Christmas in Copenhagen
Guest Post by: Foster Accounting & IS Senior, Conner York. He is a Global Business Center Study Abroad Scholarship Recipient who participated Foster Exchange at the Copenhagen Business School in Denmark for Fall Semester 2018.
The Danes are very committed to the Christmas experience, and being there during the holiday season was very magical. Because they do not have Thanksgiving in the middle of November, they begin celebrating the Christmas season directly after Halloween on November 1st. Carlsberg, the Danish brewing company, hands out Carlsberg-themed Christmas hats to people downtown, people begin creating homemade Christmas decorations, and the main shopping district becomes decked out in holiday spirit.
One of the greatest things about the holiday season are the Christmas markets (called “Jule Marked”). There are three main spots where these markets pop-up: at Nyhavn, in the center of the shopping district, and another along the main shopping walkway (pictured below). Within these, you can get good food, festive decorations, or glögg (Danish mulled wine). These were great locations to walk through every now and then, and getting a warm mug of glögg and walking with friends downtown is always an amazing way to spend an evening.
Tivoli, the amusement park in downtown Copenhagen, also gets into the Christmas spirit. They famously decorate their park in spectacular winter decorations including a small Christmas village with merchants selling holiday goods, a holiday train, and snow and lights covering everything in sight. If you get the opportunity, this is definitely the best place to feel the Christmas spirit in Denmark.
