10 Facts You Maybe Didn’t Know About Danish Culture

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You already know what Denmark is famous for. You name it – the Little Mermaid statue, Hans Christian Andersen and his well loved fairy tales, Legoland, Tivoli Gardens and its bicycle lifestyle among many others. But then again, there may still be other facts that you are not aware of about this great country in the Scandinavian region.

Education of citizens. The Danish government puts prime importance to the education of its citizens. Did you know that youngsters spend an average of 16-17 years in school starting at the nursery level? This will be until they attain the final exam certificate.

Quality food. Danes love to eat and they go only for quality food. In fact, despite its small size, Denmark is considered to be one of the biggest food exporters in the world and ranks in 5th place.

Art culture. Art is a major part of the Danish lifestyle. Proof of this is the existence of various museums, galleries and theaters. Did you know that in 2007 alone, the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art became the Danes’ favorite? The museum recorded 468,000 visitors in that year.

Language. The Danish language is greatly influenced by the German language. But other than German, its closest relatives are the Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic and English languages which descended from the Teutonic language. The Danes use only one dialect.

Texting. The Danes are active users of the mobile phone and they love to send text messages to friends and loved ones. According to Statistics Denmark, the Danish people sent more than 6.4 billion SMS or text messages during the first six months in 2009. In 2007, the number of  MMS messages sent was 42 million.

Internet usage. The number of people in Denmark with internet access has increased in recent years. In 2009, 86% had internet access at home while 96% of businesses in the country had internet connection. In terms of social media, the Danes are also among the world’s top users such as in Facebook.

Danish farms. Did you know that there are some 13 million pigs in the farms of Denmark? You can find most of these pigs are in Jutland. The rest are spread over in Zealand, Funen and other islands. This fact is not surprising at all because pork also makes up a big part of any Danish meal.

Celebrations. The Danes love to eat and drink on special occasions but for them, the socialization part is what’s more important than what they eat and drink. And did you know that those who host parties can be big spenders? They can afford to spend their one to six-month’s salary just to throw a formal party at a rented venue with musicians, great food and drinks.

Hygge. This refers to an atmosphere or state of mind where the Danish people keep themselves warm and intimate. The desire to achieve this originated during the olden times particularly when the winter season comes. What most Danes do is to have candlelight in their homes while they drink hot coffee and listen to relaxing music. 

Kingdom of Denmark. Did you know that the geographical scope of the Kingdom of Denmark is not limited to Denmark proper alone? Greenland, which is situated between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans on the eastern arctic archipelago of Canada, is also a part of Denmark. Apart from Greenland, the Faroe Islands located between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean are part of Denmark as well. Both Greenland and Faroe Islands are autonomous provinces that have their own government.

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