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DANISH TRADITIONS

Why is Kristi Himmelfart a public holiday in Denmark?

Thursday May 18th marks the Christian feast of Kristi Himmelfart in Denmark, which as well as sounding a bit rude, means a day off work and the chance of a long weekend.

Why is Kristi Himmelfart a public holiday in Denmark?
People enjoying the sun on Hornbæk Strand beach in Mary 2021. Photo: Keld Navntoft/Ritzau Scanpix

Kristi Himmelfart, literally “Christ’s journey to heaven day”, is the Danish word for the festival of Ascension, which Christians believe marks the day that Jesus ascended into heaven. 

It is always 40 days after Easter Sunday, and ten days before the Pentecost, which means that its exact date varies from year to year. The earliest possible date is April 30th, and the latest possible date is June 3rd.

But it always falls on a Thursday, offering the opportunity of a klemmedag, orsqueeze day“, when only one work day falls between a public holiday and a weekend, meaning if workers take one day off of holiday, they can enjoy a four-day break. 

But why does Denmark give people a day off work on this day?

Ascension is actually one of the oldest religious holidays and in some ways one of the most important days in the Christian calendar. 

“Christ’s ascension marks the end of Jesus’ life on earth,” the Church of Denmark writes on its website.  “The Church therefore not only celebrates that the Son of God came to Earth, but also that he left it again after the resurrection. It might sound like a strange event to celebrate. But God had to leave Earth as a man so that he could return as the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.”

According to the national church, Kristi himmelfart has been celebrated in the country since at least the fourth century and it is a holiday in quite a few European countries.

Sweden, Norway, Germany, Belgium, and Switzerland all get a day off, although Spain, Italy and the UK do not.

Unlike Easter, Christmas, or even the former public holiday Store bededag or Great Prayer Day, Ascension isn’t associated with any particular meal, cake or custom.

According to the church there was once a tradition that people would go out into the forest the night before Kristi himmelfart and collect beech branches, which were supposed to protect against witches.

According to another custom, people used to believe that if you aired your sheets on Kristi himmelfart they would be protected against moths. 

Churches across Denmark will hold a service where the hymn Kommer, sjæle, dyrekøbte (“Come, you dear-bought souls”) by the influential Danish pastor politician and poet N. F. S. Grundtvig, is traditionally sung. 

Most Danes, though, don’t really do anything at all to mark Ascension Day. They’re just happy to have an extra day off. 

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DANISH TRADITIONS

Summer solstice: Today is Denmark’s lightest day this year

The summer solstice falls on Wednesday, meaning there will be more daylight hours in Denmark than on any other day this year.

Summer solstice: Today is Denmark’s lightest day this year

The summer solstice – the point on the calendar when one of the earth’s poles is most tilted towards the sun – occurs on Wednesday, meaning it will be light for almost three-quarters of the day in Denmark.

Some 17 hours and 32 minutes of daylight will bathe the country, with the exact solstice falling at 10:51pm.

This contrasts to the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year on December 21st, when the hours of daylight only total 7.

The summer or June solstice is the day which (in the northern hemisphere) has the most daylight hours and is therefore closely related to midsummer celebrations in northern Europe. 

Of course, passing the solstice means that the days are now getting shorter, so you could say that technically, the dark of winter is already beginning to close in.

Because of Denmark’s relatively northerly location, though, this will happen very slowly – almost imperceptibly so – to begin with.

In the first days after the solstice, there will only be a few seconds’ change in the length of the day. By June 30th, the day will be around a minute shorter than it is on June 20th.

While Denmark does not have a traditional midsummer celebration, the calendar milestone is closely linked to the Danish celebration of Sankt Hans Aften on June 23rd.

A celebration marking the shortest night of the year, Sankt Hans night is infused with customs that harken back to darker and more superstitious times in Denmark’s history. 

The traditional bonfires and singing in chorus on June 23rd are a community event valued by many across the country, with thousands of Sankt Hans bonfires taking place everywhere from small parks to nationally recognisable locations.

The celebration usually includes a speech by a prominent local figure, the lighting of the bonfire and an atmospheric rendition in chorus of the song Midsommervisen.

The chances of a glorious long red summer sunset or a grey, damp squib are probably about even. Although Sankt Hans Aften is traditionally seen as the peak of summer, Denmark’s climate often sees to it ending up a very wet affair.

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