Easter monday = 2. påskedag (literally: second easter day)
Easter sunday = påskedag (literally: easter day)
Egg = æg
Good friday = langfredag
Hare = hare
Maundy thursday = skærtorsdag
Palm sunday = palmesøndag
Spring = forår
Easter traditions in Denmark
Besides the usually egg hunt and eating a lot of chocolate eggs there are a few other easter related traditions in Denmark.
Påskefrokost: Literally means “easter lunch”. It’s a social gathering where you celebrate easter with alcohol and lots of food. Usually celebrated with either your friends, family or co-workers. At a påskefrokost you eat a lot of different dishes. On the table you would usually see eggs, fish, bread, meat balls, dessert with lemon, etc. People will usually drink easter beer which is known as “påskebryg” in Danish.
Gækkebrev: A letter cut into a creative pattern (google it and you’ll see) with a small rhyme written inside. Instead of writing your name at the end of the letter (e.g. “yours sincerely, [name]” or “from [name]”) you replace your name with dots (e.g. “from …….”). It is now up to the receiver to guess who send it! If the receiver guesses who send the letter, the sender owes them an easter egg. If the receiver do not guess it, they owe the sender an easter egg.
If you have any questions or feedback feel free to submit a question/feedback at danishwithemi.tumblr.com/ask and I will answer as soon as possible.
This is a reminder to myself because I often get caught up in my own deep lore and neglect to study other cultures.
There’s a part of me that’s strangely afraid of researching other magical cultures as much as I research my own. It’s an irrational fear I have that I’d be somehow disturbing or dishonoring that culture by simply looking into its knowledge - like a fear that my brain might be “appropriating” their tradition simply by knowing anything about it.
So I have to remind myself, that looking at intentionally-written existing resources in order to see new perspectives is actually the opposite of “appropriating” that culture - if a resource was intentionally given to the world from people of that culture, then I’d actually be doing a disservice to those who cared enough to document and share their lives.
My magical investigation should, and must, go beyond self-understanding. There is a massive difference between learning and practicing; and I can practice my existing framework without ever feeling a need to “adopt” other frameworks just because I am learning lessons from other people who do practice those frameworks.
Never take an old broom into a new house, as bad luck is sure to follow. It must be a new broom, and first carried across the meadow, to avert any ill from entering the home.
Yasaka shrine’s chimaki, a charm for warding off evil (made of only rice reeds and no rice cake inside unlike sweets sold in May). It’s deadly awful, hot and wet July and the arrival of Gion Festival in Kyoto.
Few days ago after celebrating my mom’s birthday at some ryotei (authentic Japanese restaurant) around Higashiyama, I dropped in Yasaka shrine for receiving this year’s new chimaki (you use the word “receive (from god)” instead of “buy” in Japanese for charms and amulets of shrine). Yasaka shrine’s chimaki is sold during the entire month of July and relatively easy to obtain compared to Yama and Hoko floats’, though every float, built and exhibited on the street, starts selling its original chimaki only a few days before the parade day and sells out quickly.
Chimaki will be hanged out at the porch or the gate. The protection lasts for a year and you will take it back to any shrine after a year: since it’s a holy item Shinto priests burn old charms with praying. Appreciate for the protection of the past one year, and wish for another one-year mercy.
Chimaki of Gion Festival https://www2.city.kyoto.lg.jp/koho/eng/preview/40.html Strip color and letters differ by float. Yasaka shrine’s is to ward off evil but every chimaki’s mercy differs by float, such as for romantic love, study, and money profit.
Today I feel like I’ve been run over by a train and that I am 109 years old but it is totally worth it because I had the best time this #Christmas2018 with the Sepe/Balsiero Family. I am so #happy I was able to help prepare for Christmas dinner and be a part of all the #traditions with a huge beautiful family, may all of the #wonderfulenergy and love that we shared spark the beginning of the healthiest and happiest of New Year’s for myself, everyone involved and all those that we touch as we spread the light and love of Christmas throughout 2019 until next year! #christmascarols #haveyourselfamerrylittlechristmas https://www.instagram.com/p/Br25QTKBFkR/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ib6uu1mtwl2w
1- A woman completes the incense-making process ahead of the Lunar New Year in Medan, Indonesia. (January 20, 2022) Kiki Cahyadi/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
2- A worker climbs to clean a giant Buddha statue inside a temple in Manila, Philippines. (January 27, 2022) George Calvelo/NurPhoto via Getty Images
3- Baskets cakes, a popular Lunar New Year food, are prepared to steam in Bogor, Indonesia. (January 18, 2022) Adriana Adie/NurPhoto via Getty Images
4- Pots of apricot blossoms are offered for sale in Hanoi before Tet, as the Lunar New Year is referred to in Vietnam. (January 26, 2022) Nhac Nguyen/AFP via Getty Images
What do you celebrate this season? Growing up Jew-ish with a mom who loved Santa and an agnostic dad who didn’t seem to care what we did provided it didn’t involve church, I developed my own take on the holiday season. I light candles for Hanukkah (when I remember), and I get a present tree to decorate (typically to close to Xmas, and then we have it up almost to February). For me, this time of year is about spending time with friends and family and trying to find gifts that will make them smile and cards that will make them cry (or at least tear up a little bit). But I’m always looking to add a new tradition to my life - what unique traditions do you still keep? #xmas #xmastree #xmasdecor #christmas #christmasdecor #hannukah #holidaydecor #holidayparty #holidays #avoninsider #plussize #whatfatgirlsactuallywear #andigetdressed #sosoncy #goldenconfidence #decorationideas #holidayseason #holiday2018 #traditions https://www.instagram.com/p/Bq7zH8wH7_P/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=81sw60jc0zpp
InGreece, the name and its derivatives are especially popular in maritime regions, as Saint Nicholas is considered the protector saint of seafarers….for more than a millennia.
No wonder I have salt water in my veins! My ancestors came from seafaring towns in central and southern Greece….dating back centuries. I’m drawn to the sea….
“Nicholas” in Greek means, literally, victory of the people.
The name became popular 1,700 years ago through Saint Nicholas, Greek Christian Bishop of MyrainLycia(today’s southern Turkey). Nicholas was famous for his generous gifts to the poor….with the name and the legacy evolving many centuries later, to become the Dutch/German (my Mom’s heritage, by the way) inspiration for Santa Claus – a derivation of “Saint Nicholas.”
For all my brethren named “Nicholas,” December 6 is a day to celebrate, on par with your birthday. It’s a day to reflect on all the good things you bring to family, friends and community. It’s a time to stand tall and proud: you’re a “Nicholas”! And, around the Holiday Season each year, you might even earn the affectionate moniker “Saint Nick”!
(My Dad, also ”Nicholas”, and I celebrated the day as far back as I can remember. It was our private bond. And it’s always been a deep honor to carry his name!)
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My Dad penned this poem early one December 6th morning, as he was sipping on his pre-dawn coffee in front of his computer. He gave it to me when I went over to my parents house for dinner that evening 17 years ago (to celebrate our shared Name Day)….(he passed away quite suddenly just a nine months later)….and the poem remains a priceless gift and treasure – loving inspiration from Father to Son – that will remain with me always. I think about it almost every day….and gain strength from it….as if it were a compass for this life-long mariner….
The method of preparation of Turkish coffee is a part of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage program. The coffee is brewed in a special copper coffee pot called a cezve, very carefully and attentively, not letting it boil in order to avoid the bitterness, and then served in very specific cups. The other amazing thing about Turkish coffee is that it is often prepared on hot sand, which gives a great show to the tourists who decided to stop by and enjoy a cup. Read more
