So this is Christmas

Sadly, no snow has fallen and I can't count this year as being the one where I got the long awaited 'white christmas' - just an excuse to return to Europe or head over to America. However, culturally - I am certainly satisfied with the Danish christmas and all of its splendid traditions. So where to start?

Gløgg

Well for starters, they celebrate it on the night of the 24th and I'm not sure if its the same in every family but on that day, we head to our local church where I assume we'll sing some songs, maybe hear the nativity story, and after, head to a nearby city to eat and open presents with some of my host mum's family. The tree for us doesn't go up til the 23rd.  The 25th is a more relaxed, eat leftovers, hang out with some more family time, or in my case, finish the rest of my packing, say my goodbyes and get ready to head home.

The tree outside Copenhagen city hall

chillin with my homie

Food wise - ah. so so good. and the best part of their christmas meals is its not like in Australia, where maybe we'll have the roast ham on the 25th and only on the 25th, they have what I like to think of as trial runs. I've already chowed down at least 5 christmas dinners and with each one, I realise how great christmas traditions can be. For the most part, they have roast pork with crackly, or turkey or geese, with gravy, brown potatoes ( potatoes cooked in a sugar butter mix so they become all crunchy) red cabbage stuff (not sure what it is in english but tastes good) and dessert follows, being a dish called risalamande which is creamed rice, with whipped cream and chopped almonds and a cherry sauce for dressing - the first time I ate it, I really had no idea what I was eating but it has since become a favourite. It's also tradition to put a whole almond in the middle and who ever gets it, wins the 'almond gift'. This dish often begins as being risengrød - rice porridge or simply, non sweet creamed rice eaten with a stick of butter and cinnamon sugar as a main meal - that did take me a bit by suprise.

one of the christmas stalls in Axeltorv in Copenhagen

Decorations at Illums Bolighus

A paper star that my host mum made

Also in the lead up to christmas, æbleskriver are devoured - they're basically balls of cooked dough which you dip in jam and icing sugar - simply, but delectable. One of the drinks is gløgg which I think, not fully sure, is the equivalent of mulled wine - so when drinking it, I imagine myself to be in the Tudor times, chugging down warm wine on a cold winter evening - everything always end back up at England in my world :p but gløgg is warmed red wine with some essences and spices, with some berries and nuts at the bottom such as dried rasins and almonds etc. The first time I had it, not knowing that you could eat the bottom stuff and thinking it was like tea leaves, chucked it out every so sadly. It has a sort of sourish taste, not as smooth as I expected, but still a new and ok experience.

Some elves that I made from an advent gift from my host mum

They go nuts with decorations here - that or Australia doesn't really do anything for christmas - mind you, its a bit harder to get into the spirit when its so warm - Danish people seem shocked when I say we might have  BBQ, and just chill and maybe head down to the beach - seems unfathomable although I have noticed, and perhaps it is the background I come from, there is more emphasis on the reason for christmas and the nativity story, and a bit more carolling. Still decorations - well, one thing is the amounts of candles - most people have a kalender lys counting down the days til Christmas (when I say christmas, think 24th, not 25th) and on the 4 sundays before Jul (christmas is too long - danish wins) one candle is lit, and added too every following sunday. Its also popular to set a candle in clay, and decorate it with pine leaves and dried orange, or cinnamon sticks, or baubles etc - its usual to sit down for an evening with the family and go all out with decorations. Also, lots of little trinkits put up all over the place - especially elves everwhere!  I've realised when thinking about Jul in Oz, we really don't include elves in decorations or anything - they're simply santa's slaves.

Lights from Tivoli

Advent candles

Caroler's in Copenhagen

There is also a TV tradition here called Julekalender - every year it runs - a series from the first til 24th in which a story about a group of people is told, obviously to do with christmas. There was one series ( a new one made every couple of years or else reruns) in which english and danish were mixed, or rather english words subbed in for danish ones - with the danish sentance structure. I've seen a couple of episodes of that series and found it quite hard to understand although one saying 'Because you are the one with the biggest tænder and the grimmest tøj' seems to be repeated quite a bit (tænder = teeth, grimmest tøj = ugly clothes) for some reason. Anyway the new series is a bit fun, about an evil ghost that wants to inhabit a humans body - probably better suited to Dr who.

My Kalender lys

Jul decorations

So thats the most part of christmas however in my next post, I'll have to tell you about all the christmas proceedings. For now, getting ready to go home and the horrid saying goodbye part comes - and also a wedding, for which I feel no part of - being on the other side of the world doesn't prepare you mentally for such an event oddly enough - guess the two days I have prior to the wedding will have to suffice.

Sugar Roasted almonds could not be a more delectable treat

 To all a Merry Christmas, Happy new year and to a wonderful and ever growing family of Austins, vi ses in one week! 

Typical Denmark - make everything out of Lego :)