medborger_i_danmark_engelsk.pdf - Ny i Danmark

123Religious holidays, nationalholidays and church festivalsDuring the year, there are a number ofreligious and national holidays when thechildren are off school, most adults are offwork, and shops close all or part of theday. Services are held in the NationalDanish Church on all religious holidays.The most important religious holidaysare associated with the three great churchfestivals: Christmas, celebrating the birthof Jesus Christ, Easter, commemoratinghis crucifixion, death and resurrection, andPentecost or Whitsun, to remember thereceiving of the Holy Spirit.Many traditions surround the religiousfestivals – Christmas in particular – andto most people the festivals are welcomeoccasions for spending time with theirfamily, relatives and friends.Other religious holidays include:• New Years Day, 1 January.• Store Bededag (All Prayers’ Day – aDanish religious holiday, falling on thefourth Friday after Easter). It wasintroduced many years ago when anumber of prayer days in the churchcalendar were lumped together intoone.• Ascension Day, when Christians commemoratethe ascension of Jesus intoheaven.The most important national holidays are:• 1 May, the international labour day.• 5 June, Constitution Day, in memoryof the signing of the first Danish Constitutionin 1849.CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONSChristmasOn Christmas Eve, 24 December, families gather, eat Christmas dinner andgive each other presents. Most people dance around their Christmas tree,a decorated fir tree, and sing Christmas carols. Many people attendChristmas service in church.Christmas starts in November in the streets and in the shops, which aredecorated with spruce, Christmas hearts, angels and pixies. In December,many workplaces have a Christmas lunch, and the children make Christmaspresents and decorations at kindergarten, after-school recreation centreand school. Many children have an Advent calendar, and TV channelstransmit Advent calendar programmes every day from 1 to 24 December.On 25 and 26 December, the first and second day of Christmas, manyfamilies have a Christmas lunch.