Ghosts really are invisible in Denmark

Since we left Victoria, even since we left Iceland, in fact, there have now been a total of three national holidays in Canada: Labour Day in September, Thanksgiving in October, and Remembrance Day a week ago. Of course, Thanksgiving in particular is a very North American holiday; so, we never expected to experience it in Denmark.

But what really took us off guard was Hallowe'en. Sure, it is known -- and even celebrated -- in Denmark, but you have to look really hard. The photo to our left was taken from our balcony on Thanksgiving night, about 5pm. I'll be well impressed by anyone who can spot the two pumpkins outside somebody's front door. The amazing thing, however, is that it is easier to notice Hallowe'en in this photograph than anywhere else in Århus.

It's quite a contrast to the Hallowe'en that I spent in Toronto, where on my daft evening run I was lucky not to be hit by errant, unsupervised firecrackers!

The Danes do celebrate some holidays, however. Towards the end of September, we had our first research group, Wednesday morning "coffee meeting." We never had these during my studies at UVic, so I didn't know really what to expect. But what I most definitely did not anticipate was that this was, in fact, our first Christmas Party planning meeting! We have to start early if we're going to adequately prepare for both the December and the February Christmas parties.

The end of October did not pass unnoticed here, 'though. November 1st is a very important day. 9pm on November 1st is a very important time. It's "JD": julebryg dag, the day when all the Christmas beers are officially released (at 21h00) and all the bars are fantastically packed.

I'm not convinced that the Christmas beers are really all that good, or even all that Christmassy, but it does demarcate an important turning point towards the Christmas season, a season that, here, supposedly lasts a solid four months.

I guess, perhaps, this is why they don't celebrate Hallowe'en. Who wants to detract from the real festivities that are only just about to begin? Why dress up like ghouls and rot your teeth out when you can instead build the suspense of Jul for as many months as it is going to eventually last?

The Potato Holiday

There is no Thanksgiving in Denmark, instead there is the autumn break. This holiday does not have any religious reasons. It is just a much needed break in the middle of autumn, always week #42, a Danish school holiday giving kids some time off from school and families some time off from work. In the old days, schools closed because the extra hands were needed to help with the potato harvest, which used to be essential in the Danish diet. 

Potatoes have recently become a fundamental staple in Sean's and my diet, despite my previous dislike of potatoes and a preference for yams. Sean has made continuous attempts to hide potatoes in various dishes and I have been tricked into eating them time and time again. Now I have come to tolerate them, and even enjoy them, especially since they are cheap and don’t die in the fridge after a week if you forget about them.

The Danes call this holiday Efterårsferie (Autumn holiday) or Kartoffelferie (Potato holiday) and it is the only holiday during the fall. Unfortunately, the university does not officially support this break so I won’t be getting extra play time with Sean.

Since I like mingling among the crowds – I will be out in the streets to enjoy the festivities of this holiday and hopefully collect a couple of cans for my winter coat, as today was the first time I felt a chill in my bones. Rumour has it that many people from the Jutland area come to Aarhus, the big city, this week to shop and enjoy city life and several cultural events for familiars take place. So, the crowds should be really big.