Since I love the anecdotes about cultural differences, today I inaugurate a new category of posts pompously entitled, um ... Cultural differences. Well, sure, Denmark is not really an exotic country, but nonetheless, there are funny things to tell.
Like the frenzied passion the Danes have for their flag.
They put flags everywhere (particularly during special occasions): in their living room, in their garden, on their birthday cake ...
Don't consider that as misplaced patriotism. For them it is simply a symbol of celebration. Thus, in each Danish supermarket, there is a section devoted to the essential accessories of the respectable party-man, mostly composed of flags that you in can plant on the cake, or wave proudly.
I have even seen in the supermarket small poles about 50 cm high, with the flag that you have to hoist on top with a string!
The Danes are proud of it because of its history and the powerful symbol it represents. This is probably the oldest flag in the world. They gave him the name of the Dannebrog (red flag, and by extension, the Danish flag). According to the legend, the flag has its origin in 1219 in Estonia, at the battle of Lyndanisse, where the Danish King Valdemar II saw that cross appearing in the sky and miraculously gave the victory to the Danes. Nothing less as a gift of God !
Christian August Lorentzen, 1809,Statens Museum for Kunst
This characteristic cross, wrongly called "Scandinavian cross", was afterwards cheerfully copied by all northern neighbors!
(Finlande, Islande, Norvège, Suède, Danemark)In the next episode we will talk about another Danish passion: the candles!
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