Born in 53 we never talked about elves in my family and we knew from a very young age our family was responsible fof the presents. I can't recall I ever believed in Santa.
It sounds like you may have ended up in a Danish family that decorates the Christmas tree in the "George Jensen" style - lots of white and silver stuff and no tinsel allowed. However, more traditional Danish Christmas trees are very colourfully decorated and certainly also with tinsel! For lighting we usually stick to traditional candles or warm white LED lights, not the multi colour LED lights.
Georg Jensen 😂 Hahaha - guilty. Although some light "angel hair" tinsel was allowed. I did think it was my husband being silly... I did notice not many use colorful Christmas lights here! That was the only kind we used when I was a kid.
Traditional Danish christmas colors are red and white it was thies colors that where ised on the christmas trees. the Colorfull part is from the 1980's in the 30th's 40th's 50th's 60th's and 70th's it was red white and silver.
There are a lot of christmas traditions in Denmark. And they vary from region to region and even from family to family. Let me add a few to your list: We normally end the dancing around the christmas tree with singing "Nu er det jul igen" a rather high tempoed song with only one chorus (At least in our version) While we sing it we all dance round around in a long line holding hands all through the house. Very fun. Another christmas tradition in my family is gaveleg. This is something we do after we'd eaten but before we dance around the christmas tree. You have a pile of small cheap gifts (It can be almost anything), a rafle cup and a dice. And then we take turns rolling the dice. If you get a 6 you can take a present from the pile. When there are no more presents in the pile, the real fun begins. One of you sets a timer for 10 minutes or somthing like that (only the one who sets the timer knows what it was set at) Then you roll the dice again and every time you get a 6 you may steal a gift from one of the others. The one with the most gifts when the time is up, wins.
My paternal grandma grew up in Denmark until she was 11. Her family fled to Utah , USA just as WW2 was breaking out there. Growing up we had a big family party Christmas Eve. I love the potatoes! We always called them candied potato’s.
Great episode. Always fun to hear how weird we are here in Denmark. Advent candle isn't the calendar candle with the days marked upon it. Advent candles are the four candles that we light on the four sundays leading up to Christmas. I think 'advent' is short for 'the coming of Christ/the Lord' (adventus Domini/Dominus). I looove risalamande but my big brother ALWAYS won the almond gift... Always! Later in life I've found out that I'm intolerant to rice so no more risalamande for me 😢Besides the duck, my mom would also make flæskesteg for Christmas dinner... and any leftovers would be made into 'biksemad' (most delicious! - and one of the few dishes where ketchup is allowed).
Christmas in Denmark the 24th, goes back to the Viking age and earlier, before clocks, no, at that time, before clocks, the new day started when it got dark... that way of marking the day was continued when Christianity came to Denmark. Like on the clock today (midnight)
If you want to try an Æbleskive with an apple slice then go to the Christmas market in Den Gamle By (The Old Town) in Aarhus. They make them there every Christmas. The Christmas market are the two last weekends in November and till the 23. December
Thank you for your video’s they are always excellent and great content, and you have an amazing pronunciation of the Danish language. Glædelig jul from Philadelphia
As a Dane, I would say that traditions are different from family. We were allowed to open a gift or two after dinner, before the singing. I loved/love the singing. Being and singing with your grandparents, cousins, and siblings, when walking around the tree - the memories of that, not everyone being in tune is just sweet and funny.... Nisser/elves/gnomes, are only bad towards you if you don`t behave throughout the year, and don`t put rice porridge out for them to eat.... But that was mostly back when people lived and worked on farms. Today they are just sweet and Santas helpers
Thing about “nisser” … they’re not evil. You just have to take care of them. (Which is the tradition of putting up a plate of rice porridge on the attic for him. If you mistreat him, he will make sure the next year goes bad for you. Crops fails, live stock gets sick … stuff like that. In swedish the name for a nisse is “tomte”. Which also explains the thing about having “nisser” in the attic. “Tomt” is another word for property. It is actually the “nisse” that owns the land he lets you stay on. And he also lets you think you’re owning the land where your farm is located on. But you will learn if you mistreat your “nisse”. “Apple slices” got their name cus traditionally a slice of apple was added to be baked inside the “ball”. Today … there’s really not a lot of people still adding apple slices to their æbleskiver. Note: It is a *wish* list. It is not an ordering list. Tinsel is not a decor. It is tacky and an expression of bad taste. I’m sorry, Erin … but that’s just not debateable. 😉
Ohhh so interesting, their meaning in Swedish! That does explain it a lot more for me. I think I need to do some proper research on nisser; maybe I could a history/background video on them..! They're really interesting to me.
@@ErininCopenhagen Tomt is also an old danish word. Usually used in connection to a construction lot. It is not used as much anymore. Like a lot of old danish words, who falls victim to evolution of both written and spoken language as well as the anglofication of the danish language. There is a lot of litterature available about the tales, myth and folklore of “nisser” out there.
Are your husband form Jylland? I feel like the crisps thing is a thing from jylland. I have never met anyone on sjælland, that had that tradition🙂 im from sjælland and I think it is strange to haha. Btw if you want to find out about the nisser, and understand it more, there is a lovely childrens book called “Mig og bedstefar - og så Nisse Pok” I would recommend you to read that. It is written by Ole Lund Kirkegaard. It is so lovely and our teacher in school would reed form it out lout for us in school in december. It is amore up to date version of how we see Nisser in Denmark. The more Right out Evil Nisser, i fell is more old folktales from 200 years ago🙂
Thanks for this video. We're a Canadian homeschooling family studying Christmas around the world this month. We enjoyed seeing how the Danish traditions compare to our own. The wish list thing has changed since I was a child because back then it was sort of taboo but it is definitely a thing now. Our family is all using an online list maker so that we can share the lists easily. It takes the stress out of gifting.
As a kid I always opened by presents on the 24'th, after eating and all that. If you have guests, they can also see your face when you open your presents. Now that I have kids myself, and family coming over (pre covid) it makes sense to me. Waiting to 25th makes no sense to me at all :) Everyone who gave you presents went home, only your parents are around. That's no fun.
Hi Erin This was a very interesting video! Fun to hear your perspectives :-) One Danish tradition, which is analogous to leaving cookies and milk for Santa, is that you create a so-called "nissebo" inside your home, with a tiny door and everything. Then you can sieve some flour on the floor in front of the nissebo (perhaps also leave a bowl of risengrød). The next morning, the first thing your kid will notice will be the small footprints in the flour (which you made using e.g. a doll)! It's also a fun DIY project, which I know you like.
About tinsels, i am slightly torn. If it is the plastic kind keep it far away, but if it is the old kind made of some metal and having some weight to it, i just love it. I loved the tinsels my aunt and uncle had which had been used for several decades, and that they every year mde sure that none of it wwasa left on the tree when it was time to get rid of the tree
Haven't seen this suggested by anyone else yet (though maybe your husband has mentioned it in passing). May I suggest you watch the TV Christmas Calenders from 1994 and 1995, "Alletiders jul" and "Alletiders nisse". I'll get to "why" in a bit. TV Christmas Calenders have sort of shifted to simply being a a TV show of 24 episodes, which just so happen to take place during Christmas, but doesn't really have anything to do with Christmas. The writers sprinkle in some nisser here and there, and maybe a Santa Claus, but really, et might as well have been goblins and an alien. Wouldn't affect the plot in any way. However, "Alletiders jul", from 1994, revolves around learning what jul (Christmas) actually is, its traditions and where they stem from, also, how it's being celebrated elsewhere in the world. They travel into books and visit a bunch of historical places and all that stuff. It is incredibly educational. The CGI is a little weird, but the hygge and the Christmas spirit AND theme AND relevance is all there. In "Alletiders nisse", from 1995, then goes and does the same thing, but for "nisser" (and you are correct, "nisser" and "elves" are not the same thing). And this might be where your husband has his "Crazy murderous nisse" story from. They would also bring good fortune, in oldern days. So really, watch these two TV Christmas Calenders. You'll get over the wicked 1990's CGI quickly, I promise. These are btw the Christmas Calenders referred to, as the "Pyrus calenders", if you've ever heard that, of which there are four all in all, plus a movie and a stage play. OH, and the best thing. These "Pyrus calenders" include a song called "hygge", which is the only thing in existence, which manages to perfectly describe what hygge truly is. Sorry for the ramble, but as you have probably gathered by now, Christmas Calenders (and maybe christmas lights everywhere) is THE defining character for Christmas and hygge here in Denmark.
Ohhh thank you so much for that wonderful recommendation - I will definitely try to track that down to watch it! Would really love to learn more and get a better context of the whole "nisser" thing. It's so nice to have this kind of Christmas tradition that unites everybody 😊 The closest we had growing up were the Rankin/Bass Christmas specials, which both my parents & I watched as kids (and also what inspired the aesthetics for the movie "Elf" with Will Ferrell!) But it's certainly not on the same level/scale as Julekalender.
@@ErininCopenhagen they are SO educational. The third one is called "Alletiders Julemand" (guess what that one's about), and the forth is "Alletiders Eventyr", guess they ran out of Christmas themes that would span 24 episodes 🤣 I have no idea what those Christmas specials are, but the history of it sounds interesting. Kinda thought Elf was just an original piece 😄
Annother great and informative video! Thanks! There are many Danish Christmas traditions. In my family, on the 24th, the housewife "bærer julen ind" (carries Christmas into the house? ) a bit before we have dinner. We all gather around and she carries a tray with some cookies and perhaps Sherry into the room and serves it. Then Christmas really begins! Our Children have the same tradition as well! Pardon my bad English
Nej nej Bent, du er rigtig dygtig til engelsk! Det lyder som en super hyggelig tradition, at "bære jule ind". Jeg havde aldrig hørt om den før! Tusind tak for din kommentar og glædelig jul til din og din familie.
@@ErininCopenhagen Også glædelig jul til dig og din familie! 🎄 Jeg tror, at det at bære julen ind er en regional tradition. Det er hyggeligt at sidde sammen og snakke lidt med en småkage og en Sherry/portvin i hånden! 👍 Dit danske er imponerende perfekt! 💯🇩🇰
It is a nice tradition that Bent describes. I have not experienced it myself per se, but am sure it happens. And, to me, it goes hand in hand with the other tradition which is culturally imprinted with me: 'Du må IKKE bære Julen UD!' (You are not allowed to carry away the Christmas', literally translated). What this means is that IF you visit someone in the Christmas period, you should always be offered something to eat/drink (like Bent's sherry and cookies). IF you leave without being offered anything, you take away the joy of Christmas from that particular home. So, in a way, it's an obligation for hosts always to offer 'a little something' for visitors in this period. Also, I do remember sherry glasses in my childhood being used a lot more in the Christmas period than during the rest of the year. ;) Can you take away the Christmas joy from a family just because you are not offered a cookie? Well, the 'nisse' could certainly take away something, if not being fed - there's a parallel! I've traveled abroad for many years, but if at home in DK as an adult, I've always put the porridge up in the attic for the nisse. And now, my grown-up daughters do the same with their kids ... the tradition is still much alive! Merry Christmas!
I've only just found your channel, but I think you manage to depict christmas in Denmark quite well here -- at least the christmas that I have grown up in. Sure Santa isn't "the main guy; sure elves can be nasty (but also nice! if possessive little buggers); the treats are spot on; the main meats are usually pork or duck - I've seen both, some times together; and it was fun to hear a bit about your christmas traditions, thank you! Tinsel you also manage to nail, and I think several families have small fights concerning this, my mother and I have conceeded to my fathers wishes to leave tinsel out. My father's siblings keep tinsel on their trees though, and part of my mother's side hate it beyond reason... so, yeah, it is a thing, and you are not alone in the struggle.
Newcomer to the channel here 😁Really good video👍 As others mentioned you got the modern nisse a bit misscharacterized though. Couldn't help myself by pointing out how you skipped the very best part of the Christmas dinner = Flæskesteg!! 😅
In my family we used to have 24 almonds in the risalamande bowl, and each family member would buy a few small (not too expensive) presents so that it would all add up to 24 packages in the middle of the dinner table. The funny part is that in this way everyone would get presents, but since some were specifically for girls/women and some for men/boys, there would be a lot of laughs when a man or boy got a lipstick or something like that, or the other way around a girl/woman got some tobacco for a pipe, so it was really fun and there was a lot of swapping presents at the table, after all 24 of them had been opened.
@@ErininCopenhagen .. well, there do not need to specifically be 24 of them, I guess it would all depend on how large a family, and how many each should bring (or expect to get). I think the number of presents grew from 12 to 24 at some point, mainly because it became the absolute high point of the Christmas dinner.
If you live in the US and wants to try or see Danish Christmas traditions, you can go to Elk Horn, Iowa or Solvang, California. Both towns have a big Danish community. But wait until Christmas 😉
Elves or nisser are NOT evil here. That is mostly an old idea that isn't used anymore. At most you get the drillenisse today, mischievous prankster nisser.
Correct. We don't do "Stockings" :-) ! We do a Christmas Calendar, either filled with Chocolate or small cheap gifts. One from every day from the 1st-24th of DEC. The Kid's get to open a door, every day. Lot's of different types of X-Mas Calender's here. Each with there own thing 😀 ! Look forward to the "The Julekalender"! So FUNNY! The "NIsse" (elfs) speak "Danglish" (a mix of Danish and English). Your Danish is perfect, so you'll get it 👍😊👍 !
If you havn't tried already I highly recommend the apple slices inside the æbleskiver. You need a tart apple sort so that it sort of compliments the sweetness of the dough, jam and sugar. Also, I was never allowed to put money on my wish list but my friends did so it varies from family to family! :).
I may be wrong, but I think that's what they originally did. Hens the name. I actually thought of doing just that. Thanks "spacemanspiff" 👍. What type of Apple would you recommend? You'd probably need to use a crispy Æbleskive, to get a peace of apple in there!? I'm thinking..., pealing and boiling the apple and covering it in "cinnamon Sugar", before inserting it? Hmmmm!
@@KHValby Depending on how far we go back it is done in different ways. But the oldest, it is simply pieces of pealed apple dipped in dough and then fried on a pan. A bit closer to our time it become more commen to grate the apple and mix it into the dough and then bake in a "æbleskive"-jern (a pan with round form in it for the dough to be dropped into and then turned) About the kind of apple: Belle de Boskoop is a good pick, but any kind of "madæble" will do
I think you are painting a wrong picture of Danish nisser. Yes, you may have gotten the origin story right but in modern times nisser hide, observe, and sometimes tease people through the month of December but ultimately they always end up helping people. At least, this is how nisser are depicted in every children television series. We definitely do not consider nisser evil.
@@ErininCopenhagen If you watch some of the most popular Danish Christmas "Julekalender" television series, you will understand. This includes for example "Nissebanden" and "Pyrus - Alletiders Jul". I mean, if we considered nisser evil we wouldn't use them for decoration everywhere, in shops and at home. Also, I think most Danes consider Julemanden the boss of all nisser. While Julemanden may not be the focus he still plays the key role of delivering presents on the 24th. It is not uncommon for some family member to dress up as Julemand to deliver the presents when the kids are small and gullible :)
No tinselis bad. At tree we prefers Lametta, The Lametta made of lead is best though.... its lead....... instead of those heary Tinsel we prefer to make home made Girlander at some workplaces you even have competiitions on who can make them longest. Also Danish flags is good touse instead of tinsels.
Alright, superstitions is a grand part of danish people's lives... there is no elves secretly sitting beside you when you're not looking... although we do have the julekalender, which makes fun of it all.
Yeah! I know how you feel. My Birthday is Valentines Day ! Not much fun in that either ! Keep your "Nisse" (elf) happy by making sure there's enough "Cinnamon Sugar" and butter on there Rice porridge during X-mas ! The Rice porridge goes back to a time, when meat was to expensive and you needed to fill up on other things. The more porridge you ate, the less meat. Today things have changed and we can afford to eat meat. The Rice Porridge has become a treat, during all of December. It's actually very delicious. Back in the day, it was served only on DEC 23th. BTW! The "Nisse" usually lives beneath your roof. Just saying 🙄! Not superstitious. We know that when we put it out, it's often a local Cat, eating it....... Rice Porridge has become the basis for our National X-mas dessert. "Ris - ala - mande" ! Invented by a French Chef, working at Hotel "d'Angleterre" in Copenhagen, in the 19th century. Æbleskiver (Apple slices). You want those homemade, not the terrible ones you can buy frozen, in Supermarkets. Dependent on where your from in DK, there are two types. The soft ones or the crispy ones. Depending on, if you use butter/margarine or oil, they'll turn out different, even with the same recipe. I wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and a Happy 2022 :-) ! PS: Yes. Our ferry tails are very bleak :-) ! Danish Ferry Tail Noir :-( ! Maybe that's why were among the most content nations in the world. Our life's aren't as bad, as the Ferry Tails :-) :-D !!? PPS: As always! Good videos that are well researched and spot on ❤️ !
Valentines day!!! That's miles better than Dec 25th - let's trade! 😂 But no, I think any birthday on any major holiday, you end up getting forgotten a little bit. Thanks for your comments explaining more about everything. This video is more so my experiences, not 100% fact..! Merry Christmas to you & your loved ones too. Thanks so much for watching ❤️
I Think most people get the story about Santa wrong. It started as a horror. That come Down eating people. And u would leave food and drink for him to skip you. So elf/nisser making Small stuff. But as Danish. Elf/nisser makes and help Santa. They the ones around to hear what the kids wants and then helps Santa create the items But it is still Santa that deliver it all. So Not much different than others believe.
The idea that elves help Santa in his workshop is very much also a part of Danish cultural beliefs about Christmas, actually. Or so it has become. So not exactly accurate.
I have never learned that Nisser is mean/evil. They are teasing and playful. In the old days in the country side they lived all year on the farms and too care of the farm if you too care of the nisse. There are horror stories about them from old days, but its not what the kids are taught at all. Christmas markeds are fairly new to Denmark. I am 58 and as kids we didn't have them when i was a child. And nooo, not everyone watches Julekalenderen...i have always hated them
I am born in 61. As a kid, I never learned that nisser was evil. I learned that they were naughty, and sometimes did things to tease you.
Born in 53 we never talked about elves in my family and we knew from a very young age our family was responsible fof the presents. I can't recall I ever believed in Santa.
It sounds like you may have ended up in a Danish family that decorates the Christmas tree in the "George Jensen" style - lots of white and silver stuff and no tinsel allowed. However, more traditional Danish Christmas trees are very colourfully decorated and certainly also with tinsel! For lighting we usually stick to traditional candles or warm white LED lights, not the multi colour LED lights.
Georg Jensen 😂 Hahaha - guilty. Although some light "angel hair" tinsel was allowed. I did think it was my husband being silly...
I did notice not many use colorful Christmas lights here! That was the only kind we used when I was a kid.
Traditional Danish christmas colors are red and white it was thies colors that where ised on the christmas trees. the Colorfull part is from the 1980's in the 30th's 40th's 50th's 60th's and 70th's it was red white and silver.
@@torbenjohansen6955 And red ,gold and green.
There are a lot of christmas traditions in Denmark. And they vary from region to region and even from family to family.
Let me add a few to your list: We normally end the dancing around the christmas tree with singing "Nu er det jul igen" a rather high tempoed song with only one chorus (At least in our version) While we sing it we all dance round around in a long line holding hands all through the house. Very fun.
Another christmas tradition in my family is gaveleg. This is something we do after we'd eaten but before we dance around the christmas tree. You have a pile of small cheap gifts (It can be almost anything), a rafle cup and a dice. And then we take turns rolling the dice. If you get a 6 you can take a present from the pile. When there are no more presents in the pile, the real fun begins. One of you sets a timer for 10 minutes or somthing like that (only the one who sets the timer knows what it was set at) Then you roll the dice again and every time you get a 6 you may steal a gift from one of the others. The one with the most gifts when the time is up, wins.
My paternal grandma grew up in Denmark until she was 11. Her family fled to Utah , USA just as WW2 was breaking out there. Growing up we had a big family party Christmas Eve.
I love the potatoes! We always called them candied potato’s.
Great episode. Always fun to hear how weird we are here in Denmark.
Advent candle isn't the calendar candle with the days marked upon it. Advent candles are the four candles that we light on the four sundays leading up to Christmas. I think 'advent' is short for 'the coming of Christ/the Lord' (adventus Domini/Dominus).
I looove risalamande but my big brother ALWAYS won the almond gift... Always! Later in life I've found out that I'm intolerant to rice so no more risalamande for me 😢Besides the duck, my mom would also make flæskesteg for Christmas dinner... and any leftovers would be made into 'biksemad' (most delicious! - and one of the few dishes where ketchup is allowed).
Christmas in Denmark the 24th, goes back to the Viking age and earlier, before clocks, no, at that time, before clocks, the new day started when it got dark... that way of marking the day was continued when Christianity came to Denmark. Like on the clock today (midnight)
If you want to try an Æbleskive with an apple slice then go to the Christmas market in Den Gamle By (The Old Town) in Aarhus. They make them there every Christmas. The Christmas market are the two last weekends in November and till the 23. December
Thank you for your video’s they are always excellent and great content, and you have an amazing pronunciation of the Danish language. Glædelig jul from Philadelphia
Thank you so much Rene og glædelig jul!
I'm from Japan. I want to go to Denmark someday. very nice beautiful city and good food. I love Copenhagen.
As a Dane, I would say that traditions are different from family. We were allowed to open a gift or two after dinner, before the singing. I loved/love the singing. Being and singing with your grandparents, cousins, and siblings, when walking around the tree - the memories of that, not everyone being in tune is just sweet and funny.... Nisser/elves/gnomes, are only bad towards you if you don`t behave throughout the year, and don`t put rice porridge out for them to eat.... But that was mostly back when people lived and worked on farms. Today they are just sweet and Santas helpers
Thing about “nisser” … they’re not evil. You just have to take care of them. (Which is the tradition of putting up a plate of rice porridge on the attic for him. If you mistreat him, he will make sure the next year goes bad for you. Crops fails, live stock gets sick … stuff like that.
In swedish the name for a nisse is “tomte”. Which also explains the thing about having “nisser” in the attic.
“Tomt” is another word for property. It is actually the “nisse” that owns the land he lets you stay on. And he also lets you think you’re owning the land where your farm is located on. But you will learn if you mistreat your “nisse”.
“Apple slices” got their name cus traditionally a slice of apple was added to be baked inside the “ball”. Today … there’s really not a lot of people still adding apple slices to their æbleskiver.
Note: It is a *wish* list. It is not an ordering list.
Tinsel is not a decor. It is tacky and an expression of bad taste. I’m sorry, Erin … but that’s just not debateable. 😉
Ohhh so interesting, their meaning in Swedish! That does explain it a lot more for me. I think I need to do some proper research on nisser; maybe I could a history/background video on them..! They're really interesting to me.
@@ErininCopenhagen
Tomt is also an old danish word. Usually used in connection to a construction lot.
It is not used as much anymore. Like a lot of old danish words, who falls victim to evolution of both written and spoken language as well as the anglofication of the danish language.
There is a lot of litterature available about the tales, myth and folklore of “nisser” out there.
Are your husband form Jylland? I feel like the crisps thing is a thing from jylland. I have never met anyone on sjælland, that had that tradition🙂 im from sjælland and I think it is strange to haha. Btw if you want to find out about the nisser, and understand it more, there is a lovely childrens book called “Mig og bedstefar - og så Nisse Pok” I would recommend you to read that. It is written by Ole Lund Kirkegaard. It is so lovely and our teacher in school would reed form it out lout for us in school in december. It is amore up to date version of how we see Nisser in Denmark. The more Right out Evil Nisser, i fell is more old folktales from 200 years ago🙂
Thanks for this video. We're a Canadian homeschooling family studying Christmas around the world this month. We enjoyed seeing how the Danish traditions compare to our own. The wish list thing has changed since I was a child because back then it was sort of taboo but it is definitely a thing now. Our family is all using an online list maker so that we can share the lists easily. It takes the stress out of gifting.
As a kid I always opened by presents on the 24'th, after eating and all that. If you have guests, they can also see your face when you open your presents. Now that I have kids myself, and family coming over (pre covid) it makes sense to me. Waiting to 25th makes no sense to me at all :) Everyone who gave you presents went home, only your parents are around. That's no fun.
Denmark is one of the few or the only country that does it the way we do it
I don't normally comment or like on YT, but try to do it here sometimes. Your channel derserves so much attention!! 🤞 Glædelig jul!
Thank you so much Stefan, your encouragement means a lot! Glædelig jul 😊
Santa is like the final boss of December :-)
Hi Erin
This was a very interesting video! Fun to hear your perspectives :-)
One Danish tradition, which is analogous to leaving cookies and milk for Santa, is that you create a so-called "nissebo" inside your home, with a tiny door and everything. Then you can sieve some flour on the floor in front of the nissebo (perhaps also leave a bowl of risengrød). The next morning, the first thing your kid will notice will be the small footprints in the flour (which you made using e.g. a doll)! It's also a fun DIY project, which I know you like.
Ohh that's a great one to try, thanks so much for the tip! I'll definitely try that this year (we were gifted a nissebo door) 😊
@@ErininCopenhagen how fun! Good luck with that 😃
About tinsels, i am slightly torn. If it is the plastic kind keep it far away, but if it is the old kind made of some metal and having some weight to it, i just love it. I loved the tinsels my aunt and uncle had which had been used for several decades, and that they every year mde sure that none of it wwasa left on the tree when it was time to get rid of the tree
Haven't seen this suggested by anyone else yet (though maybe your husband has mentioned it in passing). May I suggest you watch the TV Christmas Calenders from 1994 and 1995, "Alletiders jul" and "Alletiders nisse". I'll get to "why" in a bit.
TV Christmas Calenders have sort of shifted to simply being a a TV show of 24 episodes, which just so happen to take place during Christmas, but doesn't really have anything to do with Christmas. The writers sprinkle in some nisser here and there, and maybe a Santa Claus, but really, et might as well have been goblins and an alien. Wouldn't affect the plot in any way.
However, "Alletiders jul", from 1994, revolves around learning what jul (Christmas) actually is, its traditions and where they stem from, also, how it's being celebrated elsewhere in the world. They travel into books and visit a bunch of historical places and all that stuff. It is incredibly educational. The CGI is a little weird, but the hygge and the Christmas spirit AND theme AND relevance is all there.
In "Alletiders nisse", from 1995, then goes and does the same thing, but for "nisser" (and you are correct, "nisser" and "elves" are not the same thing). And this might be where your husband has his "Crazy murderous nisse" story from. They would also bring good fortune, in oldern days. So really, watch these two TV Christmas Calenders. You'll get over the wicked 1990's CGI quickly, I promise.
These are btw the Christmas Calenders referred to, as the "Pyrus calenders", if you've ever heard that, of which there are four all in all, plus a movie and a stage play.
OH, and the best thing. These "Pyrus calenders" include a song called "hygge", which is the only thing in existence, which manages to perfectly describe what hygge truly is.
Sorry for the ramble, but as you have probably gathered by now, Christmas Calenders (and maybe christmas lights everywhere) is THE defining character for Christmas and hygge here in Denmark.
Ohhh thank you so much for that wonderful recommendation - I will definitely try to track that down to watch it! Would really love to learn more and get a better context of the whole "nisser" thing.
It's so nice to have this kind of Christmas tradition that unites everybody 😊 The closest we had growing up were the Rankin/Bass Christmas specials, which both my parents & I watched as kids (and also what inspired the aesthetics for the movie "Elf" with Will Ferrell!) But it's certainly not on the same level/scale as Julekalender.
@@ErininCopenhagen they are SO educational. The third one is called "Alletiders Julemand" (guess what that one's about), and the forth is "Alletiders Eventyr", guess they ran out of Christmas themes that would span 24 episodes 🤣
I have no idea what those Christmas specials are, but the history of it sounds interesting. Kinda thought Elf was just an original piece 😄
Annother great and informative video! Thanks!
There are many Danish Christmas traditions. In my family, on the 24th, the housewife "bærer julen ind" (carries Christmas into the house? ) a bit before we have dinner. We all gather around and she carries a tray with some cookies and perhaps Sherry into the room and serves it. Then Christmas really begins!
Our Children have the same tradition as well!
Pardon my bad English
Nej nej Bent, du er rigtig dygtig til engelsk! Det lyder som en super hyggelig tradition, at "bære jule ind". Jeg havde aldrig hørt om den før! Tusind tak for din kommentar og glædelig jul til din og din familie.
@@ErininCopenhagen Også glædelig jul til dig og din familie! 🎄
Jeg tror, at det at bære julen ind er en regional tradition. Det er hyggeligt at sidde sammen og snakke lidt med en småkage og en Sherry/portvin i hånden! 👍
Dit danske er imponerende perfekt! 💯🇩🇰
It is a nice tradition that Bent describes. I have not experienced it myself per se, but am sure it happens. And, to me, it goes hand in hand with the other tradition which is culturally imprinted with me: 'Du må IKKE bære Julen UD!' (You are not allowed to carry away the Christmas', literally translated). What this means is that IF you visit someone in the Christmas period, you should always be offered something to eat/drink (like Bent's sherry and cookies). IF you leave without being offered anything, you take away the joy of Christmas from that particular home. So, in a way, it's an obligation for hosts always to offer 'a little something' for visitors in this period. Also, I do remember sherry glasses in my childhood being used a lot more in the Christmas period than during the rest of the year. ;)
Can you take away the Christmas joy from a family just because you are not offered a cookie? Well, the 'nisse' could certainly take away something, if not being fed - there's a parallel! I've traveled abroad for many years, but if at home in DK as an adult, I've always put the porridge up in the attic for the nisse. And now, my grown-up daughters do the same with their kids ... the tradition is still much alive!
Merry Christmas!
I've only just found your channel, but I think you manage to depict christmas in Denmark quite well here -- at least the christmas that I have grown up in. Sure Santa isn't "the main guy; sure elves can be nasty (but also nice! if possessive little buggers); the treats are spot on; the main meats are usually pork or duck - I've seen both, some times together; and it was fun to hear a bit about your christmas traditions, thank you! Tinsel you also manage to nail, and I think several families have small fights concerning this, my mother and I have conceeded to my fathers wishes to leave tinsel out. My father's siblings keep tinsel on their trees though, and part of my mother's side hate it beyond reason... so, yeah, it is a thing, and you are not alone in the struggle.
Newcomer to the channel here 😁Really good video👍
As others mentioned you got the modern nisse a bit misscharacterized though.
Couldn't help myself by pointing out how you skipped the very best part of the Christmas dinner = Flæskesteg!! 😅
Thank you so much! Welcome 😁
Ohhh my beloved flæskesteg 🤤 Yes you're right, I should have included that!!
In my family we used to have 24 almonds in the risalamande bowl, and each family member would buy a few small (not too expensive) presents so that it would all add up to 24 packages in the middle of the dinner table. The funny part is that in this way everyone would get presents, but since some were specifically for girls/women and some for men/boys, there would be a lot of laughs when a man or boy got a lipstick or something like that, or the other way around a girl/woman got some tobacco for a pipe, so it was really fun and there was a lot of swapping presents at the table, after all 24 of them had been opened.
Aww that sounds like so much fun!! Maybe I'll suggest that next year in my family 😁 Thanks for sharing!
@@ErininCopenhagen .. well, there do not need to specifically be 24 of them, I guess it would all depend on how large a family, and how many each should bring (or expect to get). I think the number of presents grew from 12 to 24 at some point, mainly because it became the absolute high point of the Christmas dinner.
apple slices were originally slices of apples cooked in lard
We also make our own paper decorations.
If you live in the US and wants to try or see Danish Christmas traditions, you can go to Elk Horn, Iowa or Solvang, California. Both towns have a big Danish community. But wait until Christmas 😉
Elves or nisser are NOT evil here. That is mostly an old idea that isn't used anymore. At most you get the drillenisse today, mischievous prankster nisser.
Have you tryed æbleskiver vith vanilla ice cream? if not it will blow your mind :-)
Oh wow, no I haven't - why has that never occurred to me before?! 😂 Will try it ASAP, thanks for the tip!
Correct. We don't do "Stockings" :-) ! We do a Christmas Calendar, either filled with Chocolate or small cheap gifts. One from every day from the 1st-24th of DEC. The Kid's get to open a door, every day. Lot's of different types of X-Mas Calender's here. Each with there own thing 😀 ! Look forward to the "The Julekalender"! So FUNNY! The "NIsse" (elfs) speak "Danglish" (a mix of Danish and English). Your Danish is perfect, so you'll get it 👍😊👍 !
"The Julekalender" (in Danglish 😀 ) is on TV2 Charlie, every evening in DEC.
not a fan of tinsel, we never use it- great vid :)
If you havn't tried already I highly recommend the apple slices inside the æbleskiver. You need a tart apple sort so that it sort of compliments the sweetness of the dough, jam and sugar. Also, I was never allowed to put money on my wish list but my friends did so it varies from family to family! :).
That sounds amazing, would love to try one day!
I may be wrong, but I think that's what they originally did. Hens the name. I actually thought of doing just that. Thanks "spacemanspiff" 👍. What type of Apple would you recommend? You'd probably need to use a crispy Æbleskive, to get a peace of apple in there!? I'm thinking..., pealing and boiling the apple and covering it in "cinnamon Sugar", before inserting it? Hmmmm!
@@KHValby Depending on how far we go back it is done in different ways. But the oldest, it is simply pieces of pealed apple dipped in dough and then fried on a pan. A bit closer to our time it become more commen to grate the apple and mix it into the dough and then bake in a "æbleskive"-jern (a pan with round form in it for the dough to be dropped into and then turned)
About the kind of apple: Belle de Boskoop is a good pick, but any kind of "madæble" will do
❤️
It will be tortue to wait for the next Christmas. Way too long till next December!!! :(
No christmas dinner without roast pork (flæskesteg)
I think you are painting a wrong picture of Danish nisser. Yes, you may have gotten the origin story right but in modern times nisser hide, observe, and sometimes tease people through the month of December but ultimately they always end up helping people. At least, this is how nisser are depicted in every children television series. We definitely do not consider nisser evil.
Really?! Even if they could potentially burn down your house?? Point taken though, I am still wrapping my head around the concept of nisser 😊
@@ErininCopenhagen If you watch some of the most popular Danish Christmas "Julekalender" television series, you will understand. This includes for example "Nissebanden" and "Pyrus - Alletiders Jul". I mean, if we considered nisser evil we wouldn't use them for decoration everywhere, in shops and at home. Also, I think most Danes consider Julemanden the boss of all nisser. While Julemanden may not be the focus he still plays the key role of delivering presents on the 24th. It is not uncommon for some family member to dress up as Julemand to deliver the presents when the kids are small and gullible :)
No tinselis bad. At tree we prefers Lametta, The Lametta made of lead is best though.... its lead....... instead of those heary Tinsel we prefer to make home made Girlander at some workplaces you even have competiitions on who can make them longest. Also Danish flags is good touse instead of tinsels.
Not true about the elves/nisser. it was in old days
Alright, superstitions is a grand part of danish people's lives... there is no elves secretly sitting beside you when you're not looking... although we do have the julekalender, which makes fun of it all.
My sister in law was born on Dec 25th; she never liked it because they would feed her birthday cake on Christmas 😂
It's tactical Christmas. You need to knock the kids out for the day after, when you visit the other grandparents.
Yeah! I know how you feel. My Birthday is Valentines Day ! Not much fun in that either !
Keep your "Nisse" (elf) happy by making sure there's enough "Cinnamon Sugar" and butter on there Rice porridge during X-mas ! The Rice porridge goes back to a time, when meat was to expensive and you needed to fill up on other things. The more porridge you ate, the less meat. Today things have changed and we can afford to eat meat. The Rice Porridge has become a treat, during all of December. It's actually very delicious. Back in the day, it was served only on DEC 23th.
BTW! The "Nisse" usually lives beneath your roof. Just saying 🙄! Not superstitious. We know that when we put it out, it's often a local Cat, eating it.......
Rice Porridge has become the basis for our National X-mas dessert. "Ris - ala - mande" ! Invented by a French Chef, working at Hotel "d'Angleterre" in Copenhagen, in the 19th century.
Æbleskiver (Apple slices). You want those homemade, not the terrible ones you can buy frozen, in Supermarkets.
Dependent on where your from in DK, there are two types. The soft ones or the crispy ones. Depending on, if you use butter/margarine or oil, they'll turn out different, even with the same recipe.
I wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and a Happy 2022 :-) !
PS: Yes. Our ferry tails are very bleak :-) ! Danish Ferry Tail Noir :-( ! Maybe that's why were among the most content nations in the world. Our life's aren't as bad, as the Ferry Tails :-) :-D !!?
PPS: As always! Good videos that are well researched and spot on ❤️ !
Valentines day!!! That's miles better than Dec 25th - let's trade! 😂 But no, I think any birthday on any major holiday, you end up getting forgotten a little bit.
Thanks for your comments explaining more about everything. This video is more so my experiences, not 100% fact..!
Merry Christmas to you & your loved ones too. Thanks so much for watching ❤️
Nah! Believe me! If you have a special person in your life, it's either her/his day, or yours 😀 ! Can't be both 😒
I Think most people get the story about Santa wrong. It started as a horror. That come Down eating people. And u would leave food and drink for him to skip you.
So elf/nisser making Small stuff.
But as Danish. Elf/nisser makes and help Santa. They the ones around to hear what the kids wants and then helps Santa create the items But it is still Santa that deliver it all. So Not much different than others believe.
We also have lucia optog in school.. ask your man
interesting growing up in Denmark I never head about such scary elves, more like teasing elves
I was never told that nisser was evil when I was a child.Fear of nisser belong hundreds years ago.
I think your husbond is pulling your leg ;) Nisser are not THAT evil. They make small praks
The idea that elves help Santa in his workshop is very much also a part of Danish cultural beliefs about Christmas, actually. Or so it has become. So not exactly accurate.
H. C. Andersens fairy tales for are not meant for children. Especially not the modern way of writing for children.
I have never learned that Nisser is mean/evil. They are teasing and playful. In the old days in the country side they lived all year on the farms and too care of the farm if you too care of the nisse. There are horror stories about them from old days, but its not what the kids are taught at all.
Christmas markeds are fairly new to Denmark.
I am 58 and as kids we didn't have them when i was a child.
And nooo, not everyone watches Julekalenderen...i have always hated them
Dear please try and stop using the word LIKE it drives a lot of people crazy!!!!!!!!