{"id":921,"date":"2020-05-20T11:11:04","date_gmt":"2020-05-20T09:11:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swaplanguage.com\/blog\/?p=921"},"modified":"2020-05-20T11:11:04","modified_gmt":"2020-05-20T09:11:04","slug":"moving-to-denmark-the-danish-culture-and-way-of-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.claireb.dk\/index.php\/2020\/05\/20\/moving-to-denmark-the-danish-culture-and-way-of-life\/","title":{"rendered":"The Danish Culture And Way of Life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Updated January 12, 2021<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Velkommen til Danmark!
Are you a new citizen<\/a> or an international student in Denmark? Today we are excited to introduce you to the Danish culture, food, and way of life.\u00a0Denmark is often a country that you have heard of — as \u201cthe happiest country in the world…somewhere up north in Scandinavia\u201d — but don\u2019t know much about.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To give a little background: Denmark is a country by the sea, comprising the Jutland peninsula and many islands. It is located north of Germany, southwest of Sweden, with Copenhagen as the capital. It has a population of 5.5 million, and the national language is Danish. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the Danish culture like?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. Denmark is an egalitarian society<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Danish society is egalitarian, meaning that it values equality, safety, and freedom. It has a flat hierarchy where status, for example, between the elderly and youngsters, bosses and employees, or teachers and students are not emphasized. Everyone has an equal opportunity to participate, share opinions, and achieve their individual potential. 
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Denmark has a well-developed welfare system that provides free education, healthcare, and many public services to all citizens. It tries to take care of everyone\u2019s life and wellbeing. There is a strong sense of community in the Danish culture — Danes often have mutual trust with one another, and they enjoy the company of each other. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The traditional Nordic concept of \u201cJanteloven\u201d perhaps is a reflection of Denmark\u2019s egalitarian culture, where the collective community is emphasized, and expression of individualism and personal success is discouraged. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bonus: Danish word for \u201ceach other\u201d is \u201chinanden\u201d (hi\u02c8nan\u0259n)
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2. Gender equality is a core value<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Because of the egalitarian culture, Denmark also has some of the highest gender equality in the world. Women are highly respected in society and seen as having equal status as men. Women enjoy great freedom to pursue their careers; company maternity leave policies are usually generous to support women\u2019s life choices. 
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Girls are raised to be independent and strong from a young age. They are encouraged to participate in stereotypically \u201cmasculine\u201d sports or activities, such as football. In terms of Danish dating culture, it is also common for ladies to initiate a date or pay for meals. In a family setting, many Danish couples take equal responsibility in cooking, doing housework, and raising children. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Danish Hygge<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHygge\u201d [\u02c8hyg\u0259] is a Danish word and concept that has been trending all around the world. It even became an official English word a couple of years ago too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what is hygge? Hygge is one of those \u201clost in translation<\/a>\u201d words, but it roughly means \u201ca mood of coziness and comfortable conviviality with feelings of wellness and contentment,\u201d according to Wikipedia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hygge is at the heart of the Danish way of life. Danes like to spend \u201chyggeligt\u201d quality time with their friends and family, in a warm place, over a cup of coffee or tea, and let\u2019s not forget to light up some candles! It is hard to walk into any cafes or homes in Denmark that aren\u2019t \u201chyggeligt.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Socializing with Danes and getting to know their culture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To make friends with local Danes, it is very helpful to learn about the social culture in Denmark. You may have heard that \u201cDanes are shy, reserved, and distanced\u201d, or that they are hard to befriend. Are these stereotypes or true?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many internationals in Denmark have indeed found it challenging to get to know their Danish colleagues, classmates, or friends at first. Danish politeness and proxemics can come off as too cold or distanced to others, but don\u2019t let this discourage you. We do not encourage anyone to rely entirely on stereotypes, because everyone is different, but they help you to know what to expect.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to that, it is worth mentioning that Danes really appreciate the effort people make to learn their language. Surprise your Danish acquaintances with these simple phrases<\/a> we prepared for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On a positive note, once the Danes get to know you, they are usually very loyal and trustworthy friends. If you need help with something, they are generally very willing to extend a helping hand. That goes back to the \u201cwe take care of each other\u201d mentality in point #1. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Danish humor and honesty- part of the Danish culture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Many Danes are light-hearted people, and they have a distinct sense of humor. Danish humor and sarcasm can be hard to understand for many foreigners who aren\u2019t familiar with the culture. It may get lost in translation<\/a> if you don\u2019t speak the Danish language**, or if you are not used to the Danish directness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Another thing Danes like to do is \u201cself-irony\u201d — the ability to make fun of yourself. You will notice it when you hang out with other Danes in both professional or casual settings. It is also an excellent skill to have to blend into the communication style. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this is exactly where Swap Language<\/a> can help! Find a Danish language partner<\/a> that can teach you not just Danish but the culture and HUMOR that is associated with the language as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is everyday life like in Denmark?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To give you a sense of how everyday life in Denmark is like, below are some tips on clothing, transportation, food, and more!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. \u201cThere is no bad weather, only wrong clothing.\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDer findes intet der hedder d\u00e5rligt vejr, kun d\u00e5rlig p\u00e5kl\u00e6dning!\u201d (In Danish)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a popular Danish saying that reflects the Danish way of life. With long dark winters and an average of 170 rainy days throughout the year, Danes are well prepared for \u201cbad weather.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you open a Danish person\u2019s wardrobe, you will probably see big scarfs to keep warm during the cold days, waterproof and windproof clothing to stay dry while being in the rain. To some of us who are from warmer countries like in Asia or Southern Europe, we may probably want to stay home on cold, rainy days. Not the Danes! Bad weather won\u2019t stop them from having fun\u2026.because there is no bad weather! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are planning to visit or move to Denmark, remember to bring the right clothes and be prepared \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Bike is life<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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If you have visited any city in Denmark for any amount of days, you will have seen people on a bike everywhere. The bike is life. The Danes love their bikes, and they bike everywhere. Here are some cool statistics, according to the Cycling Embassy of Denmark<\/a>, to give you an idea:<\/p>\n\n\n\n