|region6 =
|pop6 = 50,413
|ref6 =
|region7 =
|pop7 = 50,000
|ref7 =
|region8 =
|pop8 = 42,602
|ref8 =
|region9 =
|pop9 = 13,000
|ref9 =
|region10 =
|pop10 = 18,493 (Danish born only)
|ref10 =
|region11 =
|pop11 = 8,944
|ref11 =
|ref11 =
|region12 =
|pop12 = 8,000
|ref12 =
|region13 =
|pop13 = 7,000
|ref13 =
|region14 =
|pop14 = 4.251
|ref14 =
|region15 =
|pop15 = 3,507
|ref15 =
|region16 =
|pop16 = 2,802
|ref16 =
|region17 =
|pop17 = 2,100
|ref17 =
|region17 =
|pop17 = 2,050
|region18 =
|pop18 = 2,000
|ref18 =
|region19 =
|pop19 = 1,500
|ref19 =
|region20 =
|pop20 = 1,300
|ref20 =
|region23 =
|pop23 = 806
|ref23 =
|region24 =
|pop24 = 700
|ref24 =
|region26 =
|pop26 = 400
|ref26 =
|region27 =
|pop27 = 245
|region28 =
|pop28 = 150+
|ref28 =
|langs=
Danish
Related languages include
Norwegian,
Swedish,
Faroese,
Icelandic, and to a lesser extent, all
Germanic languages.
| religions=Predominantly
Lutheran; small minorities of other faiths; secular. See
Religion in Denmark
|related=
Swedes,
Norwegians. Other
Germanic ethnic groups
}}
Danish people or
Danes are a
Germanic ethnic group native to
Denmark who speak
Danish, a
North Germanic language.
History
The
Danes were historically a
Germanic tribe inhabiting what is now the
Danish islands and the southern part of
Sweden (
Scania). Large parts of what is now
southern Sweden were part of the
Kingdom of Denmark until the 17th and early 18th centuries.
There are several different legendary accounts of the foundation of Denmark. One of the legendary accounts found in the Chronicle of Lejre tells that a ruler of Zealand with name Dan had raised an army and saved his people from an invasion by the Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar, that the Jutes, the men of Funen and the Scanian Provinces also accepted him as king, whence the resultant expanded country of Denmark and the Danes were named after him.
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. Danish is a mandatory subject in school in the Danish territories of the
Faroe Islands (where it is also an official language) and
Greenland, as well as the former crown holding of
Iceland. There are also Danish language communities in
Argentina, the
U.S. and
Canada. It is, to a considerable extent, mutually intelligible with
Norwegian and to a lesser extent with
Swedish.
Genetics
Danes are typical of a
Northen European ethnic group with high frequencies of haplogroup
I1 and
R1a
Geographical distribution
Five million ethnic Danes live in Denmark today. Indeed, deliberate attempts to distinguish oneself from others may be viewed with hostility in line with
Jante's Law, respected by some as an unofficial code of
Scandinavian conduct. In Denmark, culture and the arts thrive as a result of the proportionately high amount of government funding they receive, much of which is administered by local authorities so as to involve citizens directly. Thanks to a system of grants, Danish artists are able to devote themselves to their work just as museums, theatres, and the
film institute receive national support.
Hygge
One of the fundamental aspects of Danish culture is "hygge": spending a calm, comfortable time with good friends or loved ones, often while enjoying good food, snacks and something to drink.
Christmas time, when loved ones sit close together with candles lit on a cold rainy night, is a true moment of "hygge", as is grilling a
pølse (Danish sausage) on a long summer evening. These examples, although they do not precisely define "hygge", can give an English speaker an idea of a deeply valued traditional concept of Danish culture.
Jul
Hygge and
Christmas are also closely related in Denmark. The Danish word for "Christmas" is
Jul, from the Old Norse
Jól akin to the English
Yule.
As such the word does not refer to the birth of Christ, but instead to an ancient pagan winter feast. Its customs have, of course, changed over the years, but it has always been part of Scandinavian culture. It meant so much to the Scandinavians that in order to convert them, the church had to adopt their holiday into Christianity, which is the actual origin of Christmas.
In many countries Christmas is celebrated on the 25th of December, but in Denmark, and in the other Scandinavian countries, it is held on the 24th.
On December the 24th, the family gathers. The morning can be spent in various ways but most often it is the time when preparations are made for the evening.
Juleaften (Danish for Christmas Eve) or Yule Eve starts around 6 p.m. when a traditional dinner is served. The menu is:
White (boiled) and sugar-browned potatoes, red cabbage and brown sauce (gravy) accompanying either roast duck or goose depending on the size of the family. Some families enjoy a special Danish version of roast pork, called flæskesteg complete with crackling.
For dessert, ris á l'amande is served, a name that suggests a French origin - but it is Danish. Sometimes it is confused with rice pudding, since they share the main ingredient (rice). Ris á l'amande needs to be prepared a day in advance, and then on serving, chopped almond and vanilla can be added, among other things. It is served cold, with hot cherry sauce. An unchopped almond is also added and hidden in the rice. The person who finds it in his portion receives a small prize.
Afterwards, the candles on the Christmas tree are lit and the family dance around it singing Christmas songs and carols and subsequently exchange presents.
ة
Cuisine
Perhaps the most typically Danish contribution to the meals of the day is the traditional lunch or
smørrebrød consisting of
open sandwiches, usually on thinly sliced
rye bread. The meal usually begins with fish such as
marinated herring, smoked eel, crab, or breaded plaice filets with
remoulade and moves on with slices of roast pork or beef,
frikadeller (meat balls), hams and
liver paté. The sandwiches are richly garnished with onion rings, radish slices, cucumbers, tomato slices, parsely,
remoulade and
mayonnaise. The meal is often accompanied by beer, sometimes also by shots of ice-cold
snaps or
akvavit.
In the evening, hot meals are usually served. Traditional dishes include fried fish, roast pork with red cabbage (perhaps the national dish), pot-roasted chicken, or pork chops. Game is sometimes served in the autumn. Steaks are now becoming increasingly popular.
A popular traditional Danish dessert, especially around Christmas, consists of Æbleskiver, rather like small pancake doughnuts. Æbleskiver are fried in butter in a special pan and are served hot with jam and sugar. Traditionally, they were made with small pieces of apple in the middle of them. Æbleskiver translates into "apple slices".
Another popular Danish dessert during summer is koldskål, which is buttermilk soup made with Lemon, Vanila, eggs and sugar, it is eaten when the weather warm.
Danes are known for enjoying an open-minded drinking culture. Buying alcohol is legal in shops at the age of 16, and in bars at 18. There is no minimum drinking age. However teens are traditionally allowed to begin drinking after
confirmation as 13-14 year olds.
Cultural highlights
Denmark has a rich cultural and intellectual heritage. The astronomical discoveries of
Tycho Brahe (1546–1601),
Ludwig A. Colding's (1815–1888) neglected articulation of the principle of
conservation of energy, and the brilliant contributions to atomic physics of
Niels Bohr (1885–1962) indicate the range of Danish scientific achievement. The fairy tales of
Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875), the philosophical essays of
Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855), the short stories of
Karen Blixen (penname
Isak Dinesen, (1885–1962), the plays of
Ludvig Holberg (1684–1754), the modern authors such as Nobel laureate
Henrik Pontoppidan and author
Herman Bang and the dense, aphoristic poetry of
Piet Hein (1905–1996), have earned international recognition, as have the symphonies of
Carl Nielsen (1865–1931).
From the mid 1990s Danish movies have attracted international attention, especially those associated with Dogme 95 such as the filmmaker Lars Von Trier. Indeed, the country has always had a strong tradition of movie making and Carl Theodor Dreyer is recognised as having been one of the world's greatest film directors.
Fine arts
Painting
, 1836]]
Danish painting goes back hundreds of years. Earlier work is often manifested in churches, for example in the form of
frescos such as those from the 16th century artist known as the
Elmelunde Master. But it was not until the beginning of the 19th century that the
Golden Age of Danish Painting emerged with a marked increase in truly Danish art inspired by the country itself with its lifestyle and traditions.
Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg was an important influence on the following generation’s study of nature, in which landscape painting came to the fore. He had many successful students, including
Wilhelm Bendz (1804–1832),
Christen Købke (1810–48),
Martinus Rørbye (1803–1848),
Constantin Hansen (1804–1880),
Jørgen Roed (1808–1888),
Wilhelm Marstrand (1810–1873),
Constantin Hansen (1804–80),
C.A. Jensen (1792–1870),
J.Th. Lundbye (1818–1848), and
P.C. Skovgaard (1817–1875).
Some years later, a number of painters including P.S. Krøyer (1851–1909) and Michael (1849–1927) and Anna Ancher (1859–1935) moved to Skagen in the far north of Jutland to paint the natural surroundings and local people. In due course, the town developed into an artists' colony. A little later, a similar phenomenon developed on Funen with artists such as Johannes Larsen (1867–1961). Vilhelm Hammershoi is an important painter too.
Collections of modern art enjoy unusually attractive settings at the Louisiana Museum north of Copenhagen, at the North Jutland Art Museum in Aalborg and at the ARoS art museum in Aarhus. The National Museum of Art and the Glyptotek, both in Copenhagen, contain treasures of Danish and international art.
Literature
The principal contributors to Danish literature are undoubtedly
Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875) with his fairy tales, the philosopher
Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855), storyteller
Karen Blixen (1885–1962), playwright
Ludvig Holberg (1684–1754), and modern authors such as
Henrik Pontoppidan and
Herman Bang.
Among today's Danish writers, probably the best-known to international readers is Peter Høeg (Smilla's Sense of Snow; Borderliners). Benny Andersen writes poems, short stories, and music. Poems by both writers have been translated into English by the Curbstone Press. Klaus Rifbjerg has published over 100 novels as well as poetry, short stories and TV plays. Two of his works have been translated into English: Witness to the Future and War. Kirsten Thorup's novel Baby, winner of the 1980 Pegasus Prize, is published in English by the University of Louisiana Press. The psychological thrillers of Anders Bodelsen also appear in English as do some of the novels of intrigue by Leif Davidsen. Suzanne Brøgger and Vita Andersen focus largely on the changing roles of women in society.
, Copenhagen]]
Architecture
The architecture of Denmark has its origins in the
Viking period but became recognizable in the
Middle Ages when first
Romanesque, then
Gothic churches and cathedrals sprang up throughout the country. Inspired by
French castles and with the assistance of Dutch designers, architecture during the
Renaissance flourished with magnificent royal palaces.
Neoclassicism came to Denmark from France and, in the 19th century, slowly merged into the
National Romantic style when Danish designers came into their own. It was, however, not until the last half of the 20th century that Danish architects entered the world scene with their highly successful
Functionalism. This, in turn, has evolved into more recent world-class designers such as
Johann Otto von Spreckelsen who designed the
Grande Arche in Paris. Internationally, perhaps the most celebrated of all is the architect who designed the iconic
Sydney Opera House,
Jørn Utzon, but within Danish borders, it is the architect
Arne Jacobsen who is perhaps held in highest esteem for developing the '
Danish Modern' style and furniture/interior design, such as the now world-famous and much sought-after
Swan and
Egg chairs. A new wave of young Danish architects are rising into international prominence, like
Bjarke Ingels with works such as the Danish National Pavilion at the
Shanghai 2010 Expo
Photography
:
Ulfeldts Plads, Copenhagen (1840). Denmark's oldest photograph]]
Photography in Denmark has developed from strong participation and interest in the very beginnings of the art in 1839 to some of the strongest contemporary photography in Europe today. Pioneers such as Mads Alstrup and Georg Emil Hansen paved the way for a rapidly growing profession during the last half of the 19th century while both artistic and press photographers have since made internationally recognised contributions. Today Danish photographers such as Astrid Kruse Jensen and Jacob Aue Sobol are active both at home and abroad, participating in key exhibitions around the world.
Danish design
's The Swan and the Egg]]
Danish applied art and industrial design have won many international awards for excellence. The name of
Georg Jensen (1866–1935) is known the world over for modern design in silver. The Danish Porcelain Factory ("
Royal Copenhagen"), including Bing & Grøndahl, is famous for the quality of its porcelain and ceramics and export products worldwide.
Danish design is also a well-known brand, often associated with world-famous designers and architects such as
Børge Mogensen,
Poul Kjærholm,
Hans Wegner,
Poul Henningsen and
Arne Jacobsen.
The
Danish Museum of Art & Design in Copenhagen exhibits the best in Danish design.
Performing arts
Music
Denmark's most famous composer is
Carl Nielsen who is best known for his six symphonies. Other well-known pieces of his are the incidental music for
Adam Oehlenschläger's drama
Aladdin (Nielsen), the operas
Saul og David and
Maskarade, the concertos for
flute,
violin, and
clarinet, the
Wind Quintet, and the
Helios Overture, which depicts the passage of the sun in the sky from dawn to nightfall.
However Denmark has also produced a number of modern musicians. Examples such as D-A-D, Aqua and Dizzy Mizz Lizzy have become well known.
The Royal Danish Ballet specializes in the work of Danish choreographer August Bournonville (1805–79). Danes have distinguished themselves as jazz musicians, and the Copenhagen Jazz Festival has acquired an international reputation. The modern pop and rock scene has produced a few bands of note (for example, The Raveonettes, Kashmir, Junior Senior and Mew).
Hans Abrahamsen, Per Nørgård and Poul Ruders are successful contemporary composers.
Danish interest in music is exemplified by the prestigious Opera House completed in 2000. Strategically set on Copenhagen's waterfront, it has presented operas and musicals to full houses ever since its opening.
Not to be forgotten is the Black Metal scene, which although underground has a hub of followers.
Cinema
In recent years, Danish films have gained increasing recognition at home and abroad.
Gabriel Axel's film based on Karen Blixen's
Babette's Feast was awarded an Oscar in 1987. In 1988,
Bille August also received an Oscar with
Pelle the Conqueror based on the novel by
Martin Andersen Nexø. In 1992, August went on to win the
Palme d'Or in Cannes with
Ingmar Bergman's autobiography,
The Best Intentions.
Since the late 1990s, the Dogme movement and figures such as Lars von Trier, Thomas Vinterberg, Søren Kragh-Jacobsen and Lone Scherfig have continued to contribute to the international success of Danish cinema. In 2011, Susanne Bier's In a Better World won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Theatre
The theatre in Denmark continues to thrive thanks to the many theatres in
Copenhagen and across the country which put on a wide variety of Danish and foreign performances. The flagship
Royal Danish Theatre presents
drama,
opera,
ballet and
music. Since the 18th century, Danish playwrights have been successful in attracting wide public interest.
Ludvig Holberg (1684–1754) is considered by many to be the founder of the Danish theatre. Satirical comedies such as Jean de France and Jeppe of the Hill are still performed today.
Adam Oehlenschläger (1779–1850) introduced romanticism to the Danish theatre. Especially successful was his Earl Hakon the Mighty, premiered in 1808.
The Norwegian Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906) also travelled to Copenhagen where he produced numerous plays such as A Doll’s House (1879).
In recent years, there has been something of a revival in Danish theatre. Many new playwrights and producers have appeared including Astrid Saalbach (b.1955), winner of the Nordic Drama Award in 2004, and Peter Asmussen (b.1957), who wrote the film script for Lars von Trier's Breaking the Waves. Danish musicals have also been a particularly successful feature of the modern theatre. Knud Christensen, commonly known as Sebastian, was particularly successful with Cyrano (1992), based on Rostand’s play and Klokkeren fra Notre Dame (The Hunchback of Notre Dame) (2001). Bent Fabricius-Bjerre's musical Matador (2007) is based on a successful TV series of the same name.
Another popular Danish theatrical tradition is the revue which has been thriving since the mid 19th century. Today revues are performed every summer to full houses in theatres across Denmark, poking fun at the politics of the day and even the monarchy. Among the most popular are Circusrevyen in Copenhagen with Lisbet Dahl, and the Nykøbing Revy directed by Flemming Krøll in Nykøbing Falster.
Finally, Danish television has also contributed to drama with a number of successful series since the 1970s.
Sport
Sports are popular in Denmark, and its citizens participate in and watch a wide variety. The national sport is
football with the most notable results being qualifying for the European Championships six times in a row (1984–2004) and winning the
Championship in 1992 after being allowed to enter the competition due to the withdrawal of
Yugoslavia. Other significant achievements include winning the Confederations Cup in 1995 and reaching the quarter final of the 1998 World Championships.
Other popular sports include handball, cycling, sailing sports, tennis, badminton, ice hockey, and golf.
Cycling
Most Danes are active cyclists, often using their bikes to commute to work or to go off on trips at the weekend. With its well-engineered cycle paths, Copenhagen is especially suited to city cycling. Every day 1.3 million km are cycled in the city, with 36% of all citizens commuting to work, school or university by bicycle Cycling is generally perceived as a healthier, environmentally friendlier, cheaper and often quicker way around town than by public transport or car and it is therefore municipal policy for the number of commuters by bike to go up to 40% by 2012 and 50% by 2015.
Odense has been named the "bicycle city of the year" because of the great number of bicycle lanes in the city. A complete network of 350 km all-weather serviced lanes exists in the town.
During the summer months, there are free "City Bikes" stationed at various spots in the downtown area of Copenhagen, Aarhus and Aalborg. The idea is that anyone can take a bike from one of the spots, ride it to one of the other spots and leave it there for the next person. There are lots of national and regional bicycle routes throughout Denmark. They are all marked and include rest areas with benches and other necessities.
Other contributions
During the Christmas holidays (known as
Jul), making Christmas decorations is a big family event. Spending hours around a table with the family cutting paper into intricate designs has become a national pastime.
Danes have made significant contributions to the field of computer science. Some notable figures are:
Bjarne Stroustrup: Inventor of C++ programming language
Anders Hejlsberg: Inventor of Turbo Pascal, lead architect for C#
Janus Friis: Co-Inventor of Skype
David Heinemeier Hansson: Created Ruby on Rails
Lars Rasmussen and Jens Rasmussen: Came up with Google Maps and Google Wave
Lars Bak: Created V8 Javascript VM for Google Chrome
Peter Naur: Turing Award winner, contributed to ALGOL 60
Rasmus Lerdorf: Created PHP
Sexual equality is a high priority in Denmark. Danes are quite liberal and tolerant towards sexual minorities.
Copenhagen is a popular destination for lesbian and bisexual travellers. The main gay and lesbian festival of the year is the Copenhagen Pride parade, a big Mardi Gras-like bash that occurs on a Saturday in early August. There's also the Copenhagen Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, held each year in October. In addition, Copenhagen has been host to the 2009 World Outgames. The LBL (Landsforeningen for Bøsser og Lesbiske, a national organisation for gay men and lesbians) was established in 1948, and in 1989 Denmark became the first country in Europe to offer gay partners most of the same legal rights as heterosexual couples. Adoption laws are liberal compared to other Western countries and public displays of affection between people of the same sex are unlikely to provoke ire. Lesbians wishing to have access to artificial insemination do not provoke the sort of scandals that can occur in other societies, and in March 2009 adoption was legalized for homosexual couples.
Nationalism
Det danske folk (
The Danish people) as a concept, played an important role in 19th century
ethnic nationalism and refers to self-identification rather than a legal status. Use of the term is most often restricted to a historical context; the historic German-Danish struggle regarding the status of the
Duchy of
Schleswig vis-à-vis a Danish
nation-state. It describes people of Danish
nationality, both in
Denmark and elsewhere. Most importantly, ethnic Danes in both
Denmark proper and the former Danish
Duchy of
Schleswig. Excluded from this definition are people from the formerly
Norwegian Faroe Islands and
Greenland as well as members of the German minority as well as members of other ethnic minorities.
See also
List of Danes
List of Germanic peoples
Scandinavians
Norsemen
Germanic peoples
References
*
Category:Ethnic groups in Denmark
Category:Ethnic groups in Europe
Category:Ethnic groups
Category:North Germanic peoples
Category:Germanic peoples
