The clock strikes midnight. Happy New Year! Or Godt nyttår, as the Danes would say.

Vær velkommen, Herrens år! This is one of the songs Danes sing on New Year’s Eve to welcome the new year. It’s a song of gratitude for the past year and hope for the new one.

Some might also sing the Danish national anthem (Der er et yndigt land, meaning it is a lovely country).

Surprisingly, some Danes might even sing a Scottish song, “Auld Lang Syne”, which means something like “for old times’ sake” in Scots. It’s a song that expresses nostalgia for the good old times and celebrates friendship.

Danes definitely love singing. And it’s not only on New Year’s Eve that they embark on a singing spree.

Danish music traditions

Christmas? It’s the same. Singing around the Christmas tree, before opening the gifts.

A bit later on in the year, at Fastelavn, a kind of combination of Halloween and carnival that is celebrated before Easter, children in Denmark sing their trick-or-treat song “Fastelavn er mit navn” (meaning Fastelavn is my name). Boys and girls sing that song when they go from door to door asking for sweets or money. It’s a song that celebrates fun and Fastelavn’s merry vibes.

Note: little Danes don’t say “trick or treat” but opt for “slik eller ballade” which means “candy or trouble”, as the song suggests.

In contrast to their neighbours to the north, the Swedes, who sing merry songs around the pole during the Midsommar celebration, the Danes ward off the evil (well, it’s a tradition) by lighting bonfires outdoors. But there’s also a song for that occasion: Vi elsker vort land (We love our country). It’s a patriotic song that celebrates both Danish nature and the Danish people.

Music education & industry

Music is a popular pastime among the Danes, too. We all know that the Danes love to spend their free time in clubs and associations. In a recent count, the country is home to more than 100.000 clubs or associations, from sports and cooking to arts and sciences. Music is no exception! Add to that the music folkehøjskoler (sort of adult education institution) and you realise how much the Danes are into music.

The Danes’ love for music is remarkable. And it’s not only about tradition. The contemporary Danish music industry is very vibrant and quite a few Danish artists have made a name for themselves in the international music scene, like Medina, Mø, Lukas Graham and Christopher.

Music festivals

Danes are also known for their love for big music festivals in the summer (usually in the rain but that’s OK). Festivals in Denmark can go big. Take the Roskilde Festival. It’s one of the largest and most popular in Europe and is known for its camping culture, where thousands of festival-goers stay in tents and celebrate music in a community-style way. The 2023 edition of the festival was sold out with more than 80,000 music lovers on site. The record holder is the 2000 edition of the Roskilde Festival which had an estimated attendance of 200,000 people!

Denmark’s “lille Eurovision”

Denmark has also won the Eurovision Song Contest 3 times, back in 1963 (watch a 2023 edition of the original winning song “Dansevisen” here, it’s magic!), 2000 (Olsen Brothers’ “Flying on the Wings of Love” is legendary), and 2013 with Emelie De Forest’s “Only Teardrops” that brought all but teardrops to the Danes. Denmark is currently #8 in the Top-10 countries with the most wins in the Contest! Godt klaret, Danmark!

Keep in mind that the Danes don’t call it the Eurovision Song Contest, but rather refer to it as the Eurovision Melodi Grand Prix. To select Denmark’s entry to the contest, the state broadcasting corporation DR holds its own local Dansk Melodi Grand Prix.

Fancy discovering who are the 2024 hopefuls for representing Denmark at the Eurovision Song Contest?