Pinse in Denmark (and Royal Run)

Simple Danish Newsletter #16

Hi friends,

We hope all is well 😊 Today it is Pinse (Pentecost) in Denmark, and tomorrow, Monday is a public holiday as well.

Pinse, is a Christian holiday, but it is probably one of the least celebrated in Denmark, and if you ask most Danes why we celebrate Pinse, I am sure most would not know. (It is the 50th day After Easter, where the holy-spirit visited the disciples).

Some families might have a pinsefrokost (Pentecost lunch) and a few breweries release a “pinse beer” to celebrate the occasion, but most Danes just enjoy the time off in whichever way suits them the most.

A more recent tradition on Pinse is that it is the weekend where “Royal Run” takes place all over Denmark.

Royal Run is a race, originally arranged as a celebration of, then, Prince (now King) Frederiks 50th birthday. Here 6 years later in 2024, the event has only gotten bigger each year, taking place in 5 cities across Denmark, simultaneously, with more than 90.000 runners in total and members of the royal family running in each city. The tickets sell out very fast, so I am sure it is going to get even bigger with time.

Originally, Frederik ran all 5 races (1 mile in four cities, and 10 km in Copenhagen), which I am sure was “barnemad” for him, given his Special forces background.

The race was a way to promote healthy habits among Danes, and of course to bring the royal family “closer” to the people. I don’t have any official polls to back it up, but I expect it has helped improve the popularity of the royal family by quite a lot.

Leading up the race, there are also tons of events in the different cities. With everything from music, to parades. That also means that lots of the inner cities get closed off, and traffic (including public transport) gets completely congested during, and after race.

So if you’re ever wondering why suddenly everyone around you is wearing the same running shirt, or why the city is completely congested on a Monday, then now you know.

We are running ourselves for the first time tomorrow in Fredericia, and I wouldn’t mind this as a new Pinse tradition.

Do you celebrate Pinse, and if so, how? 😊

❤️ Our Favourite things

idiom of the week: Før fanden får sko på

Før fanden for sko på

Literally; before the devil puts his shoes on, meaning really early in the morning.

For example;

  • Vi skal stå op før fanden får sko på for at nå vores flyafgang.
  • Jeg stod op før fanden fik sko på i dag, så jeg kunne nå ned i fitness inden arbejde.

Word of the week: Overskud

Overskud means surplus or excess in Danish, but that’s not the interesting part. You will hear Danes say: jeg har ikke overskud til at ___, because we use it to implicitly refer to our energy levels. I like this a lot because it normalizes talking about being drained of energy and having to recharge.

For example you can say:

  • Jeg har ikke overskud til at tage opvasken i aften, den må vente til i morgen.
  • Jeg tror jeg springer festen på fredag over. Jeg har simpelthen ikke overskud.
  • Har du overskud til at tage en ekstra opgave? Det ville være en stor hjælp for afdelingen.

That’s all we had for you for this week. Feel free to reply to this email with comments, suggestions or questions, we read and reply to all emails 

Best regards,

Antonina & Rasmus

Denmark&Me

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