Holidays in Denmark

This is a list of holidays in Denmark. Notice that not all of these are work holidays.


Date English Name Local Name Remarks
January 1 New Year's Day Nytårsdag New Year's Eve is celebrated with lots of fireworks, and the television broadcast of the Queen's annual New Year's speech. The clock on the cityhall in Copenhagen is broadcast on all TV channels to show the very moment it strikes 12. It is a Danish tradition to celebrate a holiday the evening before the actual day (e.g. Christmas, Mortensaften and Sankt Hans). People also celebrate the stroke of midnight with champagne and a piece of kransekage, (translated, ringcake)— an almond cake consisting of increasingly smaller and smaller rings stacked one on top of each other, creating an upside down cone form.
Seven weeks before Easter Sunday Carnival Fastelavn Children dress up in costumes and go door-to-door in search of sweets. Traditionally a cat is put inside a hanging wooden barrel and the children take turns hitting the barrel with a bat until it breaks. In modern times the cat has been replaced by candy.
The Thursday before Easter Sunday Maundy Thursday Skærtorsdag  
The Friday before Easter Sunday Good Friday Langfredag  
March/April Easter Sunday Påskesøndag The Danish celebrate three days of Easter.
The day after Easter Sunday Easter Monday 2. Påskedag  
May 1 Labour Day Arbejdernes kampdag Not everybody has this day off.
June 5 Constitution Day Grundlovsdag The signing of the Danish constitution in 1849.
The 4th Friday after Easter   St. Bededag A collection of minor Christian holy days consolidated into one holy day.
40 days after Easter Ascension Day Kr. Himmelfartsdag  
7 weeks after Easter Pentecost Pinse The Danish celebrate two days of Pentecost.
June 24 Summer Solstice Sankt Hans St. John the Baptist is the actual saint behind this holiday. See the Denmark section under Midsummer
November 10 The Feast of Saint Martin Mortensaften Morten was forced into priesthood by his parents and tried to hide in a barn, but the honking of the geese in there gave him away. Danes traditionally eat goose this evening.
December 24 Christmas Eve Juleaften Presents are exchanged on Christmas Eve. A Christmas Calendar (Julekalender) TV show is shown each day from December 1st to 24th. Once primarily aimed at children, adult comedy Julekalender shows have become a tradition as well. Children Julekalender shows are accompanied by a large paper calendar available in stores with 24 small sections that open to reveal something new to the ongoing story each day. The Christmas season is also celebrated by the lighting of candles on an Advantskrans on each of four Sundays prior to Christmas. See Denmark section under List of Christmas dishes.
December 25 Christmas Day Juledag The Danish celebrate three days of Christmas.
December 26 2. Christmas Day 2. Juledag  



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