Traditions of Copenhagen
A city of hygge, open sandwiches and the midsummer bonfire of Sankthans.
Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark, a city of bicycles, canals and a culture of cosy togetherness, hygge, in which candlelight, warm drinks and company are valued. Danish customs mark the long dark and the bright summer, and are centred on food and fire.
Sankthans and Christmas
On 23 June, Danes light bonfires on beaches and a straw witch is burnt on the fire, sent off to Germany, in a rite of midsummer. At Christmas, children dance round the tree, sing carols and eat rice pudding with a hidden almond, which brings a prize to the finder. The advent candle and a calendar count the days.
At the table
Smørrebrød, open-faced rye bread with herring, roast beef or egg, is the lunch. Frikadeller, meatballs, and flæskesteg, roast pork with crackling, are family meals. Pastries called wienerbrød, Danish, are eaten with coffee. At New Year, kransekage towers are served. On winter evenings many families keep a hygge night, with candles, a long meal and a board game.
Signature traditions of Copenhagen
Also part of it, and being written: Smørrebrød (The open sandwich.), Sankthansaften (The midsummer bonfire.).
A trail idea for Copenhagen
- Torvehallerne Taste smørrebrød.
- Nyhavn Walk the harbour.
- Tivoli Gardens See the lights.
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, markets and festival dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
🇩🇰 Copenhagen, Denmark and 1 moreHygge
A Danish word for unhurried time at home with others, kept with candles and cookingHome
🇩🇰 Copenhagen, DenmarkFaroese chain danceFøroyskur dansur
A living medieval chain dance guided by sung ballads in the Faroe IslandsPerformance
🇸🇪 Stockholm, Sweden and 4 moreSaint Lucy's Day
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🇩🇰 Copenhagen, Denmark and 5 moreFastelavn
A pre-Lenten carnival in Northern Europe where children dress up, sing for treats, and break candy-filled barrels.Festival · Sweets given and shared
🇩🇰 Copenhagen, Denmark and 4 moreRisalamande
A chilled Danish Christmas rice dessert with cream, chopped almonds and cherry sauceTable custom · Sweets given and shared
🇩🇰 Roskilde, DenmarkRoskilde Festival
A week-long Danish music festival south of Roskilde, run by volunteers since 1971Festival
🇩🇰 Copenhagen, DenmarkCopenhagen Distortion
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🇩🇰 Copenhagen, DenmarkNatFilm Festival
An annual Danish cinema gathering held around Easter from 1990 to 2008Performance
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Saint Lucy's Day: Fredrik Magnusson, CC BY 2.0, source
- Fastelavn: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Risalamande: Lorie Shaull, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Hygge: Johan Wessman / News Oresund, CC BY 2.0, source
- Faroese chain dance: Eileen Sandá, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Roskilde Festival: Bill Ebbesen, CC BY-SA 3.0, source