Easter - DanishClass101

Easter

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Lesson Transcript

Culture Class: Holidays in Denmark, Lesson 11 - Easter

Hello and welcome to the Culture Class: Holidays in Denmark Series at DanishClass101.com.

In this series, we’re exploring the traditions behind Danish holidays and observances. I’m Michael, and you're listening to Season 1, Lesson 11, Easter. In Danish, it’s called påske.

Easter is known as the second greatest holiday of the year. For this reason, March and April are full of many celebrations and traditions.

Some Easter traditions, like eating certain foods and drinks, are reminiscent of Christmastime festivities.

Now, before we go into more detail, do you know the answer to this question:

What do Danish people call the day on which the seasonal Easter brew is launched?

If you don't already know, you’ll find out a bit later. Keep listening.

The "Easter break", or påskeferie includes Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and Easter Day. During this time, most people are off from work or school, and stores are closed.

During Easter, many families host Easter lunches, where food quite similar to the Christmas lunch is served. Examples include fish and open sandwiches, warm dishes, and cheese trays. Warm dishes often include lamb, chicken, or eggs. Typical accompanying drinks include Easter brew and, of course, schnapps.

The official color of Easter is "yellow," or gul. Decorations include Easter eggs, Easter chickens, Easter lamb, and Easter bunnies.

The Easter lamb, of course, is tied to Christian tradition, while eggs, chickens, and bunnies are connected to fertility and the rebirth of the year in Spring. In the old days, the "egg," or æg, was tied to the idea of being freed from guilt or debt.

In addition, tulips, daffodils, and snowdrops, which are typical symbols of spring, are common Easter decorations. Danes will often display branches with small buds. Some people make Easter decorations by blowing out the contents of the egg and painting the shells.

In Denmark, you'll find that most Easter eggs consist of "chocolate," or chokolade, and are available in various sizes, or shaped like an Easter bunny. You can also get Easter eggs made of cardboard that contain candy or little chocolate eggs. More expensive Easter eggs contain marzipan and nougat and are covered by a thick layer of chocolate.

A fun way to get Easter eggs, especially for children, is to go hunting for them in the garden, where the "Easter bunny", or påskeharen, has hidden his eggs for children to uncover.

For Easter, people send each other gækkebreve, "Easter letters." If the recipient can guess the sender, the sender owes him or her an Easter egg. If not, vice versa.

Now it's time to answer our quiz question:

What do Danish people call the day on which the seasonal Easter brew is launched?

It’s called P-Day and it’s mostly celebrated by students. The P stands for the seasonal "Easter brew" (Påskebryg), as the J stands for "Christmas brew" (Julebryg). The launch of the Easter brew is not as heavily celebrated as the Christmas brew.