- Let's take a look at the map
- How New Year is celebrated in Denmark
- Big joy for little guests
- Useful information for travelers
It is not by chance that Hans Christian Andersen became a great storyteller, because his homeland resembles a magic kingdom, in which there is a place for good sorcerers, elves, and beautiful princesses. Especially if you fly to Denmark on New Year's Day and celebrate your favorite winter holiday together with thousands of other lucky ones who chose a Scandinavian destination at the end of December for their holidays or vacations.
Let's take a look at the map
On the globe, Denmark is easy to find in Northern Europe, but despite its apparent proximity to the Arctic, the kingdom lies in a zone of a fairly temperate maritime climate. The proximity of the Baltic and North Seas determines the weather in most of the kingdom:
- Winter in Denmark is usually mild and warm enough, but the large amount of precipitation makes it difficult to call New Year's weather particularly comfortable.
- Sufficiently strong winds from the sea are another not very pleasant component of Danish winter weather. A warm windbreaker, scarf and hat must be present in the suitcase of a tourist who decides to fly to Denmark in winter.
- The average air temperature in January in Copenhagen, Aarhus or Odense is about 0 ° С, but during the day the mercury column can rise to + 5 ° С, and at night it can drop to -7 ° С.
There are almost no sunny days in winter in Denmark, but before the Christmas holidays, the New Year's illumination, which the Danes use to decorate streets, squares, houses and office buildings, will more than provide you with a good mood.
How New Year is celebrated in Denmark
There are several symbols of Christmas and New Year's holidays in Andersen's homeland, but the very first one that appears earlier than others is Christmas beer. It begins to be brewed in early November, and Christmas markets open throughout the kingdom on the first Friday in November.
On December 1, the entrance doors of Danish houses are decorated with Christmas wreaths, and in the evenings candles are lit on the windowsills, symbolizing the Star of Bethlehem.
New Year's Copenhagen smells like fried nuts, hot mulled wine and gingerbread cookies. After tasting them, head to the Amalienborg Palace Complex. Every day at noon, a solemn ceremony of changing the guard of honor takes place at the residence of the Danish monarchs. The guards can be found at 11.30 at Rosenborg Castle and march with them to the gates of the palace.
The main celebrations in Denmark take place at Christmas, but on New Year's Eve, the Danes do not miss the opportunity to meet friends, sit at the festive table and stroll along the smart streets.
On the evening of December 31, Danes are traditionally congratulated by the Queen and the New Year's Eve dinner usually begins after her television performance at 18.00.
The kingdom's Christmas and New Year menus include fish, rice pudding, mashed potatoes with sauerkraut and handmade sweets. Almonds are baked in the pudding and the one who got the coveted piece with a surprise becomes the king of the table. The main drink on New Year's Eve is champagne, and an appetizer for it is a traditional pie with the complex name kransekage in the shape of a cone.
After dinner, the Danes put in their bag old and unnecessary dishes, which they collect all year, and go to visit their friends. The dishes beat noisily on the doorstep, but the owners not only do not get angry, but also welcome the long tradition. The Danes have a sign that luck in the coming year directly depends on the number of fragments.
The most beautiful illumination is on the Nyhavn embankment in the capital. It is here that it is best to take a seat on New Year's Eve in order to watch the festive fireworks at midnight.
Big joy for little guests
If you come to celebrate the New Year in Denmark with children, go to Tivoli Park. Starting from the first days of December, there is a festive fair here, musicians perform, and everyone who wants to go ice skating, which can be rented at the Tivoli skating rink. The park's rides boast a rich history. Some carousels are more than one and a half hundred years old and on New Year's Eve they look like they have descended from the pages of Andersen's fairy tales.
In Denmark, the New Year's mood for kids is provided by two Santa Clauses at once. They are called Ülemanden and Yulenisse and not a single young tourist will refuse to take a photo with them. You are guaranteed to meet the Frost Brothers in the aquarium of the Danish capital, located a few kilometers north of Copenhagen at the address: Jacob Fortlingsvej, 1 Kastrup. There Ülemanden and Yulenisse entertain the audience, give gifts, participate in the performance of clowns and illusionists. In the café of the Charlottenlund Park, where the oceanarium was built, you can arrange a festive New Year's dinner by ordering a table with a view of the sea.
You can also take a memorable photo on New Year's Eve in Denmark on the embankment near the Little Mermaid, and in Deer Park you will like royal deer willingly posing for photo hunters.
Useful information for travelers
The capitals of Russia and Denmark are connected by both direct flights and interchange flights:
- The cheapest option to get from Moscow to Copenhagen is to buy a ticket on board Air Baltic. If you book early, you can get away with 200 euros. The docking will take place in Riga, and the flight time without taking it into account will be 3.5 hours. Flights are operated from Sheremetyevo.
- Directly from the same Moscow airport they fly to Copenhagen and Aeroflot. On the way, you have to spend 2.5 hours, and pay for a round trip ticket - 300 euros.
- Inexpensive options with a transfer in their own capital are often offered by the Finns. The cost of the flight Moscow - Helsinki - Copenhagen will be 250 euros, if you take care of the tickets in advance.
Electronic subscription to the websites of the air carriers you are interested in helps to significantly save on air travel. It can be issued directly to your e-mail, and you will be the first to know about all the news, special offers and discounts.
When arriving in Copenhagen, contact the Visitor Center located near the entrance to Tivoli Amusement Park at Vesterbrogade, 4A. The center is called The Wonderful Copenhagen and its staff will gladly tell you about all the New Year's events planned for the holidays in the Danish capital
The Tourist Information Center offers discount coupons for attractions and excursions. Do not neglect the opportunity to save money, because the Danish capital is one of the most expensive cities in the Old World!
