How to Live in Denmark

Denmark may be a small country, but it produces world-class athletes in cycling, tennis, handball, badminton, and golf. How do they do it? And how does the tax-financed effort to create athletic champions fit with the culture code of "Jante Law", the idea is that no one should think themselves better than anyone else?  September is when fall sports season starts in Denmark. The badminton league begins, so does volleyball and basketball and hockey. Most importantly, the handball season kicks off, and while I’m not a handball fan myself, I always know when that season is underway because my otherwise mild-mannered downstairs neighbor begins screaming at his flatscreen, cheering on or scolding Denmark’s handball girls or handball boys, the teams are equally popular in Denmark.  Team handball was invented in Denmark – and like design, it’s a national passion. Danish teams have won several World Championships and many Olympic Gold Medals. Football, otherwise known as soccer, is popular too, although given the international competition, it’s a bit harder for little Denmark to win championships. The Danish national team did win a European championship in 1992, something any Danish man over 40 will be happy to discuss with you in great detail. Right now there are more than 300,000 registered football players in Denmark if you count amateur, pro, and semi-pro teams. The population of Denmark is 6 million. That means one out of every 20 Danes is on a football team. Danish athletes are not particularly rich, and the ones who do make big money have tapped into markets outside of Denmark. The most famous is badminton player Viktor Axelsen. Since badminton is most popular in Asia, Viktor Axelsen learned fluent Mandarin Chinese. There are lots of endorsements in the Chinese market. The golfing Højgaard twins, Rasmus and Nicolai, make their money on the international golf circuits, in particular the PGA.  Both of them also have endorsement deals. And Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard makes his money not just in France, but also via international endorsements.   Many Danes do sports in their spare time. A bike ride through Copenhagen wouldn’t be complete without a middle-aged Lycra lout cyclist who thinks he’s Jonas Vingegaard speeding past you in the bike lanes, sometimes screaming “Bagfra!” or “I’m coming up behind you!” Besides criminals and welfare cheats, these are the least liked men in Denmark. And many Danes are involved with what’s often described as hygge sports, where the win or the loss isn’t as important as the beers with your buddies or pasta with your girls afterwards. These leagues cover the entire lifespan – old boys football clubs or old girls rowing teams can keep you fit long past retirement age – and they often start in childhood. Schools in Denmark have physical education classes – under the old Viking word idraet – but they rarely have school sports teams. Sports are played through clubs, mostly amateur clubs, which is nice for the kids, because if they don’t have many friends at school they can make different friends at their sports club. These clubs are part of a huge network connected to Team Denmark, which is a government project to create Denmark’s future sports stars. It’s always funny to me that there is so much support for elite sport development in a country so keen on Jante Law. Under the Jante Law, the idea is that no one should think themselves better than anyone else. You see this in Danish working culture, and you also see it in the educational system. Smart kids in Denmark don’t get a boost – they’re expected to just attend ordinary classes and help their slower classmates. There are very few gifted and talented programs, and unlike Germany or the UK, Denmark doesn’t academically track children when they’re 10 or 11, sending some to more challenging academic programs. In Denmark, you can get away with messing around and doing very little in school until your second year of high school – gymnasium – around age 17 or 18, and then buckle down and end up finding yourself in med school or international business, two of the most sought-after university programs. But, in sport, Denmark begins looking for talent very early. The local sports clubs work with Team Denmark to create a pipeline of talented kids. Team Denmark, which is part of the culture ministry, has been around for forty years, but it constantly updates which sports it supports. Being practical Danes, they aim for sports in which little Denmark has a good chance of big success. Right now, that’s badminton, handball, cycling, plus the various sports played on or in the water – sailing, kayaking, swimming, rowing. Denmark has a long tradition of sports that involve boats or water. With all its little islands and fjords, it has more coastline than India. By age 13, these kids are offered places in talent centers or elite sports schools, and when they’re 15 and ready for secondary schools, there will be an elite sport track that gives them flexibility to train and compete. Danish universities offer flexibility for the athletes of Team Denmark when it comes to papers and exams. Some companies even offer part-time internships for Denmark’s elite athletes, so they can keep their civilian career on track while pursuing their sport. Of course, once they’ve succeeded at that sport, Jante Law kicks in again. Danish athletes who win things are expected to give credit to their teammates, to their trainers, to the collective effort. To say things like, well, “I was third, I got the bronze, but I could have easily been fourth.” They’re also expected to stay in Denmark and pay Danish taxes. Viktor Axelsen found himself rather unpopular when he moved to Dubai. His excuse was the better flight connections to badminton matches Asia, as well as the dry weather being good for his asthma, but everyone knew the difference between 56% income tax on top earners in Denmark and 0% in Dubai probably weighed in his decision. The ideal Danish elite athlete is probably Michael Laudrup, who played football at the highest levels throughout Europe in the 1990s, but was always very humble about his skills. After he retired he came back to Denmark, where he now runs a wine business, does some Danish TV commentary, and no doubt pays substantial Danish taxes. This is sporting success in one of the most egalitarian countries in the world. And that’s the How to Live in Denmark podcast for this week. You can read all our of episodes of the Danish Year series at howtoliveindenmark.com, or book me, Kay Xander Mellish, for a speech to your group or organization, anywhere in the world. I love to travel; make me an offer. You can also get our books at books.howtoliveindenmark.com. See you next time!  

Denmark is a very good place to be a child, and to have children, yet the birthrate is dropping as it is in so many other countries. Some preschools have shut down due to lack of kids. Just this year Denmark reached a population of 6 million –  a big landmark -  but that’s mostly due to immigration, not more children being born. All the initiatives that experts recommend for increasing fertility in other countries already exist in Denmark, like child payments for parents, long parental leaves after childbirth, good universal day care, and tax-funded health care.  The Danish government even offers free fertility treatment for the first and second child, and it offers this to single women as well as committed couples. Yet fertility is well below replacement levels, at about 1.5 children per woman in 2024. Why are there not more babies ? My guess is long educational requirements for both men and women – you really can’t get anywhere in business without a masters’ degree - plus high housing prices in the big cities.  Enormous resources on kids I’ve been spending a lot of time with Danish children lately. I make my living giving speeches about Danish working culture to corporate groups or academics, but in the summer there aren’t many of those, so I like to take on other jobs and learn about Danish working culture from the inside. (You can't be an expert on Danish working culture without continually fresh experience of working in Denmark!) This summer I’ve been working at several preschools that serve ages 3 to 6, a great age to work with. They’re old enough to be verbal and express interesting ideas, but not so old that they are flabet, which is the Danish word for sassy, talking back. The Danish government spends enormous resources on kids, in particular preschool kids. A preschool in Copenhagen Denmark One of the preschools where I work, owned by the Copenhagen municipality, is built just for that purpose, with high ceilings and big windows, a seemingly infinite number of toys, five separate playgrounds with trees and sandboxes, a pillow room for jumping around on rainy days, and an extensive kitchen where professional cooks prepare meals. One day this summer we had a very nice baked salmon with rice and broccoli, followed by a snack of fresh strawberries, granola, and yogurt.  We adults practice "educational eating" which means we eat lunch with the small children to work on table manners and appropriate table conversation.    Read more at howtoliveindenmark.com.   

July is vacation month in Denmark, and it’s ironic that many Danes go elsewhere on vacation at just this time of year, when you have the best chance of good weather in Denmark. And I do mean chance – there is never any guarantee. Some Danes go abroad, driving vacations to Southern Europe are popular. There’s a well-known cycle in which the summer weather is good one year, so everyone plans a vacation in Denmark the following year, and then the weather is awful, so everyone plans a foreign vacation the next year, and then the weather is good, and so on. You can surf in Denmark Staying in Denmark, even if you don’t own one of the famous Danish summer houses, can be a great choice. There’s a surprising amount of nature to experience in this small, flat, country that isn’t as densely populated as the UK, or the Netherlands, or even Germany. You can surf in Denmark, along the windy west coast, and when you’re done explore the ever changing sand dunes. Maybe visit the little lighthouse that is slowly being swallowed up by the sand. Hike through ancient forests in Denmark In Denmark you can hike through ancient forests, and even sleep there in some of the public forest shelters. Most of the forest shelters are big wooden boxes with one side entirely open, but with a roof to protect you from the rain. You can walk through beautiful meadows filled with wildflowers and butterflies. Watch whales along the coastline. Tramp through marshes and see red foxes and white-tailed eagles. Visit open grasslands with a few wild horses. Chalk cliffs and fossil hunting in Denmark You can enjoy almost any type of Nordic landscape except mountains, because Denmark doesn’t really have any. It’s tallest peak, Møllehøj, is 1/3 the height of the Empire State Building. But if you insist on rocky peaks, you can visit some lovely chalk cliffs in Denmark and try fossil hunting in the sand. And what ties them all together is the Marguerite Route, or Daisy Route, that runs all over Denmark. The Daisy Route isn’t a straight line from one place to another, like Route 66 in the US or the Trans-Siberian express. It’s 4200 kilometers, or 2600 miles, that looks like a plate of spaghetti, with lots of curves and twists. It takes you on back roads where you can see the quiet side of Denmark. It never doubles back on itself and, with one significant exception – the Big Belt Bridge between Zealand and Fyn – it involves no highways. Margueritruten Route or the Daisy Route The Daisy Route is named after the former queen, Margrethe, who inaugurated it on her 50th birthday in 1991. Her nickname is Daisy. And the signs you will follow on the Daisy Route are brown squares with white daisies. The Daisy Route is a great way to enjoy Danish nature, although, unfortunately, it works best with a car. Bikes in the city, cars in the countryside One of Denmark’s little secrets is that despite all the tourism pictures of healthy Danes riding bicycles, bicycle infrastructure is best in the big cities. Many roads in the countryside don’t have a bike lane, and you probably don’t want to be on a lonely country road on your bike with a cement mixer truck behind you. Outside of those big cities, most Danes do own cars – and there are more cars in Denmark every year, even though they’re very expensive and parking enforcement is draconian. From the window of my home in Copenhagen, I watch cars being hit with parking fines every single weekday. Denmark’s founding document, the Jelling Stone What about mass transit? Can you enjoy the Daisy Route using trains and buses? You can indeed, if you want to see some of the major cultural spots on the route. For example, the Jelling Stone, the giant carved stone that is Denmark’s founding document, kind of its Magna Carta or Declaration of Independence. Put up by King Harold Bluetooth in the year 965, it marks Denmark’s transition to the centralized monarchy it still has today. And yes, Bluetooth on your phone is named after him. The Jelling Stone is very easy to reach by train. Finding Fossils on Møns Klimt Or Kronborg Castle in Helsingør, also known as Elsinore in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. You can easily take public transport to the castle, where Hamlet lived in the play, and the guard Marcellus said “Something is Rotten in Denmark.” Although Shakespeare apparently never visited the castle himself, you can. It’s a simple trip with train, bus, or even ferry from Sweden. But the some of the best stops on the Daisy Route in Denmark don’t work well with mass transit. For example, Møns Klimt is a dramatic white chalk cliff on an island in southeast Denmark. You can walk along the beach finding prehistoric fossils during the day or go stargazing at night, because there’s very little light pollution. Summer vacation chill in Denmark To get to Møns Klimt from my home in Copenhagen is a 90 minute car trip…or a 4-hour odyssey involving three trains, two buses, and a long walk. Or a 7-hour bike trip. It can be done without a car, but it may take away some of your vacation chill. And vacation chill is what July in Denmark is all about. Everything closes down Many companies in Denmark shut down for the last two weeks of July and sometimes the first week of August, restaurants and shops are closed, many church services are suspended. Even my local ice cream shop in Copenhagen closes down, although I’m sure the ones in tourist locations are open and very busy. You may get to enjoy this in glorious summer sunshine, and on a sunny day, there is no country as pretty as Denmark. Or you could experience it in cold, pelting rain – possibly on the same day. Danish summer weather has no guarantees.

As of this month, girls who turn 18 can be drafted into the Danish military.  This is new, even though girls in Norway and Sweden have been eligible for the draft for some time. Denmark is proud of its record on gender equality, so maybe it’s a wonder it hasn’t happened sooner. After all, more than half of the medical doctors in Denmark are female.  More than half of the priests in Denmark are female. The prime minister is female. At only about 10% female, the military is clearly lagging behind. The way the military draft in Denmark works is like this: Boys, and soon girls, who have just turned 18 are invited to an obligatory  “Defense Day” where their physical and cognitive abilities are tested. If these are satisfactory, you get a lottery number, and if the Danish military doesn’t get enough volunteers to meet its needs, you will be called up.  In recent years, there have been plenty of volunteers, so getting enough people hasn’t been much of a problem. And getting into the Royal Life Guards, real-life soldiers who also protect the Danish Royal Family, remains very high status. It’s where Denmark’s future powerbrokers meet each other. In 2023, there were about 5000 volunteers, and roughly 25% of them were female. At least in peacetime, the forces have attracted many young women who are athletes, almost as if it were a very disciplined form of an extreme sports challenge.   Read more at howtoliveindenmark.com.  Image created by Kay Xander Mellish via Midjourney, inspired by Danish painters Vilhelm Lundstrøm and CW Eckersberg. Buy the NFT on uncut.network.

There's a lovely May tradition in Denmark of setting a candle in the window on the evening of May 4. This is to commemorate the surrender of the Germans and the end of the Nazi occupation in 1945.  The Nazis imposed a blackout on Denmark to confuse the Allied air forces, so now that they were defeated, a candle in a window became a small symbol of rebellious light. I intend to participate every year on May 4, but I often forget, and to be honest I see very few candles in windows these days.  A rememberance ceremony, forgotten You’d have to be aged 85 or older now to remember the war, and Germany is one of Denmark’s greatest friends and Allies.  In addition, the elderly who do remember the occupation and the blackout generally do not live with their families in Denmark, families to whom they might pass on the tradition.  Old people in Denmark primarily live alone, and municipal employees come to their house once or twice a week to help with cleaning and make sure they take their medicine.  When they can no longer take care of themselves, they’re moved to a publicly-funded care home or a hospice, but this is generally only for the last few months of life. Living cooperatives against loneliness The elderly in Denmark are often lonely.  In India or the Middle East, older people usually live with their families; in the US, where I come from, they join “active adult” communities where they can golf and have affairs.  The Danish policy that encourages old people to remain in their homes as long as they can isolates them, in my opinion.  That’s why the Danish government, mindful of the fact that the average age in Denmark is advancing quickly, is encouraging the idea of bofæelleskab, or living cooperatives. That’s when a number of older people live together in a house or large apartment, a bit like university students, with a shared kitchen and laundry facilities.  This gives them a bit of company and, not coincidentally, frees up a lot of individual houses for younger families to move in when the old people move out.  You're not the hip new designer or management trainee Now, when I say old people, I’m talking about people over 67, which is the current Danish pension age. That will crawl up to age 70 for kids born today.  The problem for many people is that it’s hard to get a job after age 60. No one wants to hire you as a hip new designer or innovative pharma developer or management trainee.  Older people at the very top of the success ladder often spend this time on various Boards of Directors, leveraging their years of business experience.  Below that I meet a lot of older people who have tossed their career and their specialized educations aside and become office managers, or work in retail, or work in kindergartens.  They’re done climbing the career ladder and want something people-focused that is, and I quote, “something to do until I retire.” A word to honor the old in Denmark Old people don’t get any special respect in Danish culture.  I taught a group of Nepali students in Denmark once, and after the presentation in the Q&A period, they wanted to know if there were some special Danish word they could use to honor the elderly, an important part of their culture in Nepal.  But there’s no specific word in Denmark to honor the elderly. Especially these days, when the people who are old now are the former 1960s hippies who got rid of honorifics like Herr Hansen and Fru Jensen.  The elderly today in Denmark are called by their first names, just like everyone else.  Read more at howtoliveindenmark.com.

As the long Danish winter finally draws to an end, it’s time for Danes to start planting their gardens.  Now, in early April, it’s rhubarb, parsnips, cabbage. After the risk of frost is gone, in late April, you can put down some beets, and chives, and parsley – all good traditional Danish food.  By May, you can try with the tomatoes, which may or may not ripen depending on whether you get a warm, sunny summer, always a roll of the dice in Denmark. One year we ended up with hard, green tomatoes in September.  Short growing season The growing season in Denmark is short. If you miss the planting deadlines, you’re probably out of luck.  And even if you are in luck, the amount you spend at the garden center will far outstrip the amount it would take you to buy the same foods at the corner market. But Danes love to garden, they love to touch the Earth. Denmark industrialized fairly late compared to the rest of Europe – really not until the late 19th century – and even then it focused on cooperative agriculture for export. Denmark is still known around the world for its butter and bacon. The "gaard" is the family farm Many Danes still carry the name of their family farm in the name they use today.  The Danish word for farm is “gaard”, so the names of jewelry designer Ole Lynggaard, or golfer Nicolai Højgaard, or politician Pia Kjærsgaard, all reference what was once the family farm, the “gaard”. This love for nature why weather is always an appropriate topic of conversation among Danes. They’re also very good at historical weather. They’ll tell you that the rains this April are just like the rains of April 2014, or that we haven’t seen this type of wind since the summer of 2006. Colony gardens If you live in Denmark with a house in the suburbs with – parcel houses, they’re often called – you have lots of room for gardening. But people who live in apartments often have what is called “colony gardens.” Colony gardens are a little patch of land set aside in the cities, or near them, for urban residents to have a garden. They usually build a little house on the plot as well, although you’re only allowed to live there during the summer. The electricity and the water usually get switched off during the winter.  The houses are generally wooden, small, cramped, and a little thrown-together. There are often chipped plates and glasses, old chairs with cushions in a grandmotherly fabric, a few board games ready for rainy days. A flag pole and a big Danish flag to put up for holidays. And always, always, they are surrounded by a hedge for privacy.  The colony gardens are run by an association, so you’re supposed to be friends with your neighbors, but keep them at a distance. Good fences make good neighbors and all that.  Getting a colony garden requires either buying one or getting on a long, long list to get one, which means that very few of the 15% non-ethnic Danish residents of Denmark have colony gardens. As I mentioned in an earlier podcast, the list of residents tends to look like the 1957 Copenhagen phone book.  The Unity Garden In my Copenhagen neighborhood, which is extremely diverse, there was initiative to change this a few years ago. A little bit of land freed up by the railroad tracks, and the idea was to create a Unity Garden. Half of the land was set off for people who were not born in Denmark, and half was set off for people who were.  The idea was to meet up, work together, exchange knowledge, have summer picnics, meet across cultures.  Read more at howtoliveindenmark.com

Gækkebrev are a great Danish tradition, but like many other Danish traditions, they are fighting to survive amid the country’s ambitious digital agenda.  What is a gækkebrev, or gække letter? A single piece of paper, cut into a lace-like design somewhat like a snowflake, sent anonymously in the days before Easter. A poem is handwritten on the letter, but it is unsigned...except for a number of dots that correspond to the number of letters in the sender's name. If you can guess who sent the letter, that person owes you a chocolate Easter egg. If you can't guess, you owe them a chocolate Easter Egg whenever they reveal themselves.  Needless to say, gækkebrev are very popular with small children looking for candy.  (The "gække" refers to a vintergække flower that used to accompany the letter back in the day) But the tradition is slowly dying out, thanks to Denmark's widespread digitalization. Paper letters have almost disappeared; it's quite possible to go for months without receiving any physical mail at all.  Stamps and coins are also dying out. While Denmark got a new king more than a year ago, I've yet to see his image on any stamps or coins...because I so rarely see stamps or coins.   Read more at howtoliveindenmark.com. 

Fastelavn is one of the Danes’ favorite holidays. It takes place in February, when the light is finally beginning to come back after a long season of winter darkness. "Hitting the cat in the barrel" - which used to involve a real cat, but no longer does - and eating messy fastelavn buns full of custard are part of the holiday. What's no longer really part of the holiday is its religious background, the idea that this is a party that takes place before the long lockdown of Lent.  Kept the party, dumped the religion The Danes have kept the party while stripping away its source, much like the non-firmations some Danes choose over confirmations, or the "namegiving ceremonies" that have replaced baptisms in some circles.  I once read that the safer a society is, the less likely it is to be religious. The more comfortable and secure people are, the less likely they are to turn to a higher power to sort things out.  That’s certainly true in Denmark. They find religious faith strange The majority of Danes find religious faith strange, and perhaps a sign of ignorance or moral weakness. I have had Danes tell me that believing in God is like believing in Santa Claus.  They’ll go to church on Christmas Eve, or for a wedding, or maybe a funeral. But if you tell Danes that you go to church on a regular basis because you like it, they will suddenly become very suspicious, and maybe a little angry.  They may assume you have backward views, that you don’t like gay people, perhaps that you believe that women should be subservient. Or maybe that you don’t drink alcohol, which is a serious charge in Denmark.   Read more at howtoliveindenmark.com  

If you’re one of the bottom 80% of Danish earners, you’ll probably spend most of your dark January evenings and weekends at home, hoping your bank account can recover from Christmas excesses. Restaurants have a lot of empty tables this time of year. Shops mostly process the return of unwanted Christmas presents. Now, this can and often is packaged as hygge. Candles, TV, sweaters, warm slippers, hot tea. But it’s often just being broke and not being able to go anywhere. Yet if you’re part of the top 20% of earners in Denmark, however, maybe even the top 10%, you go skiing. Not in Denmark, which doesn’t have any mountains for downhill skiing, or enough snow for cross-country skiing. You go to Sweden for cheap skiing, Norway for slightly more expensive skiing, or to France or Switzerland for luxury skiing where you can show off your Rolex Explorer wristwatch on the slopes. Two different types of Januaries The two different types of Januaries illustrate how the gap between the rich and poor in Denmark has widened in recent decades.  Denmark is still, culturally, an egalitarian culture, and it’s still considered bad taste to show off your Rolex watch here in Denmark, but there’s no debating that as the country has become prosperous over the past 30 years, the gap between rich and poor has widened. Read more at howtoliveindenmark.com. 

Denmark, as Danes like to tell you, is a little country. But it used to be a much bigger country, a bit of an empire. Norway was once part of Denmark. Iceland was once part of Denmark. The southern half of Sweden and a bit of northern Germany used to be part of Denmark. What is now called the US Virgin Islands used to be part of Denmark. And Denmark had colonies in Africa and India, which is why when you’ll go into many Danish supermarkets – even online supermarkets – you’ll see a section called Kolonial, or Colonial. It features long-life products, like spices and nuts, that used to come from trading posts in the faraway Danish colonies. Over time, through war losses and independence movements, the Danish Empire shrank…and today we’re going to talk about how it might shrink further. The US has made clear that it wants Greenland to be part of its own territory. Are they serious about this? And what do the Danes think?  

One of the tips I often give to newcomers in Denmark is to learn Danish through song lyrics. Find a Danish lyricist whose music you enjoy listening to on repeat. The repetition will help you get a feel for how the Danish language flows, and you’ll have something to dance to during those long, dark winter months. I did this myself when I first arrived in Denmark, and learned a great deal of Danish from the witty, self-mocking songs of Carsten Lykke.  Here are a few suggestions for your own Danish lyrics journey.  While comparing musical artists is tricky, here are a few suggestions to get you started. (I've put them all together in a Spotify Playlist and a YouTube Playlist for you.) 🎵 Hans Philip: Formerly a rapper, now a talented singer-songwriter. If you like artists like Dominic Fike, Hans Philip is worth a listen. 🎵 Medina: If you enjoy female dance artists like Lady Gaga or Chappell Roan, give Medina a try. She has a long line of dance hits and some interesting collaborations. Fun fact: Lady Gaga's hit “Born This Way” was co-written by Danish percussionist Jeppe Laursen. 🎵 Marie Key: Are you a Swiftie? Marie Key, with her witty, introspective lyrics and focus on personal relationships, might be a good fit.  🎵 The Minds of 99: This popular band regularly sells out stadiums in Denmark. They have a sound similar to The Killers or Arcade Fire. Listen. 🎵 Kim Larsen: For classic rock fans, Kim Larsen is a Danish legend, holding a place in Denmark’s national consciousness similar to Bruce Springsteen in the USA or Elton John in the UK. (Sanne Salomonsen Listen and Anne Linnet Listen are iconic female musicians from the same era.)  🎵 Thomas Helmig: Another Danish icon, with a bit of a Motown vibe.  🎵 Gasolin’: If you like 60s groups like The Animals or Small Faces, try Gasolin’. They’ve been compared to the early Rolling Stones.  🎵 Rasmus Seebach: Fans of Ed Sheeran and Shawn Mendes would probably like Rasmus Seebach. He's a big star in Denmark, and Danes have watched him grow from a confused young man to the family man and father he is today.  Focus on Danish-Language Artists Here, I’m focusing on Danish artists who sing in Danish. While many Danish musicians sing in English to reach a broader international audience—especially in Asia (like Christopher, a blond, muscular singer who’s a massive star in China and Korea)—for language learning, you’ll get the most benefit from songs entirely in Danish. Music has a way of sticking with you. I bet you can still recall advertising jingles from when you were very young. So listen to the music, look up the lyrics online, and you’ll be on your way to better understanding both the Danish language and culture.  Danish through song lyrics is an engaging and effective way to immerse yourself in the language. Music has a unique ability to make words and phrases stick in your mind, thanks to its rhythm, repetition, and emotional connection. By listening to Danish songs, you can improve your vocabulary, pronunciation, and overall understanding of how the language flows, all while enjoying catchy tunes. -----   One of the great benefits of learning Danish through music is the opportunity to hear everyday language in a natural context. Lyrics often reflect colloquial speech, offering insights into how Danes express themselves in informal settings. As you listen repeatedly to your favorite songs, you’ll begin to recognize common phrases, idioms, and sentence structures. You can look up the lyrics online to follow along, helping you connect the written and spoken forms of Danish. Songs can also give you a deeper understanding of Danish culture. Many Danish lyrics reflect the country’s values, history, and social themes, allowing you to gain a more nuanced perspective on life in Denmark. Artists like Kim Larsen, The Minds of 99, or Marie Key not only provide a fun listening experience but also open the door to cultural insights. Another advantage is the fun, relaxed environment music creates for learning. Instead of sitting down with a textbook, you can pop on your headphones, dance around, or hum along as you pick up the language. Whether you prefer pop, rock, folk, or hip-hop, there are plenty of Danish-language artists to explore. So, start by finding a few Danish songs you enjoy, look up the lyrics, and sing along. Over time, you’ll notice improvements in your language skills—and maybe even discover a few favorite Danish artists along the way!

Denmark has one of the highest job mobility rates in the world - about 20% of Danes start new jobs each year. Frequent job changes are a reflection of the Danish concept of "flexicurity" – flexibility with the security of the welfare state. As a matter of fact, if you stay in the same job for many years in Denmark, people start to wonder why.  Young people switch jobs the most, of course, but even people in the prime of their careers, as well as employees over 55, job hopping in Denmark is much more common than it is in other European countries. In the Danish job market, staying in the same job for many years, or not moving within the company, might raise eyebrows. Denmark doesn't really offer lifetime employment. In the audio version of my book, How to Work in Denmark: Tips for Finding a Job, Succeeding at Work, and Understanding your Danish Boss, now available on Amazon Audible, Saxo, Apple Books, and other platforms, I address this topic. The Danish job market is incredibly fluid, with easy hiring and firing processes, much simpler than in many other European nations, including Sweden. Being let go isn't a career killer here - it happens to most people sooner or later. Flexicurity in Denmark makes it inevitable.  The situation is a little trickier for people who are  in Denmark on a work visa. Losing a job could mean a short window to find another one before having to leave the country. It also complicates job switching, as the new employer must take over the visa sponsorship. However, once you achieve permanent residency, you can fully participate in the Danish job-switching culture. Because Danish employers can let you go at almost any time—with few restrictions—it’s crucial to stay proactive as an employee. Keep your skills updated, continuously learn new things in your field, and maintain an up-to-date LinkedIn profile. 

Did you know that Copenhagen has its own color? It’s called Copenhagen Green, and it’s a dark emerald green, mixed with a fair amount of black. A little like the dark green we see on the leaves of trees here late in August. Pantone 3435C, for you designer types.  You’ll notice that all Copenhagen benches are this color, an you will see Copenhagen Green on many wooden doors and window frames in the old city, as well as lamp posts, railings, even small bridges in the beautiful Ørestedsparken. This was a conscious decision by city leaders in the early 1900s. They felt the combination of green and black blended well with both natural and urban settings, and that using it widely would create a sense of harmony. Plus almost everybody likes green.  Learn more about the design quirks of Copenhagen in this podcast, and find out how to take my self-guided audio tour of Danish Design in Copenhagen at voicemap.me/DanishDesign.   --------------------------  

Many countries have a fictional character who represents them. Uncle Sam for the USA, Marianne in France, Mother India. Others have a legendary figure, who was real at one point but is now shrouded in myth, like King Arthur in England. For Denmark, Holger Danske is both. He was probably real, although he didn’t live in Denmark. He was a Danish knight living in France in 8th century, serving Charlemagne and he appears in several of the epic poems of the time as Ogier the Dane. When those poems were translated into Old Norsk, he became Oddgeir danski, which gradually morphed into Holger Danske. He has been a hero for centuries. And he is a sleeping hero. The legend is that when Denmark is in trouble, Holger Danske will rise from his slumber and come to its defense. This is why during World War II, when Denmark was occupied by the Nazis, one of the largest resistance groups called itself Holger Danske. If you’re not Danish, you may have experienced Holger Danske in the form of consumer products. There is a Holger Danske moving company with trucks all over Denmark, a Holger Danske beer, Holger Danske Aquavit liquor, Holger Danske tobacco. There’s a Holger Danske bar. Holger Danske has appeared on the Danish national football shirt.  And, very famously, there’s a statue of Holger Danske in the basement of Kronborg Castle, often known as Hamlet’s Castle, in Helsingør, Denmark – which Shakespeare referred to as Elsinore. I go by the castle in my new audio tour of Helsingør for VoiceMap. Check it out at voicemap.me/hamlet.  --------------

In June of each year, the streets of Denmark are suddenly full of young people wearing stiff white caps with bands of various colors - burgundy, midnight blue, light blue. These teenagers have just graduated from gymnasium, the Danish equivalent of high school, and the white hat is a sign of that accomplishment.  They wear the white hat everywhere they go for the two or three weeks after final exams, and it awakens a deep sentimentality in the usually practical and private Danes. It has a sort of magic.  When my daughter received her white cap last year, total strangers stopped her in the street to say “Congratulations on the hat” – tillykke med huen. Bus drivers congratulated her as she boarded, and so did supermarket clerks at the checkout counter.  Getting the hat is seen as a very happy occasion on the road from childhood to the big wide world. The white cap holds a special place in the Danish national consciousness. The open-backed truck tour If you visit in Denmark in June, you’ll see teenagers celebrating their graduation, riding through town on the back of open-backed trucks, wearing their fresh white caps and cheering or blowing whistles. Using there’s some pop music pumping at a very high volume.  The sides of the truck are covered with white banners, traditionally bedsheets, on which are painted slogans that are more or less obscene. Everybody on the truck except the driver is several beers in and shouting at passerby on the sidewalk, who shout back.   

If you’re only in Denmark for a few months, it might not be worth the investment in time to learn much more than the basic pleasantries in Danish. But you plan to stay in Denmark for more than a year or so, it’s a good idea to learn some Danish – and your visa may require that you do so. Even if you’re not forced to, it’s a good idea to learn Danish if you plan to make a commitment to Denmark. It’ll make daily life easier: you’ll stop wanting to tear your hair out every time you run across a website or voice prompt that’s only available in Danish. You’ll have more job opportunities, since around half of the positions in Denmark are with national, regional, or local governments. Almost all governmental jobs require a working knowledge of Danish. Plus, a lot of social life in Denmark takes place in Danish: Danes, understandably, want to speak Danish to each other, particularly when they’re off duty with a beer in hand. Read more in Kay Xander Mellish's book "How to Work in Denmark" or at www.howtoliveindenmark.com.    ----------------- The Professional Benefits of Speaking Danish in Denmark While many Danes speak English fluently, knowing the local language can open up a broader spectrum of job opportunities. Being proficient in Danish is often a requirement in sectors such as education, healthcare, and public services. Moreover, speaking Danish fluently allows you to integrate more deeply into the workplace culture, which is highly valued in Danish society. Understanding and speaking Danish not only helps in daily communications but also demonstrates your commitment to your life and career in Denmark. It shows respect for the local culture and an eagerness to fully engage with the community, both of which are appreciated by Danish employers and colleagues. Best Danish Language Resources for Expats For expats moving to Denmark, there are numerous resources available to learn Danish. Many cities offer free Danish classes provided by the government, which are a great starting point. Additionally, there are private language schools offering intensive Danish language training for professionals, which can be tailored to your specific needs, whether you're looking for basic communication skills or fluency. Online courses and apps also offer flexibility for learning Danish at your own pace. These resources often include practical exercises and real-life scenarios that can prepare you for actual conversations in the workplace. How to Learn Danish Quickly for Working in Denmark To accelerate your Danish learning journey, immerse yourself in the language as much as possible. Engage with local media, listen to Danish radio, watch Danish TV shows and movies, and practice speaking with native Danes. This immersion will not only improve your language skills but also help you understand cultural nuances, which are crucial for effective communication in a professional setting. Additionally, learning essential Danish phrases for the workplace can make your daily interactions smoother and more productive. Simple phrases pertaining to greetings, meetings, scheduling, and professional courtesies can go a long way in building rapport with your coworkers. Danish Language Skills for Jobs in Denmark In competitive job markets, having Danish language skills can give you a significant edge. For positions that involve direct communication with customers or clients, such as sales or customer service, Danish is often mandatory. Even in international companies where the corporate language is English, local language skills might be necessary for liaising with local clients, regulatory bodies, or in negotiating contracts. Why Learn Danish for Working in Denmark Learning Danish for work goes beyond just expanding your job prospects. It enables you to participate fully in meetings, understand all documentation and legal requirements, and integrate into the social fabric of your workplace. It also greatly enhances your expat experience, making everyday tasks such as shopping, dining out, and dealing with bureaucracy much easier. In conclusion, while it is possible to live and work in Denmark without speaking Danish, learning the language is incredibly beneficial. It opens up a wider range of job opportunities, helps you integrate into Danish society, and enriches your personal and professional life. So, consider investing in Danish language courses that cater to your professional needs and start your journey towards achieving professional success in Denmark.

A story I’ve heard over and over again when I talk to internationals working in Denmark is this: They thought they were going to get fired. They’d been working for a year or so at professional-level job in Denmark, often one they’d been recruited for, but they’d never heard any positive comments from their manager. They started to worry. They were doing their best, but maybe it just wasn’t good enough. Were they going to lose the job? Were they going to have to go back home, humiliated, and explain the whole thing to their friends and family? Expecting bad news This was what was on their mind when they went into their annual employee review. They were expecting some pretty bad news. Instead, they got a promotion. And a raise. Their manager thought they were doing great. But the Danish approach to employee feedback is generally – “No news is good news”. You have a job, you’re doing that job, we’ll let you know if there are any problems. Positive feedback is uncommon in Denmark, because Danes themselves are often uncomfortable receiving compliments. The façade of equality Compliments run smack-dab into the Jante Law, which says specifically that “Don’t think that you’re better than us.” When you give someone a compliment, you lift them above you, if only for a moment, and that disturbs the equality, or at least the façade of equality, which is so important in Denmark. So compliments are not a natural thing in Denmark, either on the job or in your personal life.   Read more at www.howtoliveindenmark.com

Whether you're navigating the cobbled streets of Copenhagen on a first date, exploring the charming countryside with a new companion, or swiping right in the pursuit of love, this episode offers the inside scoop on Danish dating culture. We explore different facets of the Danish dating scene, from casual meet-ups in cozy bodegas to the commitment in long-term relationships in Denmark. We bring you stories, expert advice, and real-life experiences about finding love and maintaining relationships in the happiest country on Earth. Let’s start by unpacking the Danish dating culture. Known for its direct communication style, dating in Denmark can be refreshingly straightforward. Danes value honesty and usually say what they mean without much beating around the bush. We'll explore how this directness affects both initial meetings and the development of deeper connections. We'll take you through the trendiest spots for meeting Danish singles, highlighting popular online dating platforms in Denmark such as Tinder, which is widely used by Danish singles seeking both fun and serious relationships. We’ll discuss the nuances of online dating in Denmark, and how different it is from other countries, with insights on what to expect when engaging with Danish profiles. Navigating through Danish romantic practices, we'll delve into how relationships often start with a simple coffee date rather than extravagant gestures. Understanding Danish etiquette is crucial; for instance, don't be surprised that when dating a Dane, you might be expected to split the bill. This speaks to the deeply ingrained values of equality and independence that define Danish society. Furthermore, the episode will cover the importance of public displays of affection in Denmark. You'll learn why a Dane might prefer a discreet smile or a light touch over grand public gestures. Join us as we explore the heartfelt and sometimes humorous world of romance in Denmark. Whether you are a Dane looking to understand the subtleties of your own dating culture or an expat trying to navigate your way through the Danish heart, this podcast is your companion. Let us take you on a journey through the streets and hearts of Denmark.

Many internationals newly arrived in Denmark struggle with the long Danish winter.  The darkness that starts to fall in the early afternoon means that 5pm looks just like 8pm, which looks just like midnight, which looks just like 5am. Dense, inky black sky. During the daytime there’s a dim grey light, sometimes accompanied by a soupy fog of tiny raindrops. It’s tough to handle - even for Danes. Many people living through this time in Denmark describe feeling low-energy – sløj is the very descriptive Danish term. It translates directly to “sluggish”. Others feel deeply depressed. Some eat too much, or drink too much. Some sleep all the time. It doesn’t have to be this way. Here are my tips for handling these dark months, which generally stretch from November until the end of February.   Enjoy the brown charm of Danish winter nature It’s important to get outside during the brief period of light every day. Even if it’s just for 15 minutes on your lunch hour, it really helps.  Walking in nature is wonderful this time of year if you have right clothing, in particular the right footwear. A good pair of solid boots and you can even go out when it’s icy. Don’t neglect second-hand stores in Denmark. You can usually find a lot of good winter clothes there for not very much money. Parks, botanical gardens, forests – they all have a certain charm this time of year. A brown, winter charm, but a charm all the same.   The secret sauce: a project or a list with things you can check off Go see how the winter animals are doing. Deer parks are good, see what the deer are up to. And most Danish zoos are open year-round. Go see how happy the polar bears are when the weather is freezing! But my top tip for making it through the winter is a specific project, like learning how to knit, or learning how to make something out of wood, or even better, a list. If you have a list, you can check things off as you go along, and you get a feeling of progress as the dark months drag on. Read more at howtoliveindenmark.com.  

It’s almost Week 1, in the weekly numbering system that’s widely used in Northern Europe, where the year starts with week 1 and runs through to Week 52 or 53, depending on the calendar. It’s very efficient for planning, so you don’t have to say something messy like “What about that week that starts Monday June 3…” Week 1 starts on January 1, and everything follows that in perfect order. But before January 1 we have New Year’s Eve, a day that fills me with trepidation to be honest, because in Denmark, New Year’s Eve is all about amateur fireworks. Cannonballs, Roman Candles, Ding Dongs, Triple Extremes, these are the fireworks you can purchase and set off yourself in a local parking lot, terrifying any nearby dogs and cats.  Having a family member in the hospital business, I can’t help but think that today, December 26, there are a few amateur fireworks fans who have perfectly well-functioning eyes and fingers right now who won’t have them on January 2. The Queen's Speech New Year’s Eve celebrations start at 6pm, when the Queen Margrethe gives her annual speech, live.  To the uninitiated, this looks like a woman sitting at her desk reading from a pile of papers – she refuses to use a TelePrompter – but it’s all been intricately planned, from the clothes to the jewelry to the flowers to the text itself to reflect the themes and priorities of the year gone by. There’s even a website that gives odds on what words and themes will appear.  The Queen now keeps her pile of papers together with a paper clip. In past years, she left them loose, and on one particular occasion they got out of order and she had to desperately search through them on air to find her place. The comedian Ulf Pilgaard, a large man who dressed up as a colorful burlesque imitation of the Queen, used to make this incident part of his act, throwing papers up in the air like Harpo Marx. Just as an aside, when this comedian who imitated the Queen retired last year, the Queen herself showed up at his final performance and shook his hand. Having such a good sense of humor about herself is why Queen is so beloved, even by people who do not really like the monarchy.  Some Danes even stand up to watch the Queen’s speech on TV. It always ends with “Gud Bevare Danmark”, God Protect Denmark. "Wreath cake"  After the speech, it’s dinner time, followed by a very sweet cake called kransekage – which translates to “wreath cake.” It’s made of a lot of rings delicately placed on top of each other, in a little tower. There’s lot of marzipan involved in this cake. I’m not a marzipan fan myself, but if you are, you’ll like this cake.  Read more at howtoliveindenmark.com