one wants to hire you as a hip new designer or innovative pharma developer or management trainee.  Older people at the very top of the success ladder often spend this time on various Boards of Directors, leveraging their years of business experience.  Below that I meet a lot of older people who have tossed their career and their specialized educations aside and become office managers, or work in retail, or work in kindergartens.  They’re done climbing the career ladder and want something people-focused that is, and I quote, “something to do until I retire.” A word to honor the old in Denmark Old people don’t get any special respect in Danish culture.  I taught a group of Nepali students in Denmark once, and after the presentation in the Q&A period, they wanted to know if there were some special Danish word they could use to honor the elderly, an important part of their culture in Nepal.  But there’s no specific word in Denmark to honor the elderly. Especially these days, when the people who are old now are the former 1960s hippies who got rid of honorifics like Herr Hansen and Fru Jensen.  The elderly today in Denmark are called by their first names, just like everyone else.  Read more at howtoliveindenmark.com.

As the long Danish winter finally draws to an end, it’s time for Danes to start planting their gardens.  Now, in early April, it’s rhubarb, parsnips, cabbage. After the risk of frost is gone, in late April, you can put down some beets, and chives, and parsley – all good traditional Danish food.  By May, you can try with the tomatoes, which may or may not ripen depending on whether you get a warm, sunny summer, always a roll of the dice in Denmark. One year we ended up with hard, green tomatoes in September.  Short growing season The growing season in Denmark is short. If you miss the planting deadlines, you’re probably out of luck.  And even if you are in luck, the amount you spend at the garden center will far outstrip the amount it would take you to buy the same foods at the corner market. But Danes love to garden, they love to touch the Earth. Denmark industrialized fairly late compared to the rest of Europe – really not until the late 19th century – and even then it focused on cooperative agriculture for export. Denmark is still known around the world for its butter and bacon. The "gaard" is the family farm Many Danes still carry the name of their family farm in the name they use today.  The Danish word for farm is “gaard”, so the names of jewelry designer Ole Lynggaard, or golfer Nicolai Højgaard, or politician Pia Kjærsgaard, all reference what was once the family farm, the “gaard”. This love for nature why weather is always an appropriate topic of conversation among Danes. They’re also very good at historical weather. They’ll tell you that the rains this April are just like the rains of April 2014, or that we haven’t seen this type of wind since the summer of 2006. Colony gardens If you live in Denmark with a house in the suburbs with – parcel houses, they’re often called – you have lots of room for gardening. But people who live in apartments often have what is called “colony gardens.” Colony gardens are a little patch of land set aside in the cities, or near them, for urban residents to have a garden. They usually build a little house on the plot as well, although you’re only allowed to live there during the summer. The electricity and the water usually get switched off during the winter.  The houses are generally wooden, small, cramped, and a little thrown-together. There are often chipped plates and glasses, old chairs with cushions in a grandmotherly fabric, a few board games ready for rainy days. A flag pole and a big Danish flag to put up for holidays. And always, always, they are surrounded by a hedge for privacy.  The colony gardens are run by an association, so you’re supposed to be friends with your neighbors, but keep them at a distance. Good fences make good neighbors and all that.  Getting a colony garden requires either buying one or getting on a long, long list to get one, which means that very few of the 15% non-ethnic Danish residents of Denmark have colony gardens. As I mentioned in an earlier podcast, the list of residents tends to look like the 1957 Copenhagen phone book.  The Unity Garden In my Copenhagen neighborhood, which is extremely diverse, there was initiative to change this a few years ago. A little bit of land freed up by the railroad tracks, and the idea was to create a Unity Garden. Half of the land was set off for people who were not born in Denmark, and half was set off for people who were.  The idea was to meet up, work together, exchange knowledge, have summer picnics, meet across cultures.  Read more at howtoliveindenmark.com

Gækkebrev are a great Danish tradition, but like many other Danish traditions, they are fighting to survive amid the country’s ambitious digital agenda.  What is a gækkebrev, or gække letter? A single piece of paper, cut into a lace-like design somewhat like a snowflake, sent anonymously in the days before Easter. A poem is handwritten on the letter, but it is unsigned...except for a number of dots that correspond to the number of letters in the sender's name. If you can guess who sent the letter, that person owes you a chocolate Easter egg. If you can't guess, you owe them a chocolate Easter Egg whenever they reveal themselves.  Needless to say, gækkebrev are very popular with small children looking for candy.  (The "gække" refers to a vintergække flower that used to accompany the letter back in the day) But the tradition is slowly dying out, thanks to Denmark's widespread digitalization. Paper letters have almost disappeared; it's quite possible to go for months without receiving any physical mail at all.  Stamps and coins are also dying out. While Denmark got a new king more than a year ago, I've yet to see his image on any stamps or coins...because I so rarely see stamps or coins.   Read more at howtoliveindenmark.com. 

Fastelavn is one of the Danes’ favorite holidays. It takes place in February, when the light is finally beginning to come back after a long season of winter darkness. "Hitting the cat in the barrel" - which used to involve a real cat, but no longer does - and eating messy fastelavn buns full of custard are part of the holiday. What's no longer really part of the holiday is its religious background, the idea that this is a party that takes place before the long lockdown of Lent.  Kept the party, dumped the religion The Danes have kept the party while stripping away its source, much like the non-firmations some Danes choose over confirmations, or the "namegiving ceremonies" that have replaced baptisms in some circles.  I once read that the safer a society is, the less likely it is to be religious. The more comfortable and secure people are, the less likely they are to turn to a higher power to sort things out.  That’s certainly true in Denmark. They find religious faith strange The majority of Danes find religious faith strange, and perhaps a sign of ignorance or moral weakness. I have had Danes tell me that believing in God is like believing in Santa Claus.  They’ll go to church on Christmas Eve, or for a wedding, or maybe a funeral. But if you tell Danes that you go to church on a regular basis because you like it, they will suddenly become very suspicious, and maybe a little angry.  They may assume you have backward views, that you don’t like gay people, perhaps that you believe that women should be subservient. Or maybe that you don’t drink alcohol, which is a serious charge in Denmark.   Read more at howtoliveindenmark.com  

If you’re one of the bottom 80% of Danish earners, you’ll probably spend most of your dark January evenings and weekends at home, hoping your bank can recover from Christmas excesses. Restaurants have a lot of empty tables this time of year. Shops mostly process the return of unwanted Christmas presents. Now, this can and often is packaged as hygge. Candles, TV, sweaters, warm slippers, hot tea. But it’s often just being broke and not being able to go anywhere. Yet if you’re part of the top 20% of earners in Denmark, however, maybe even the top 10%, you go skiing. Not in Denmark, which doesn’t have any mountains for downhill skiing, or enough snow for cross-country skiing. You go to Sweden for cheap skiing, Norway for slightly more expensive skiing, or to or Switzerland for luxury skiing where you can show off your Rolex Explorer wristwatch on the slopes. Two different types of Januaries The two different types of Januaries illustrate how the gap between the rich and poor in Denmark has widened in recent decades.  Denmark is still, culturally, an egalitarian culture, and it’s still considered bad taste to show off your Rolex watch here in Denmark, but there’s no debating that as the country has become prosperous over the past 30 years, the gap between rich and poor has widened.

Denmark, as Danes like to tell you, is a little country. But it used to be a much bigger country, a bit of an empire. Norway was once part of Denmark. Iceland was once part of Denmark. The southern half of Sweden and a bit of northern used to be part of Denmark. What is now called the US Virgin Islands used to be part of Denmark. And Denmark had colonies in Africa and India, which is why when you’ll go into many Danish supermarkets – even online supermarkets – you’ll see a section called Kolonial, or Colonial. It features long-life products, like spices and nuts, that used to come from trading posts in the faraway Danish colonies. Over time, through war losses and independence movements, the Danish Empire shrank…and today we’re going to talk about how it might shrink further. The US has made clear that it wants Greenland to be part of its own territory. Are they serious about this? And what do the Danes think?  

One of the tips I often give to newcomers in Denmark is to learn Danish through song lyrics. Find a Danish lyricist whose music you enjoy listening to on repeat. The repetition will help you get a feel for how the Danish language flows, and you’ll have something to dance to during those long, dark winter months. I did this myself when I first arrived in Denmark, and learned a great deal of Danish from the witty, self-mocking songs of Carsten Lykke.  Here are a few suggestions for your own Danish lyrics journey.  While comparing musical artists is tricky, here are a few suggestions to get you started. (I've put them all together in a Spotify Playlist and a YouTube Playlist for you.) 🎵 Hans Philip: Formerly a rapper, now a talented singer-songwriter. If you like artists like Dominic Fike, Hans Philip is worth a listen. 🎵 Medina: If you enjoy female dance artists like Lady Gaga or Chappell Roan, give Medina a try. She has a long line of dance hits and some interesting collaborations. Fun fact: Lady Gaga's hit “Born This Way” was co-written by Danish percussionist Jeppe Laursen. 🎵 Marie Key: Are you a Swiftie? Marie Key, with her witty, introspective lyrics and focus on personal relationships, might be a good fit.  🎵 The Minds of 99: This popular band regularly sells out stadiums in Denmark. They have a sound similar to The Killers or Arcade Fire. Listen. 🎵 Kim Larsen: For classic rock fans, Kim Larsen is a Danish legend, holding a place in Denmark’s national consciousness similar to Bruce Springsteen in the USA or Elton John in the UK. (Sanne Salomonsen Listen and Anne Linnet Listen are iconic female musicians from the same era.)  🎵 Thomas Helmig: Another Danish icon, with a bit of a Motown vibe.  🎵 Gasolin’: If you like 60s groups like The Animals or Small Faces, try Gasolin’. They’ve been compared to the early Rolling Stones.  🎵 Rasmus Seebach: Fans of Ed Sheeran and Shawn Mendes would probably like Rasmus Seebach. He's a big star in Denmark, and Danes have watched him grow from a confused young man to the family man and father he is today.  Focus on Danish-Language Artists Here, I’m focusing on Danish artists who sing in Danish. While many Danish musicians sing in English to reach a broader international audience—especially in Asia (like Christopher, a blond, muscular singer who’s a massive star in China and Korea)—for language learning, you’ll get the most benefit from songs entirely in Danish. Music has a way of sticking with you. I bet you can still recall advertising jingles from when you were very young. So listen to the music, look up the lyrics online, and you’ll be on your way to better understanding both the Danish language and culture.  Danish through song lyrics is an engaging and effective way to immerse yourself in the language. Music has a unique ability to make words and phrases stick in your mind, thanks to its rhythm, repetition, and emotional connection. By listening to Danish songs, you can improve your vocabulary, pronunciation, and overall understanding of how the language flows, all while enjoying catchy tunes. -----   One of the great benefits of learning Danish through music is the opportunity to hear everyday language in a natural context. Lyrics often reflect colloquial speech, offering insights into how Danes express themselves in informal settings. As you listen repeatedly to your favorite songs, you’ll begin to recognize common phrases, idioms, and sentence structures. You can look up the lyrics online to follow along, helping you connect the written and spoken forms of Danish. Songs can also give you a deeper understanding of Danish culture. Many Danish lyrics reflect the country’s values, history, and social themes, allowing you to gain a more nuanced perspective on life in Denmark. Artists like Kim Larsen, The Minds of 99, or Marie Key not only provide a fun listening experience but also open the door to cultural insights. Another advantage is the fun, relaxed environment music creates for learning. Instead of sitting down with a textbook, you can pop on your headphones, dance around, or hum along as you pick up the language. Whether you prefer pop, rock, folk, or hip-hop, there are plenty of Danish-language artists to explore. So, start by finding a few Danish songs you enjoy, look up the lyrics, and sing along. Over time, you’ll notice improvements in your language skills—and maybe even discover a few favorite Danish artists along the way!

Denmark has one of the highest job mobility rates in the world - about 20% of Danes start new jobs each year. Frequent job changes are a reflection of the Danish concept of "flexicurity" – flexibility with the security of the welfare state. As a matter of fact, if you stay in the same job for many years in Denmark, people start to wonder why.  Young people switch jobs the most, of course, but even people in the prime of their careers, as well as employees over 55, job hopping in Denmark is much more common than it is in other European countries. In the Danish job market, staying in the same job for many years, or not moving within the company, might raise eyebrows. Denmark doesn't really offer lifetime employment. In the audio version of my book, How to Work in Denmark: Tips for Finding a Job, Succeeding at Work, and Understanding your Danish Boss, now available on Amazon Audible, Saxo, Apple Books, and other platforms, I address this topic. The Danish job market is incredibly fluid, with easy hiring and firing processes, much simpler than in many other European nations, including Sweden. Being let go isn't a career killer here - it happens to most people sooner or later. Flexicurity in Denmark makes it inevitable.  The situation is a little trickier for people who are  in Denmark on a work visa. Losing a job could mean a short window to find another one before having to leave the country. It also complicates job switching, as the new employer must take over the visa sponsorship. However, once you achieve permanent residency, you can fully participate in the Danish job-switching culture. Because Danish employers can let you go at almost any time—with few restrictions—it’s crucial to stay proactive as an employee. Keep your skills updated, continuously learn new things in your field, and maintain an up-to-date LinkedIn profile. 

Did you know that Copenhagen has its own color? It’s called Copenhagen Green, and it’s a dark emerald green, mixed with a fair amount of black. A little like the dark green we see on the leaves of trees here late in August. Pantone 3435C, for you designer types.  You’ll notice that all Copenhagen benches are this color, an you will see Copenhagen Green on many wooden doors and window frames in the old city, as well as lamp posts, railings, even small bridges in the beautiful Ørestedsparken. This was a conscious decision by city leaders in the early 1900s. They felt the combination of green and black blended well with both natural and urban settings, and that using it widely would create a sense of harmony. Plus almost everybody likes green.  Learn more about the design quirks of Copenhagen in this podcast, and find out how to take my self-guided audio tour of Danish Design in Copenhagen at voicemap.me/DanishDesign.   --------------------------  

Many countries have a fictional character who represents them. Uncle Sam for the USA, Marianne in , Mother India. Others have a legendary figure, who was real at one point but is now shrouded in myth, like King Arthur in England. For Denmark, Holger Danske is both. He was probably real, although he didn’t live in Denmark. He was a Danish knight living in in 8th century, serving Charlemagne and he appears in several of the epic poems of the time as Ogier the Dane. When those poems were translated into Old Norsk, he became Oddgeir danski, which gradually morphed into Holger Danske. He has been a hero for centuries. And he is a sleeping hero. The legend is that when Denmark is in trouble, Holger Danske will rise from his slumber and come to its defense. This is why during World War II, when Denmark was occupied by the Nazis, one of the largest resistance groups called itself Holger Danske. If you’re not Danish, you may have experienced Holger Danske in the form of consumer products. There is a Holger Danske moving company with trucks all over Denmark, a Holger Danske beer, Holger Danske Aquavit liquor, Holger Danske tobacco. There’s a Holger Danske bar. Holger Danske has appeared on the Danish national football shirt.  And, very famously, there’s a statue of Holger Danske in the basement of Kronborg Castle, often known as Hamlet’s Castle, in Helsingør, Denmark – which Shakespeare referred to as Elsinore. I go by the castle in my new audio tour of Helsingør for VoiceMap. Check it out at voicemap.me/hamlet.  --------------

In June of each year, the streets of Denmark are suddenly full of young people wearing stiff white caps with bands of various colors - burgundy, midnight blue, light blue. These teenagers have just graduated from gymnasium, the Danish equivalent of high school, and the white hat is a sign of that accomplishment.  They wear the white hat everywhere they go for the two or three weeks after final exams, and it awakens a deep sentimentality in the usually practical and private Danes. It has a sort of magic.  When my daughter received her white cap last year, total strangers stopped her in the street to say “Congratulations on the hat” – tillykke med huen. Bus drivers congratulated her as she boarded, and so did supermarket clerks at the checkout counter.  Getting the hat is seen as a very happy occasion on the road from childhood to the big wide world. The white cap holds a special place in the Danish national consciousness. The open-backed truck tour If you visit in Denmark in June, you’ll see teenagers celebrating their graduation, riding through town on the back of open-backed trucks, wearing their fresh white caps and cheering or blowing whistles. Using there’s some pop music pumping at a very high volume.  The sides of the truck are covered with white banners, traditionally bedsheets, on which are painted slogans that are more or less obscene. Everybody on the truck except the driver is several beers in and shouting at erby on the sidewalk, who shout back.   

If you’re only in Denmark for a few months, it might not be worth the investment in time to learn much more than the basic pleasantries in Danish. But you plan to stay in Denmark for more than a year or so, it’s a good idea to learn some Danish – and your visa may require that you do so. Even if you’re not forced to, it’s a good idea to learn Danish if you plan to make a commitment to Denmark. It’ll make daily life easier: you’ll stop wanting to tear your hair out every time you run across a website or voice prompt that’s only available in Danish. You’ll have more job opportunities, since around half of the positions in Denmark are with national, regional, or local governments. Almost all governmental jobs require a working knowledge of Danish. Plus, a lot of social life in Denmark takes place in Danish: Danes, understandably, want to speak Danish to each other, particularly when they’re off duty with a beer in hand. Read more in Kay Xander Mellish's book "How to Work in Denmark" or at www.howtoliveindenmark.com.    ----------------- The Professional Benefits of Speaking Danish in Denmark While many Danes speak English fluently, knowing the local language can open up a broader spectrum of job opportunities. Being proficient in Danish is often a requirement in sectors such as education, healthcare, and public services. Moreover, speaking Danish fluently allows you to integrate more deeply into the workplace culture, which is highly valued in Danish society. Understanding and speaking Danish not only helps in daily communications but also demonstrates your commitment to your life and career in Denmark. It shows respect for the local culture and an eagerness to fully engage with the community, both of which are appreciated by Danish employers and colleagues. Best Danish Language Resources for Expats For expats moving to Denmark, there are numerous resources available to learn Danish. Many cities offer free Danish classes provided by the government, which are a great starting point. Additionally, there are private language schools offering intensive Danish language training for professionals, which can be tailored to your specific needs, whether you're looking for basic communication skills or fluency. Online courses and apps also offer flexibility for learning Danish at your own pace. These resources often include practical exercises and real-life scenarios that can prepare you for actual conversations in the workplace. How to Learn Danish Quickly for Working in Denmark To accelerate your Danish learning journey, immerse yourself in the language as much as possible. Engage with local media, listen to Danish radio, watch Danish TV shows and movies, and practice speaking with native Danes. This immersion will not only improve your language skills but also help you understand cultural nuances, which are crucial for effective communication in a professional setting. Additionally, learning essential Danish phrases for the workplace can make your daily interactions smoother and more productive. Simple phrases pertaining to greetings, meetings, scheduling, and professional courtesies can go a long way in building rapport with your coworkers. Danish Language Skills for Jobs in Denmark In competitive job markets, having Danish language skills can give you a significant edge. For positions that involve direct communication with customers or clients, such as sales or customer service, Danish is often mandatory. Even in international companies where the corporate language is English, local language skills might be necessary for liaising with local clients, regulatory bodies, or in negotiating contracts. Why Learn Danish for Working in Denmark Learning Danish for work goes beyond just expanding your job prospects. It enables you to participate fully in meetings, understand all documentation and legal requirements, and integrate into the social fabric of your workplace. It also greatly enhances your expat experience, making everyday tasks such as shopping, dining out, and dealing with bureaucracy much easier. In conclusion, while it is possible to live and work in Denmark without speaking Danish, learning the language is incredibly beneficial. It opens up a wider range of job opportunities, helps you integrate into Danish society, and enriches your personal and professional life. So, consider investing in Danish language courses that cater to your professional needs and start your journey towards achieving professional success in Denmark.

A story I’ve heard over and over again when I talk to internationals working in Denmark is this: They thought they were going to get fired. They’d been working for a year or so at professional-level job in Denmark, often one they’d been recruited for, but they’d never heard any positive comments from their manager. They started to worry. They were doing their best, but maybe it just wasn’t good enough. Were they going to lose the job? Were they going to have to go back home, humiliated, and explain the whole thing to their friends and family? Expecting bad news This was what was on their mind when they went into their annual employee review. They were expecting some pretty bad news. Instead, they got a promotion. And a raise. Their manager thought they were doing great. But the Danish approach to employee is generally – “No news is good news”. You have a job, you’re doing that job, we’ll let you know if there are any problems. Positive is uncommon in Denmark, because Danes themselves are often uncomfortable receiving compliments. The façade of equality Compliments run smack-dab into the Jante Law, which says specifically that “Don’t think that you’re better than us.” When you give someone a compliment, you lift them above you, if only for a moment, and that disturbs the equality, or at least the façade of equality, which is so important in Denmark. So compliments are not a natural thing in Denmark, either on the job or in your personal life.   Read more at www.howtoliveindenmark.com

Denmark’s doing a big recruitment campaign now, trying to get young professionals to bring their skills to Denmark, and a lot of them are single when they arrive. If they want to meet someone and don’t meet someone, and if they want a serious relationship and a family but can’t get started, they often go home again. So, in the name of economic development, here are my tips on romance in Denmark. Bringing your own dating culture I talk a lot in my speeches about how people bring their own work culture with them when they come to work in Denmark, but they also bring their own dating culture. The way you expect to meet a potential partner, to flirt, to show you’re serious, to take the relationship to the next level, these are expectations you bring with you to Denmark from your home culture. When you get here, you will meet Danes who have very different expectations. #metoo hit Denmark hard Dating apps like Tinder, Hinge, and Bumble are one of the main ways people meet each other in Denmark these days – the other being friend circles, which as an international can take a while to get into. People used to meet at work, but #metoo has made a big imprint in Denmark. It’s taken down both male and female business leaders and political leaders who couldn’t keep their hands to themselves at work, or at parties after work. So, people are a lot more cautious around their colleagues these days. Lots of skin On dating apps, generally you’re there to show your best side – but unlike some other dating cultures, in Denmark people don’t show off their wealth, their car, their watch, or their powerful job. They try to show that they’re funny and down-to-Earth, that they can laugh at themselves. I'm on the apps myself, and I do see a lot of the Danish version of status-seeking, which is time off to travel to exotic locations and engage in extreme sports – lots of windsurfing and scuba-diving photos. I also see a lot of skin, which, since I’m dating in the over-40 category, isn’t always something I want to see. The line between sex and romance is ill-defined But this is the tricky part about dating here, because the line between sex and romance in Denmark isn’t very well defined. Some daters want to have sex right away and then decide if they’re interested in getting to know each other emotionally. There’s no stigma to this the way there can be in some cultures – but it can be rough on you if you’re a sensitive person who’s really just looking for love. “Kæreste” is a flexible term One thing I find interesting about the Danish language is the flexibility of the word kæreste, the Danish version of “boyfriend” or “girlfriend” which translates directly to “most dear one.” Your kæreste can be same-sex or opposite-sex. You can have known each other for three weeks or thirty years. But if someone is your kæreste, it means you’re not dating anyone else. You’ll often hear Danes talk about the time they became kæreste, which is the time they committed to each other monogomously. You could go on and get married at some point if you like. Many people in Denmark do. You can certainly buy a home and have kids without being married – the Danish government will even pay for your fertility treatment. The Danes don’t see a big difference between having a committed kæreste and having had a wedding ceremony. Read more at howtoliveindenmark.com.

Many internationals newly arrived in Denmark struggle with the long Danish winter.  The darkness that starts to fall in the early afternoon means that 5pm looks just like 8pm, which looks just like midnight, which looks just like 5am. Dense, inky black sky. During the daytime there’s a dim grey light, sometimes accompanied by a soupy fog of tiny raindrops. It’s tough to handle - even for Danes. Many people living through this time in Denmark describe feeling low-energy – sløj is the very descriptive Danish term. It translates directly to “sluggish”. Others feel deeply depressed. Some eat too much, or drink too much. Some sleep all the time. It doesn’t have to be this way. Here are my tips for handling these dark months, which generally stretch from November until the end of February.   Enjoy the brown charm of Danish winter nature It’s important to get outside during the brief period of light every day. Even if it’s just for 15 minutes on your lunch hour, it really helps.  Walking in nature is wonderful this time of year if you have right clothing, in particular the right footwear. A good pair of solid boots and you can even go out when it’s icy. Don’t neglect second-hand stores in Denmark. You can usually find a lot of good winter clothes there for not very much money. Parks, botanical gardens, forests – they all have a certain charm this time of year. A brown, winter charm, but a charm all the same.   The secret sauce: a project or a list with things you can check off Go see how the winter animals are doing. Deer parks are good, see what the deer are up to. And most Danish zoos are open year-round. Go see how happy the polar bears are when the weather is freezing! But my top tip for making it through the winter is a specific project, like learning how to knit, or learning how to make something out of wood, or even better, a list. If you have a list, you can check things off as you go along, and you get a feeling of progress as the dark months drag on. Read more at howtoliveindenmark.com.  

It’s almost Week 1, in the weekly numbering system that’s widely used in Northern Europe, where the year starts with week 1 and runs through to Week 52 or 53, depending on the calendar. It’s very efficient for planning, so you don’t have to say something messy like “What about that week that starts Monday June 3…” Week 1 starts on January 1, and everything follows that in perfect order. But before January 1 we have New Year’s Eve, a day that fills me with trepidation to be honest, because in Denmark, New Year’s Eve is all about amateur fireworks. Cannonballs, Roman Candles, Ding Dongs, Triple Extremes, these are the fireworks you can purchase and set off yourself in a local parking lot, terrifying any nearby dogs and cats.  Having a family member in the hospital business, I can’t help but think that today, December 26, there are a few amateur fireworks fans who have perfectly well-functioning eyes and fingers right now who won’t have them on January 2. The Queen's Speech New Year’s Eve celebrations start at 6pm, when the Queen Margrethe gives her annual speech, live.  To the uninitiated, this looks like a woman sitting at her desk reading from a pile of papers – she refuses to use a TelePrompter – but it’s all been intricately planned, from the clothes to the jewelry to the flowers to the text itself to reflect the themes and priorities of the year gone by. There’s even a website that gives odds on what words and themes will appear.  The Queen now keeps her pile of papers together with a paper clip. In past years, she left them loose, and on one particular occasion they got out of order and she had to desperately search through them on air to find her place. The comedian Ulf Pilgaard, a large man who dressed up as a colorful burlesque imitation of the Queen, used to make this incident part of his act, throwing papers up in the air like Harpo Marx. Just as an aside, when this comedian who imitated the Queen retired last year, the Queen herself showed up at his final performance and shook his hand. Having such a good sense of humor about herself is why Queen is so beloved, even by people who do not really like the monarchy.  Some Danes even stand up to watch the Queen’s speech on TV. It always ends with “Gud Bevare Danmark”, God Protect Denmark. "Wreath cake"  After the speech, it’s dinner time, followed by a very sweet cake called kransekage – which translates to “wreath cake.” It’s made of a lot of rings delicately placed on top of each other, in a little tower. There’s lot of marzipan involved in this cake. I’m not a marzipan fan myself, but if you are, you’ll like this cake.  Read more at howtoliveindenmark.com

If you are an international who lives in Denmark, or someone who wants to, you have to learn the Danish way of dealing with conflict. This might be with a colleague, or your upstairs neighbors, or the authorities at the commune. In these cases, it’s very important not to lose your temper or raise your voice. And this can be tricky if the culture you come from, your culture of origin, is a ionate culture. Denmark is not a ionate culture. If you hear someone talking about their ion here, it's almost always some sort of hobby, or the summer home they have been fixing up for years. Their ion is almost never a person or a cause. And they generally use the English or French word ion, not lidenskab, which is the rather clumsy Danish translation. So, the keywords to handling conflict here are not strength and ion, they are humor and equality. You have to take the approach that you and the person you disagree with are equals. Your counterparty isn’t someone you can push around, but they’re also not someone better than you that you have to bow down to. One of Danes’ favorite expressions is øjenhøjde, or eye level. They love that concept. When Prince Christian, the future king of Denmark, recently turned 18, several of his birthday greetings from the public said, to always stay at eye level with your people. The person you disagree with is your human equal, even if they’re a teacher or a manager or someone who works for the government. The other best strategy getting a conflict resolved in Denmark is to find the humor in it. If you can make the other person laugh at the ridiculousness of it all, you’re halfway there. Keep it as light as you possibly can, assume good faith, and assume that the other person really would like to solve the problem, and assume that it is solvable, which isn’t always true, but it’s a good first assumption. Humorously acknowledge your contribution to the problem, whatever it might have been, and own your mistakes. Danes really like people that it they’ve made a mistake and have a sense of humor about it. Be as practical as possible. Danes are practical to a fault. Focus on something that can really get accomplished, not big noble concepts of truth and justice. I have seen internationals in Denmark make disagreements much worse than they have to be by raising their voices, telling the other person they are racist or sexist, threatening to call in somebody’s boss or threatening to expose them online, which is illegal, by the way. Denmark has very strict privacy laws – if you catch someone stealing your bike and you post a photo of them online, you’re the one who will hear from the police first.   Read more at howtoliveindenmark.com  

Denmark is getting rich selling pharmaceuticals to other countries, but within Denmark itself, the approach is inconsistent. Getting illegal drugs doesn't seem to be too difficult, but getting legal drugs can be.

When I first arrived in Denmark, you could shut down any dispute in Denmark by appealing to equality and the common good. Solidarity - “solidaritet” -  and “fælleskab”, or community, or even “samfundssind”, societal spirit, were magic words. They still are with the older generation that built Denmark’s welfare state. If you want to convince this generation of anything, just make a reference to solidarity and community and societal spirit. Works like a charm. I’m often asked if the younger generation is as dedicated to these principles as their elders, and if they still follow the "Jante Law". Jante Law is not really a law – it’s like a legend, in which people living in Denmark are not supposed to act like they’re better than anyone else, or smarter than anyone else, or know more than anyone else.  But young people aren’t too keen to put up with that, in particular in an environment where they are competing internationally. For many Danish young people, the idea that all Danes are equal and we must all move together, at the same pace, seems outdated. And one contemporary example is the rise of the electric bike.  What has now been accepted in Denmark’s bike lanes is a concept that is used to be very "uDansk", or un-Danish….that some people simply go faster than others. 

Many people who visit Denmark are fans of the Vikings, the colloquial name for Scandinavians before the medieval era, although technically speaking the Viking raiders were at their peak in the years 800-1100.  There are plenty of opportunities, especially now during tourist season, to see modern-day Danes dressed up as Vikings, building wooden ships, cooking over open fires, and fighting with swords and shields. Exhibitions like this are very popular with visitors from overseas.  What they might not know is that you can see actual Vikings in Denmark, or what’s left of their bodies. It was common in the Viking era and before to toss sacrificial items and people into peat bogs, which, it turns, out preserves bodies and clothing and hair very well. So there are several places in Denmark where you can see actual humans from the Viking age, more than a thousand years old, and sometimes their clothes and hairstyles, sometimes even the last food they ate, reclaimed from their stomachs.  Some bodies are so well-preserved that they still have fingerprints.  The top spot for this is near Aarhus, the Moesgaard Museum. It’s a huge museum that’s interactive, immersive, almost overpowering.  You will see hundreds of Viking objects and and weapons and skeletons, amid multimedia exhibits. For example, there’s a room that lets you experience of what it was like to be in the middle of a Viking battle, with armed warriors shouting and screaming and running at you from all directions.  It’s overwhelming, because the people it celebrates lived such brutal lives. Sacrificing people, sacrificing animals, killing each other with clubs and daggers and axes to the head in violent raids.  It’s a lot. After a while I found myself cowering in the gift shop. (Read more at howtoliveindenmark.com)