Public holidays in Denmark
Encyclopedia
Law regarding mandatory shop closing (Lukkelov); three additional shop closing days are mentioned in section Other special days.
Public holidays
| Date | English Name | Danish Name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | New Year's Day New Year's Day New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome... |
Nytårsdag | |
| The Thursday before Easter Sunday | Maundy Thursday Maundy Thursday Maundy Thursday, also known as Holy Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Great & Holy Thursday, and Thursday of Mysteries, is the Christian feast or holy day falling on the Thursday before Easter that commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles as described in the Canonical gospels... |
Skærtorsdag | |
| The Friday before Easter Sunday | Good Friday Good Friday Good Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of... |
Langfredag | |
| March/April | Easter Sunday | Påskedag | |
| The day after Easter Sunday | Easter Monday Easter Monday Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday and is celebrated as a holiday in some largely Christian cultures, especially Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox cultures... |
2. Påskedag | |
| The 4th Friday after Easter | General Prayer Day | Store Bededag Store Bededag Store Bededag, translated literally as Great Prayer Day or more loosely as General Prayer Day, "All Prayers" Day, Great Day of Prayers or Common Prayer Day, is a Danish holiday celebrated on the 4th Friday after Easter... |
A collection of minor Christian holy days consolidated into one day. The name translates literally from Danish language Danish language Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language... , "Great Prayer Day". |
| 40 days after Easter | Ascension Day | Kristi Himmelfartsdag | |
| 7 weeks after Easter | Whit Sunday | Pinsedag | This is a Sunday. Danes celebrate two days of Whitsun. |
| 7 weeks +1 day after Easter | Whit Monday Whit Monday Whit Monday or Pentecost Monday is the holiday celebrated the day after Pentecost, a movable feast in the Christian calendar. It is movable because it is determined by the date of Easter.... |
2. Pinsedag | This is a Monday. Danes celebrate two days of Whitsun. |
| December 25 | First Day of Christmas Christmas Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days... |
Juledag / 1. juledag Jul (Denmark) Jul, the Danish Christmas, is celebrated throughout December starting either at the beginning of Advent or on December 1 with a variety of traditions. Christmas Eve, Juleaften,, the main event of Yule, is celebrated on evening of December 24, the evening before the two Christmas holidays, December... |
Danes celebrate three days of Christmas, starting early on December 24 in the evening. |
| December 26 | Second Day of Christmas | 2. juledag |
Other special days
Some of these days derive from politics, and some from Roman Catholic traditions that predate the current national church. Some are simply the Scandinavian tradition of starting the celebrations of a special day on the evening before the actual day.| Date | English Name | Danish Name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 5 | Crown Princess Mary's birthday Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark, Countess of Monpezat, is the wife of Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark... |
Prinsesse Marys fødselsdag | This is not celebrated a lot, yet, but one day she may become the Queen (Consort) of Denmark. |
| Seven weeks before Easter Sunday | Fastelavn | Fastelavn | Diminished version of the catholic Carnival Carnival Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party... . On the following day, Fastelavnsmandag, children go to school dressed up in costume and go door-to-door for candy and sweets. A popular baked good associated with the day is Fastelavnsbolle (lit. Fastelavns bun), a round sweet roll usually covered with icing and filled with cream. |
| Sunday before Easter Sunday | Palm Sunday Palm Sunday Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in all four Canonical Gospels. .... |
Palmesøndag | |
| April 1 | April Fools' Day April Fools' Day April Fools' Day is celebrated in different countries around the world on April 1 every year. Sometimes referred to as All Fools' Day, April 1 is not a national holiday, but is widely recognized and celebrated as a day when many people play all kinds of jokes and foolishness... |
1. April | The day is marked by the commission of hoaxes and other practical jokes of varying sophistication on friends, enemies and neighbours, or sending them on fools' errands, the aim of which is to embarrass the gullible. |
| April 9 | Occupation of Denmark | Danmarks besættelse | Historic date. This was the day when Germany invaded Denmark in World War II World War II World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis... . Flags on flagpoles must be at half mast until 12:00, to indicate the mourning, after that it goes to full mast to indicate that Denmark is a free country today. |
| April 16 | Birthday of Queen Margrethe II | Dronningens fødselsdag | The Queen is usually celebrated in some places, and she will appear on her balcony at her Castle Amalienborg Palace Amalienborg Palace is the winter home of the Danish royal family, and is located in Copenhagen, Denmark. It consists of four identical classicizing palace façades with rococo interiors around an octagonal courtyard ; in the centre of the square is a monumental equestrian statue of Amalienborg's... . |
| April 29 | Princess Benedikte Princess Benedikte of Denmark Princess Benedikte of Denmark, Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, , , is the second daughter of King Frederick IX of Denmark and Ingrid of Sweden... 's birthday |
Prinsesse Benedikte fødselsdag | Outside of the royal house there is no particular tradition for celebrating on this day. |
| May 1 | International Workers' Day International Workers' Day International Workers' Day is a celebration of the international labour movement and left-wing movements. It commonly sees organized street demonstrations and marches by working people and their labour unions throughout most of the world. May 1 is a national holiday in more than 80 countries... |
Arbejdernes kampdag / 1. maj | Left-wing political day. Many people try to get a day off this day, and some even have it in their employment contract. Many people attend political meetings in the morning arranged by the labour unions or the labour parties, afterwards demonstrations are held all over the country, going from the place of the meeting and joining each other along the way to a joint meeting place, often a park. The demonstrations can differ in size from a few hundred to ten-thousands depending on the city and organisation. The day is also knowns as "Arbejdernes kamp og festdag" (Workers day of struggle and celebration) referring to the celebration of the past victories of the workers movement, especially the 8-hours working day. Many, both families and young people, meet at the sites of the political meetings holding picnics and drink beer and other alcoholic beverages. Copenhagen Copenhagen Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region... 's Fælledparken Fælledparken The park Fælledparken in Copenhagen, Denmark, was created 1906–1914 by landscape architect Edvard Glæsel in cooperation with the Copenhagen Municipality on the commons previously named Nørrefælled and Østerfælled.... is well known for its annual May 1 celebrations, gathering an average of a hundred thousand people at the meating of the central Labour Union "LO"http://www.hosp.dk/direktion.nsf/AlleTekster/FC90581F78FF82D1C12568CE002D4A59. This is a full holiday for blue collar workers, but not for white collar workers. |
| May 5 | Liberation day | Danmarks befrielse | Historic date. This was the day that the German forces surrendered in Denmark under World War II World War II World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis... . However, the island of Bornholm was not liberated on this date - instead, the occupation continued until the Red Army Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to... liberated the island. Afterwards the USSR held control of the island for a time, before it were rejoined with the rest of Denmark. The day is marked by public memorial ceremonies for fallen members of the Danish resistance, and by demonstrations of the left-wing, booth in memory of the communist resistance fighters and also carrying slogans of peace and solidarity linking the struggle in the past with new ones today. |
| May 26 | Birthday of Crown Prince Frederik Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, Count of Monpezat, is the heir apparent to the throne of Denmark. Frederik is the elder son of Queen Margrethe II and Henrik, the Prince Consort.-Name and christening:... |
Kronprins Frederiks fødselsdag | This is not celebrated a lot, yet, but one day he will become the King of Denmark. |
| June 5 | Constitution Day (Denmark) Constitution Day (Denmark) Constitution Day , observed on June 5, commemorates the anniversary of the signing of the Danish constitution of 1849, which established Denmark as a constitutional monarchy, and honors the constitution of 1953, which was adopted on the same day... |
Grundlovsdag | Political day. The signing of the Danish constitution in 1849. Some people attend political meetings, though many - especially the elderly - meet at the sites of the political meetings to drink beer and other alcoholic beverages. With a few exceptions, all shops stay closed on Grundlovsdag by law. |
| June 7 | Birthday of Prince Joachim Prince Joachim of Denmark Prince Joachim of Denmark, Count of Monpezat, , is a member of the Danish Royal Family. He is the younger son of Queen Margrethe II and Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark.... |
Prins Joachims fødselsdag | This is not celebrated a lot. |
| June 11 | Birthday of Prince Henrik Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark , is the husband of the Queen of Denmark, Margrethe II.-Early life:Henrik was born in Talence, Gironde, France... |
Prins Henriks fødselsdag | This is not celebrated a lot. |
| June 15 | Day of Valdemar and Reunion day | Valdemarsdag og Genforeningsdag | Celebration of Valdemar II of Denmark Valdemar II of Denmark Valdemar II , called Valdemar the Victorious or Valdemar the Conqueror , was the King of Denmark from 1202 until his death in 1241. The nickname Sejr is a later invention and was not used during the King's own lifetime... 's victory in a battle in Estonia Estonia Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies... in 1219, at which Denmark got its national flag Dannebrog Flag of Denmark The national flag of Denmark, Dannebrog is red with a white Scandinavian cross that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side... . It is also the date on which Danes celebrate that Sønderjylland in 1920 was reunited with the rest of Denmark after a referendum. |
| June 23 | Saint John's Eve Midsummer Midsummer may simply refer to the period of time centered upon the summer solstice, but more often refers to specific European celebrations that accompany the actual solstice, or that take place on a day between June 21 and June 24, and the preceding evening. The exact dates vary between different... |
Sankt Hans aften | Pre-Christianity celebration day, celebrating summer solstice on June 24. Sankt Hans (Johannes) is the Danish name of St. John the Baptist. The day is celebrated with a bonfire on the evening before. See the Denmark section under Midsummer |
| October 31 | Halloween Halloween Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day... |
Allehelgensaften | According to superstition, the 31 October is the night when witches, ghosts and dark forces are set loose to disgrace the saints celebrated on the following Allehelgensdag. |
| November 10 | The eve before Saint Martin's day Martin of Tours Martin of Tours was a Bishop of Tours whose shrine became a famous stopping-point for pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela. Around his name much legendary material accrued, and he has become one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian saints... |
Mortensaften | November 11 is a catholic day. Sankt Morten is the Danish name of Saint Martin of Tours. Martin was forced to become a bishop by his parishioners and tried to hide in a barn. However, the noise of the geese gave him away. It was a tradition to eat goose for the evening meal to honour this event, although over time duck has become the preferred dish on this occasion. |
| December 13 | Saint Lucy's Day | Sankta Lucia | Catholic day that was located on winter solstice before the European calendar reform. |
| December 24 | Christmas Eve Christmas Eve Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25... |
Juleaften | The celebration of Christmas in Denmark starts in the evening, traditionally with a Christmas tree, exchanging presents and having dinner with the family. With a few exceptions, all shops stay closed by law on Juleaftensdag, the day of Juleaften. The name "Jul" meens "Wheel" and is derived from the old viking celebration of the turning of the year. |
| December 31 | New Year's Eve New Year's Eve New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the... |
Nytårsaften | Mostly celebrated with friends and family. The Queen traditionally holds a televised speech at 6:00 PM. Midnight is celebrated with champagne, kransekage (lit. translated, ringcake) — an almond Almond The almond , is a species of tree native to the Middle East and South Asia. Almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree... cake consisting of increasingly smaller and smaller rings stacked one on top of each other, creating a cone form — and private displays of fireworks Fireworks Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices... . With a few exceptions, all shops stay closed by law from 3 PM on Nytårsaftensdag, the day of Nytårsaften. |