The country of Denmark is geographically located in the northern part of Europe. It celebrates arrival of a New Year according to Georgian calendar dates, and thus has January 1 as their date of New Year.
Apart from New Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve, few preceding days leading to them are also joyfully celebrated by Danish people with lots of excitement and jollity.
Apart from the modern day parties organized all around the town, Danish people do ensure to concord their celebrations with their traditions and customs. For the fact, any celebrations or festivities, including New Year, as observed by people in Denmark are seen as occasions to promote Danish cultures, traditions, and rich heritage, and as well as pass them on to the next generations.
New Year Celebrations in Denmark
Denmark hosts a lot of modern day social parties on New Year’s Eve. These parties begin at around evening time of December 31st. and go on till the early morning time of the New Year.
Throng of people come in, and have a celebration blast. Special dishes are served, and fine and varied quality of champagne flow all night. Also, as soon as the clock rings twelve at midnight, marzipan ring cake is served to all those present.
People sing, dance, clap, and make noises to reflect their exuberance for the occasion. The list of traditional dishes as served in these parties necessarily includes boiled cod, stewed kale, and pork. Serving them to the people during New Year’s time is considered to confer good luck, prosperity, and happiness in the coming time of New Year.
Traditional New Year Celebrations in Denmark
Bursting firecrackers is a very intact part of New Year’s celebration in Denmark. At the mark of twelve, a preplanned show of fireworks is carried out, which illuminates the entire sky and skyline of the town. The dazzling shows of noisy fireworks are most awaited and enjoyed by young children. It is done with an old belief in concern that loud noises of fireworks sway away all the evil spirits and negative energies.
There is another prominent tradition of food saving and throwing. As a part of it, people save some food throughout the year, and then throws it on the threshold of near and dear ones on the occasion of New Year. If one gets to find many old broken dishes at their foyer, then it considered to be an optimistic indication that one has too many good friends and well-wishers, and the coming year will saw pleasant and flourishing relationships with people.
New Year’s time also saw two major and traditional events eagerly awaited and followed by the majority of population of Denmark. One among them is the yearly New Year speech of the monarch, and other is the live broadcast of Town Hall Clock in Copenhagen turning twelve on New Year’s midnight. Both these shows are broadcasted on radio as well as telecasted on television on New Year, and are viewed and listened by millions in Denmark.
