We were told the Danes were crazy about Christmas, and it’s true! They are!
There were a series of events connected to Christmas jammed into the few weeks before we left Denmark. The first was a parade, where the entire city of Aarhus watched kids from various marching bands trundle through the streets of the city, with Santa throwing chocolates leading the march. There were Oompa-loompa style Danish Santa bands all around the city. The big event of the night was watching the Christmas lights which had been strewn across the pedestrian street light up.
The next day saw another celebration: when the 22 metre Christmas tree in the centre of town was lit – there were kids everywhere! Everyone was tucking into the special cuisine of glogg – mulled spiced wine with nuts and raisins, and small pancake-like balls. After the ceremony, people migrated towards the Christmas markets that had popped up around the city.
The funniest Christmas occasion though, was a private one. If you go to Denmark, you have to get yourself invited to a Christmas dinner. This is literally hours of eating traditional Danish food, with Christmas beer, and playing games. There were evil gift giving (and taking!!) games, eating games, and general fun and laughter! What a great way to celebrate!