If you’ve listened to our episode on Dating Danes and have been really applying yourself, you might be starting to think about Danish weddings…  Both Sam and Josefine have (separately!) had Danish weddings that are a little bit different to how other countries do it. But what are some of the things to expect when going to a Danish wedding? In this bonus episode of What the Denmark we’re speaking to social historian Caroline Nyvang and Anna Askov, editor of Gift ved første blik or “Married at First Sight” about Danish wedding traditions. Some of things this episode covers: Danish marriage ..read more

In this episode Sam is speaking to Anne Jamison and John Bennett, a couple from the USA who moved to Denmark from Dubai last year. Anne and John share their thoughts on: Work/life balance in Denmark and how this differs from US culture Denmark being a “low anxiety” place to work The tribulations in getting things delivered to Denmark over the summer And many more fun, interesting things that come from moving to a new country. If you're interested to be featured on What The Denmark then be in touch via here: https://whatthedenmark.com/contact ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This episode is sponsored by T ..read more

Around the world house prices are rising far higher than incomes meaning "ordinary people" are unable to afford to own a place to live. In Denmark, andelsboliger ("co-operative housing") offers a solution. With roots in the 1800s, it is an approach whereby people come together to collectively own a common asset (in this case a property, such as an apartment block) and then collectively reap the benefits. In the episode, Sam and Josefine speak with Stefanie Høy Brink, curator and ethnographer at Copenhagen City Museum and Mikkel Høegh, housing economist at the danish bank, Jyske Bank. The four ..read more

We're back with Season 3! In this episode we tackle Janteloven or "The Law of Jante". In 1933, a Danish-Norwegian author called Axel Sandemose wrote a book describing a fictional town in rural Denmark. The people of the town were very set in their ways, and didn't like it when individuals tried to break from the norms, or think that they were in any way special. This fictional (satirical) piece of work has come to define how many in Scandinavia see their lives today: people are sceptical of individual success, and prefer to "be average" rather than aspire to stand out from the crowd. Of course ..read more

Hello! Hope you've had a lovely summer. The What The Denmark team have been busy getting ready for a new season of the podcast... and we'd love your input for a couple of episodes! Dating Danes One episode has the working title How to date a Dane. Have you had experience dating Danish people? Is it different to dating people from different countries? Any funny/ amusing anecdotes? (Sam will be sharing some from when he was dating his Danish wife...) Newcomers Survival Guide The other episode is about helpful advice to help people navigate their first days/ weeks in Denmark. Have you had any ..read more

Danish food culture has an outsized impact on the world stage. For a country with less than 0.1% of the world's population, Denmark boasts the two best restaurants in the world and has a culinary movement that is the envy of chefs and kitchens around the world. But it wasn't always that way... In fact, there was a very distinct turning point when Danish (and more broadly Nordic) food became "New". In 2004 a group of restauranteurs and food experts gathered in Copenhagen to write an outline of how they were going to revolutionise the region's food industry, much in the way the film and TV indus ..read more

When temperatures drop, the last thing on most people's minds is to go outside, strip off and take a plunge into near freezing water. That is, however, what a large percentage of the Danish population do each winter. Why on earth would someone choose to do this? Well, it turns out that the benefits to doing so are pretty convincing, and not just for the physical aspects of helping you burn more calories. Sam and Josefine are joined this week in the studio by journalist Saskia Weneit. Saskia spoke to many experts and enthusiasts in researching this topic, including: Jørgen Hedevang: Chairman o ..read more

As winter approaches, you might spot an unusual sight on the streets of Denmark: fashionable people (mostly women) wearing an all-in-one ski suit worn predominantly by toddlers. These ski suits (or rather "flight suits") have become a fashion trend in Denmark in recent years, and they show no signs of stopping. Sam and Josefine discuss the past, present and future of this trend with lifestyle expert Julia Lahme, and what it says about Danish culture as a whole. We discuss: How flyverdragter are linked to the importance placed by Danes on fresh air The history of flyverdragter - from shipyard ..read more

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, citizens' trust in their governments has declined all across Europe, and around the world. Denmark, however, stands out as a country where trust levels have increased. But why? This is the topic of this week's episode + an exploration into the country's remarkable high levels of trust between people. We discuss: The game theory of strangers trusting other people The historical roots of Denmark's strong independent institutions What "default trust" feels like to outsiders How other countries can encourage trust amongst citizens The upsides of trust: eff ..read more

Danish culture is premised on various values such as trust, equality and respect for privacy. Whilst this has many virtues, from an outsider perspective, this can also appear to play out in scenarios where Danes come across as... well, a bit rude. For example, it's not natural for Danish people to hold the door open for each other, or to offer help for someone struggling to take a baby stroller off a train. In this episode Sam and Josefine are joined by Danish anthropologist Dennis Nørmark. We talk about a whole range of scenarios in Danish culture that can seem perplexing to outsiders, but be ..read more