5th June commemorates the anniversary of Frederick VII signing the Danish constitution in 1849, establishing Denmark as a constitutional monarchy; locally known as Grundlovsdag. The constitution was completely re-written in 1866, 1915 (following women’s suffrage) and 1953 - also all on the 6th June! Whilst not a public holiday, Government offices, banks and schools are closed, as are most shops.
If this wasn’t celebration enough, Father’s Day also falls on 5th June, a tradition adopted since 1935.
Public celebrations centre around raising the Danish flag, accompanied by group singing. Political rallies and speeches also play a prominent role.
The flag of Denmark (Dannebrog) holds a Guinness World Record for being the oldest continuously used national flag. Legend has it that the flag came into Danish possession during the Battle of Lyndanisse in 1219. The Danes were on a failing crusade in Estonia, but after praying to God, a flag fell from the sky.
Dannebrog means ‘Danish cloth’ and is red with a white nordic cross.
Did you know?
- The UN World Happiness Report has rated Danes as the happiest people on earth, on numerous occasions.
- The Danish language has no word for please!
- Danes have a special word for the cosy feeling of togetherness - ‘hygge’. The creation of cosy social gatherings and intimate get togethers with family and friends.
- The Danish alphabet has 3 additional letters:
- Danish pastry actually originates from Vienna, Austria. In the 1840’s some Austrian bakers settled themselves in Denmark and introduced the beloved pastry. This is called Wienerbrød or Viennese bread in Danish.
- Denmark is quite a flat country and therefore has a large bike culture, with 12,000km of cycle tracks and lanes. More than 50% of Copenhageners cycle to and from work every day. Only 40% of Danes own a car but 90% own a bike.
- Denmark is home to some of the world’s oldest amusement parks. Bakken dates back to 1583 and boasts the oldest ride with an 82 year old wooden roller coaster.
- LEGO® was invented by Dane Ole Kirk Christiansen in Billund in 1949.
- Denmark is made up of 444 islands, but only 76 are inhabited, including Greenland, the largest non-continental island on the planet.
- The names of children are controlled by the Government ! There is a list of 7000 names that are pre-approved.
- The famous fairytale author Hans Christian Andersen came from Odense in Denmark. He is famous for writing among others: