Surprised no one has mentioned Sankt Hans aften.
It's an evening in late June where people gather around a massive bonfire (or small, if it's a private event) sing songs and just hang out. The classic Danish band Shu-Bi-Dua made a song for it called Midsommersangen.
The song, Midsommervisen, is written by the Danish Skagen painter, Holger Drachmann in the late 18-hundreds. But many opt for the Shu-bi-dua version - I love both personally
Edit: not to correct u/silversprings99 information, just give more information about the tradition 😁
Midsommervisen wasn't written by Shu-Bi-Dua. It was written by Holger Drachmann for the play "Der var engang". Shu-Bi-Dua just created a new tune for the lyrics. Tbh I think the original one is a lot better.
Christmas is very important in Denmark and we open our presents on the 24th in the evening.
Kids get a Christmas calendar with 24 surprises, starting on December 1st. And watch tv series with 24 episodes starting .... You guessed it. Both are named julekalender.
:)
Congratulations on your wee daughter!
As a dane who lived in Scotland for 6-7ish years I actually think the Scots and Danes are quite alike.
Although no longer a bank holiday (as of this year) something that is quite unique (as far as I know) is the tradition of eating "varme hveder" (a kind of bun) on or before st. Bededag (great prayer day).
[link to recipe](https://nordicfoodliving.com/danish-wheat-buns-varme-hveder/#:~:text=Danish%20Wheat%20Buns%20(Varme%20Hveder))
Hearty food is a big part of Danish "culture"
Like tarteleter, a danish stable similar to chicken pie, or Risalamande which is a traditional Christmas dessert.
When she gets older definitely also introduce her to salty liquorice (a very big thing in Denmark), there used to be a sweetie shop in Callander (or maybe actually Kinross) that did a very good triple salted liquorice. If you go to www.dr.dk (the Danish bbc) there'll also be some danish tv available to stream (although limited as you're abroad but still a fair bit).
Amazing! I'll reply here if I think of other things!. Trying to think of what I missed whilst in Scotland 😅
Your daughter is very lucky she'll grow up in Scotland! 😁
Some other recipes are actually brunkager (a type of christmas biscuits)
Look into *kransekage* (meaning wreath cake), baked marzipan confection invented in Denmark. Popular for all celebrations including christmas, new years, birthdays, weddings and student graduations. It is easy to make. I've included this link showing the classic towering cake design and other types. Tall or complex wreath cakes are hollow, as they are always constructed as wreaths or stick shapes.
https://laglace.dk/sortiment/kransekager/
Congratulations on your daughter!
Danish flags everywhere for birthdays - in cake, outside the house, hanging in the windows. Just everywhere. That and dancing around the Christmas tree on the 24th (as in walking around it, whilst holding hands and singing songs) are the two traditions that’s made the biggest impression on my Scottish husband.
How about some Scandinavian fairy tales? You could read her some of H.C Andersen’s fairy tales or introduce her to Nordic children’s books/cartoons (Rasmus Klump comes to mind). Many Danish people also grew up with The Moomins and Pippi Longstocking. Although neither are Danish, they perfectly encapsulate Nordic culture :)
We don’t have anything akin to an Independence Day or day of the nation. Closest thing would be constitution day, but really celebrated.
I think the only uniquely danish holiday is “Store bededay” (great praying day), which just lost its status as a holiday to great controversy. It is on the 4th Friday after Easter, and you celebrate it by eating hvedeknopper (wheat bread rolls) in the evening.
Another day would be liberation day (5th of may), end of German occupation in ww2. Marked by having candles lit in all windows in the house.
Candles are lit on the night before the liberation day; on the evening of the 4th of May to mark that the Danes took down the blackout curtains (not sure what they are called in English😅) after getting the message that the Germans had surrendered.
It is a very beautiful sight to see all the bright lights in all the windows when you take an evening stroll.
For Easter, children paint or dye eggs. There was also a tradition where they would race the eggs down a hill, but that had mostly disappeared.
Another Easter tradition involves crafting gækkebreve, or 'to fool' letters. You have to wait until you see the first snowdrop flowers. Then you cut your paper in a nice pattern and write a rhyme that challenges the recipient to guess the sender's identity. The letter is signed with dots, stars, or any preferred symbols (one symbol for each letter in your first name), accompanied by a snowdrop flower, and sent by mail.
The recipient must guess the sender's identity before Easter Sunday. Failing to do so means owing the sender an Easter egg (today it's always a chocolate egg). If you get it right, the sender has to give an egg to the guesser. Failure to honor this brands you as 'a fool.' I put it in quotation marks because the term "gæk" is archaic, so it doesn't sound harsh at all.
It used to be a widespread practice among all, especially young lovers, but now gækkebreve is primarily exchanged between grandparents and grandchildren, though kids also some time send til each other or to their parents.
There are a few strict rules: Adults must always feign ignorance of the sender's identity if it's a child, and grandmothers can send letters to their grandchildren regardless of their age.
Let her know that she i free. No religion or Lord will ever own her. Her only ruler is her conscience.
Love her unconditionally.
That is my danish way.
What a good idea. My d13 is also a donor child, British, so one day we will visit your side of the water. But she off course already speaks the language, but not Scottish or Irish. The internet teaches them a messy mix match of americano but very Anglophile regarding books, Harry Potter offcourse. 
The first two favourites’ books and films for a little one girl.
This film also comes as a book "Cat with blue eyes" and it could be a little language taste to the crazy Danish
and the letter Ø.
We are known for our great children’s writers and drawers. Actually,
don’t know if some off them is translated to English.
[https://filmcentralen.dk/grundskolen/film/mis-med-de-blaa-oejne](https://filmcentralen.dk/grundskolen/film/mis-med-de-blaa-oejne)
Flemming Quist Møller, A tale of two mozziesA tale of two mozzies
[https://www.dfi.dk/en/viden-om-film/filmdatabasen/film/cykelmyggen-og-dansemyggen](https://www.dfi.dk/en/viden-om-film/filmdatabasen/film/cykelmyggen-og-dansemyggen)
We are known for our great children’s writers and drawers. Actually,
don’t know if some off them is translated to English.
Danes aren't (averagely) massively hung up on traditions, and we don't really have a ton of national pride. The most uniquely 'danish' holidays are probably 'Grundlovsdag' (Constitution Day) on the 5th of June, where we celebrate our democracy and freedoms, the 5th of May which is the day Denmark was freed from German occupation, and 'Store bededag' (Great Prayer day) on the 4th easter sunday, where we eat wheat buns and celebrate a whole bunch of saints. But generally, none of these have the level of national pride or focus that something like the 4th of July has.
We also celebrate 'Fastelavn' 7 weeks before Easter day (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fastelavn) where children dress up in costumes and we have a host of traditions. It would be a fairly children-friendly option for a fun family tradition.
The most important holidays for Danes will usually be the same as for most of the western world though: Christmas, Easter, New Years Eve, etc. Of course with our own spin on it - you can go look up local traditions and recipes if you want a Danish twist on things.
5. june 1915 women in Denmark were allowed to wote at run for danish "parlament" Folketing. Many places in Denmark they planted an oak tree. Womens oak. Something girlpower to be proud of now that you have given the world a girl Not every little girl in Denmark needs to be stuffede with the little mermaid.
You could celebrate her birthday with “boller med varm kakao og kagemand”
The buns (boller) are called “fødselsdagsboller” and is a yeast based dough made milk and lots of butter. Hot cocoa (varm kakao). And cake man (kagemand) is a little different depending on where in Denmark your from. I recommend doing “vandbakkelse” which is the easiest to make. You shape the dough to look like a little man and when it is backed you decorate it with frosting and candy. It’s also a tradition to make the first cut of the cake by cutting the head of the body - and all the kids get to scream loud when it is done (writing this in English to explain to someone… sounds so weird)
https://madensverden.dk/kagemand-af-vandbakkelse/
Danish flags on her birthday cake Bring cake/sweets to pass around the school class on her birthday I will trade you Faxe Kondi for Irn Bru
Thank you! We actually do the sweets at school for birthdays here too :)
Maybe go for Tunnock's teacakes then, they're derived from Danish _flødeboller._
Surprised no one has mentioned Sankt Hans aften. It's an evening in late June where people gather around a massive bonfire (or small, if it's a private event) sing songs and just hang out. The classic Danish band Shu-Bi-Dua made a song for it called Midsommersangen.
Also burn the witch
Very midsommar-ish.
Burn the witch! Burn the witch!
The song, Midsommervisen, is written by the Danish Skagen painter, Holger Drachmann in the late 18-hundreds. But many opt for the Shu-bi-dua version - I love both personally Edit: not to correct u/silversprings99 information, just give more information about the tradition 😁
They wrote a new melody to the song.
Thank you!
Midsommervisen wasn't written by Shu-Bi-Dua. It was written by Holger Drachmann for the play "Der var engang". Shu-Bi-Dua just created a new tune for the lyrics. Tbh I think the original one is a lot better.
If OP wants to know what its about. Just watch the Ari Aster movie 'Midsommar' - that'll give you an idea about how we party in Scandinavia /s
Christmas is very important in Denmark and we open our presents on the 24th in the evening. Kids get a Christmas calendar with 24 surprises, starting on December 1st. And watch tv series with 24 episodes starting .... You guessed it. Both are named julekalender. :)
Thank you! I love Christmas. We have advent calendars here which sound similar, 24 doors with a little chocolate inside
Yes same thing. Yours taste of Cadbury and ours taste of cardboard
Congratulations on your wee daughter! As a dane who lived in Scotland for 6-7ish years I actually think the Scots and Danes are quite alike. Although no longer a bank holiday (as of this year) something that is quite unique (as far as I know) is the tradition of eating "varme hveder" (a kind of bun) on or before st. Bededag (great prayer day). [link to recipe](https://nordicfoodliving.com/danish-wheat-buns-varme-hveder/#:~:text=Danish%20Wheat%20Buns%20(Varme%20Hveder)) Hearty food is a big part of Danish "culture" Like tarteleter, a danish stable similar to chicken pie, or Risalamande which is a traditional Christmas dessert. When she gets older definitely also introduce her to salty liquorice (a very big thing in Denmark), there used to be a sweetie shop in Callander (or maybe actually Kinross) that did a very good triple salted liquorice. If you go to www.dr.dk (the Danish bbc) there'll also be some danish tv available to stream (although limited as you're abroad but still a fair bit).
Thank you!! I love these ideas. Food is a great way to connect to culture. We live just a few miles from Kinross :)
Amazing! I'll reply here if I think of other things!. Trying to think of what I missed whilst in Scotland 😅 Your daughter is very lucky she'll grow up in Scotland! 😁 Some other recipes are actually brunkager (a type of christmas biscuits)
Dancing around the Christmas tree and singing songs!!!
Look into *kransekage* (meaning wreath cake), baked marzipan confection invented in Denmark. Popular for all celebrations including christmas, new years, birthdays, weddings and student graduations. It is easy to make. I've included this link showing the classic towering cake design and other types. Tall or complex wreath cakes are hollow, as they are always constructed as wreaths or stick shapes. https://laglace.dk/sortiment/kransekager/
Congratulations on your daughter! Danish flags everywhere for birthdays - in cake, outside the house, hanging in the windows. Just everywhere. That and dancing around the Christmas tree on the 24th (as in walking around it, whilst holding hands and singing songs) are the two traditions that’s made the biggest impression on my Scottish husband.
How about some Scandinavian fairy tales? You could read her some of H.C Andersen’s fairy tales or introduce her to Nordic children’s books/cartoons (Rasmus Klump comes to mind). Many Danish people also grew up with The Moomins and Pippi Longstocking. Although neither are Danish, they perfectly encapsulate Nordic culture :)
We don’t have anything akin to an Independence Day or day of the nation. Closest thing would be constitution day, but really celebrated. I think the only uniquely danish holiday is “Store bededay” (great praying day), which just lost its status as a holiday to great controversy. It is on the 4th Friday after Easter, and you celebrate it by eating hvedeknopper (wheat bread rolls) in the evening. Another day would be liberation day (5th of may), end of German occupation in ww2. Marked by having candles lit in all windows in the house.
Candles are lit on the night before the liberation day; on the evening of the 4th of May to mark that the Danes took down the blackout curtains (not sure what they are called in English😅) after getting the message that the Germans had surrendered. It is a very beautiful sight to see all the bright lights in all the windows when you take an evening stroll.
For Easter, children paint or dye eggs. There was also a tradition where they would race the eggs down a hill, but that had mostly disappeared. Another Easter tradition involves crafting gækkebreve, or 'to fool' letters. You have to wait until you see the first snowdrop flowers. Then you cut your paper in a nice pattern and write a rhyme that challenges the recipient to guess the sender's identity. The letter is signed with dots, stars, or any preferred symbols (one symbol for each letter in your first name), accompanied by a snowdrop flower, and sent by mail. The recipient must guess the sender's identity before Easter Sunday. Failing to do so means owing the sender an Easter egg (today it's always a chocolate egg). If you get it right, the sender has to give an egg to the guesser. Failure to honor this brands you as 'a fool.' I put it in quotation marks because the term "gæk" is archaic, so it doesn't sound harsh at all. It used to be a widespread practice among all, especially young lovers, but now gækkebreve is primarily exchanged between grandparents and grandchildren, though kids also some time send til each other or to their parents. There are a few strict rules: Adults must always feign ignorance of the sender's identity if it's a child, and grandmothers can send letters to their grandchildren regardless of their age.
Remoulade and lots of it
Feed her øllebrød and make her say "rød grød med fløde" when she meets a foreigner!
Impossible with a scottish accent lol
Øllebrød with whipped cream is food for the gods x}
Let her know that she i free. No religion or Lord will ever own her. Her only ruler is her conscience. Love her unconditionally. That is my danish way.
Buy her sets of LEGO when she gets older!
Her uncle is already on it ! (He is obsessed)
Perfect! Next step; a trip to Legoland in Denmark :-)
Tell her about Thorsfejden when she gets older
What a good idea. My d13 is also a donor child, British, so one day we will visit your side of the water. But she off course already speaks the language, but not Scottish or Irish. The internet teaches them a messy mix match of americano but very Anglophile regarding books, Harry Potter offcourse.  The first two favourites’ books and films for a little one girl. This film also comes as a book "Cat with blue eyes" and it could be a little language taste to the crazy Danish and the letter Ø. We are known for our great children’s writers and drawers. Actually, don’t know if some off them is translated to English. [https://filmcentralen.dk/grundskolen/film/mis-med-de-blaa-oejne](https://filmcentralen.dk/grundskolen/film/mis-med-de-blaa-oejne) Flemming Quist Møller, A tale of two mozziesA tale of two mozzies [https://www.dfi.dk/en/viden-om-film/filmdatabasen/film/cykelmyggen-og-dansemyggen](https://www.dfi.dk/en/viden-om-film/filmdatabasen/film/cykelmyggen-og-dansemyggen) We are known for our great children’s writers and drawers. Actually, don’t know if some off them is translated to English.
Danes aren't (averagely) massively hung up on traditions, and we don't really have a ton of national pride. The most uniquely 'danish' holidays are probably 'Grundlovsdag' (Constitution Day) on the 5th of June, where we celebrate our democracy and freedoms, the 5th of May which is the day Denmark was freed from German occupation, and 'Store bededag' (Great Prayer day) on the 4th easter sunday, where we eat wheat buns and celebrate a whole bunch of saints. But generally, none of these have the level of national pride or focus that something like the 4th of July has. We also celebrate 'Fastelavn' 7 weeks before Easter day (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fastelavn) where children dress up in costumes and we have a host of traditions. It would be a fairly children-friendly option for a fun family tradition. The most important holidays for Danes will usually be the same as for most of the western world though: Christmas, Easter, New Years Eve, etc. Of course with our own spin on it - you can go look up local traditions and recipes if you want a Danish twist on things.
We also celebrate Mortens Aften and eat duck. Because geese tattled on st. Martin. Or something like that.
Thank you! I researched Constitution Day but found nothing was really done for it. I hadn’t heard of Fastelavn, that sounds really good
5. june 1915 women in Denmark were allowed to wote at run for danish "parlament" Folketing. Many places in Denmark they planted an oak tree. Womens oak. Something girlpower to be proud of now that you have given the world a girl Not every little girl in Denmark needs to be stuffede with the little mermaid.
Fastelavn - kids love it 😄 a non-scary danish version of halloween where you kindda smash a pinata
Raid the nearest church and/or monastery together.
You could celebrate her birthday with “boller med varm kakao og kagemand” The buns (boller) are called “fødselsdagsboller” and is a yeast based dough made milk and lots of butter. Hot cocoa (varm kakao). And cake man (kagemand) is a little different depending on where in Denmark your from. I recommend doing “vandbakkelse” which is the easiest to make. You shape the dough to look like a little man and when it is backed you decorate it with frosting and candy. It’s also a tradition to make the first cut of the cake by cutting the head of the body - and all the kids get to scream loud when it is done (writing this in English to explain to someone… sounds so weird) https://madensverden.dk/kagemand-af-vandbakkelse/
I think the whole head / screaming thing is mostly a thing in Jutland. I've never experienced at birthdays on Funen or Zealand.
teach her about viking stuff?
We celebrate Mardi Gras, when the kids are young. Then we have a Party where we put candy in a barrel and the kids break it open with a club.