Danish Royal Family Christmas: 2003, 2004, 2006-2014, 2016-2023


If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Yes, it has happened before that QMII has chosen to celebrate Christmas with J&M alone.
But I think the long absence with J&M being in France and very much restricted from traveling freely to and from DK for eight months or so now plays a factor in her deciding to go to Schackenborg this year.
Perhaps the very low key copper anniversary of J&M and Joachim's illness plays a factor as well.
I find it likely that too much commotion and too many people around will tire Joachim still. In other words: He needs his holidays!
 
But I think the long absence with J&M being in France and very much restricted from traveling freely to and from DK for eight months or so now plays a factor in her deciding to go to Schackenborg this year.

I find it likely that too much commotion and too many people around will tire Joachim still.

It will be the second time in about a two month period that Joachim and his family travel to Denmark. They spent the autumn holiday in Denmark a month or so ago. Schackenborg and Copenhagen, according to some articles.

With the goverment Covid recommendations being what they are at the moment, they couldn't really spend Christmas together all 13 of them, illness or not. QM is usually at Marselisborg around Christmas anyway and if Joachim is at Schackenborg..
 
I wondered if Daisy would end up almost alone at Christmas so I'm made up she will be spending Christmas with Schackenborg, I wonder if HM will still be in charge or J&M will take on hosting duties fully.
 
Nice that Joachim and family can return again to Denmark. The Queen must be so happy to finally see him.


It will be a nice family reunion for Prince Joachim after his recent ill health and surgery.
 
It seems that Denmark is doing well enough this December for the DRF to spend time together as a family. I am rather envious.
 
I wonder if the Nisse family who live the royal attics will sport tiny masks this year..

? Probably.
If they are pleased with their bowl of rice porridge placed in the attic on Christmas Eve, they will traditionally protect the residents of the house from fire, calamities and illness.
But if the bowl is too small or the porridge isn't to their taste...!! :ermm:

It seems that Denmark is doing well enough this December for the DRF to spend time together as a family. I am rather envious.

I sure hope so!
The infection rate right now has with difficulty been brought down to 1, but it's expected to rise in December.
IIRC the limit for social gatherings is now ten persons. And that is exactly the number we would be on Christmas Eve if there was no Corona.

I wondered if Daisy would end up almost alone at Christmas so I'm made up she will be spending Christmas with Schackenborg, I wonder if HM will still be in charge or J&M will take on hosting duties fully.

The last time she spend Christmas at Schackenborg (which was also a way to better get to know our Marie's parents BTW) it was J&M who has the host role, so it's their way of celebrating Christmas that counts this year.
Buuuut QMII ain't queen for anything, so I can well imagine that some of QMII's wishes are quietly incorporated.
 
The annual digital Christmas calendar will start again tomorrow, December 1:

"This year, the Commonwealth forms the framework for the Royal House's digital Christmas calendar, which can be followed on the Royal House's Instagram profile from 1 December until Christmas Eve.

The Christmas calendar is the fifth of its kind and again this year presents a story about Her Majesty the Queen's handmade elves. In this year's Christmas adventure, the Queen sends the Santa girl on a journey through the kingdom to find her two siblings, with whom the Santa family has not celebrated Christmas for a hundred years. The Santa girl's siblings settled in the Faroe Islands and Greenland, respectively, during Christian X and Queen Alexandrine's great royal procession in 1921 - and no one has seen them since. The Santa girl's Christmas trip will be a meeting with both Faroese and Greenlandic Christmas traditions, myths and legends intertwined with stories about the Royal House through time"


** instagram post ** kongehuset: Digital julekalender om rigsfællesskabet **
 
I really enjoyed the adventures of the little Nisse last year, and I hope we get to see them again this year.
 
I love the christmas calender. It is a great pleasure to see the whole little stories about the Danish Royal Court!
 
Yes I too really enjoyed the Christmas calendar over the past few years,its been so well done.
 
"1 December ��

Today begins a real, royal Christmas adventure. Christmas is a special gathering place throughout the Kingdom - in Denmark, in the Faroe Islands and in Greenland. This also applies to Her Majesty the Queen's Elf Family. But this year it is 100 years ago that the whole Santa family was last gathered for Christmas.
In 1921, the Queen's grandparents, King Christian and Queen Alexandrine, and her father, Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Knud, traveled on their great Arctic royal expedition. At that time, two goblins were on both the warship Valkyrie and the steamship Iceland. Namely the Santa's brother who settled in the Faroe Islands, and the Santa's sister who has lived in Greenland ever since. This Christmas, it is thus 100 years ago that the Santa family was last gathered on Amalienborg's old attic.
⁣⁣"


https://www.instagram.com/p/CIPr9llAuxb/
 
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Thanks. ?

It's a nice touch that the daily message also includes a link in Faerose and Greenlandic.

And allow me to be pedantic. ;)
This is a nissefamily, with a nissegirl, nisseboy, nissedad and nissemom.

We do have elves in DK, but they are not at all related to nisser. Elves roam the forests. Nisser live in houses.

Nor do nisser belong to Santa Claus' family. They predate Santa Claus with perhaps 4-5.000 years.

Nor are they goblins, we don't have goblins in DK. I believe they have some in Norway and in parts of Germany.

Nisser probably started out as a kind of house-spirit when permanent settlements became established some 6.000 years ago.
And sometime around 1600 they personified as beings called nisser (plural)

Back then there was only one nisse per house. Always a man and very old. 800 years is considered middle-aged for a nisse.
The nisse was a fearsome creature!
If treated with respect and spoken about with respect and not least fed well on Christmas Night (*), he would be benevolent and protect the house and it's residents from harm, illness, fire and even death.
However, if disrespected he would cause all sorts of calamities and misfortune upon the house and the residents - and guests.

The nisse is also very mischievous. From time to time he will make things disappear, or misplace them or perhaps cause a shelve to fall down from the wall. - But never a painting! If a painting fell down from the wall, it meant that someone near and dear had died in that moment.

If you had a less than happy relationship with your nisse, it wouldn't help to move, because the nisse would move along with you.

However, during the 1800's the nisse started a family, and that sure made him a much kinder being. Although his children are fond of playing tricks on residents and guests.

Often a nisse will travel, as we shall learn during this month. Traveling for a 100 years is merely an extended trip for a nisse.
And as we have learned this nissefamily has traveled to both Greenland and the Faeroe Island - but perhaps they will manage to meet up at Christmas? We shall see.
The question of of course, where will they meet?

(*) While a traditional Danish Christmas Eve is full of joy and feasting. Christmas Night is downright scary! That's when all sorts of strange beings, including the dead BTW, roam the Earth.
The animals can talk on Christmas Night, but all humans who have heard it have become mute, so no one knows what they are talking about...
 
And today 2 December:


"In a corner of Christian VIII's Palace at Amalienborg, Her Majesty has the Queen's Hand Library. Exactly in Frederik IX's old bachelor's apartment, kilometers of documents and pictures from the Royal House's history have been collected and archived in boxes, on bookshelves and now also electronically on large hard drives. In the Hand Library, charts and descriptions of Kings, Queens, Princes and Princesses' journeys to what we know today as the Commonwealth are well preserved. For the Santa family, it is therefore a natural place to prepare for the Santa girl's trip to the Faroe Islands and Greenland, where she will find her siblings.⁣⁣⁣"

https://www.instagram.com/p/CISQzjwgv5_/
 
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:previous: I love seeing these posts every December.

I love the history of the nisse and the deep tradition behind it all. I always love studying other cultures and folk lore. :flowers:
 
Tak to our posters who have been sharing the daily updates on the Palace's nisse family. I love seeing the photos, videos and the reading the translations for their December activities.
 
That really cheered me up. Thank you everyone for the translations and explanations. I think I'm going to fall down a Nisse research rabbit hole now.
 
Thanks, Eya. ?

A globe from the 1700's. I could study it for hours! Simply to learn how much they knew about the world back then.

The parrots they are referring to is this little guy here: https://a-static.besthdwallpaper.com/lille-sopapegoje-tapet-2880x1800-6884_8.jpg

It's called a sea-parrot in Danish. And it's quite common in the North Atlantic.

One more detail about nisser: Today the children of nisser are often employed as Santa's helpers in his workshop in Greenland. - However, they ain't too bright and they do have problems focusing on their work, so it's no thanks to teen-nisser that Santa gets ready in time for Christmas each year!

As is evident from these popular depictions:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/3d/af/a1/3dafa1ed09867c7524f1dcadb4f34417.jpg
https://thumbs.worthpoint.com/zoom/...-nisse_1_e50ac6c93ed85fcdb5f49a23346a7974.jpg
https://nailpolishinacookiejar.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/img_5589.jpg
https://images.sn.dk/0/1417100_1100_3150_3_0_1593_1101_4.jpg

The smaller nisser don't work, instead they are very cute!
https://filweb.arkibas.dk/filer/visning/02cf673290854d77939167e1958b84a9
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/wPsAAOSw2fZfsnwa/s-l960.jpg
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PxJrJAwPgwg/UET6dXmNQnI/AAAAAAAACus/F_IOCkAFkUE/s1600/361+(24).JPG
 
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@Muhler

I guess many An exasperated Royal nanny has used stories of Ghosts and creepy things to get excited children to mind ;)
 
Thanks. ?

It's a nice touch that the daily message also includes a link in Faerose and Greenlandic.

And allow me to be pedantic. ;)
This is a nissefamily, with a nissegirl, nisseboy, nissedad and nissemom.

We do have elves in DK, but they are not at all related to nisser. Elves roam the forests. Nisser live in houses.

Nor do nisser belong to Santa Claus' family. They predate Santa Claus with perhaps 4-5.000 years.

Nor are they goblins, we don't have goblins in DK. I believe they have some in Norway and in parts of Germany.

Nisser probably started out as a kind of house-spirit when permanent settlements became established some 6.000 years ago.
And sometime around 1600 they personified as beings called nisser (plural)

Back then there was only one nisse per house. Always a man and very old. 800 years is considered middle-aged for a nisse.
The nisse was a fearsome creature!
If treated with respect and spoken about with respect and not least fed well on Christmas Night (*), he would be benevolent and protect the house and it's residents from harm, illness, fire and even death.
However, if disrespected he would cause all sorts of calamities and misfortune upon the house and the residents - and guests.

The nisse is also very mischievous. From time to time he will make things disappear, or misplace them or perhaps cause a shelve to fall down from the wall. - But never a painting! If a painting fell down from the wall, it meant that someone near and dear had died in that moment.

If you had a less than happy relationship with your nisse, it wouldn't help to move, because the nisse would move along with you.

However, during the 1800's the nisse started a family, and that sure made him a much kinder being. Although his children are fond of playing tricks on residents and guests.

Often a nisse will travel, as we shall learn during this month. Traveling for a 100 years is merely an extended trip for a nisse.
And as we have learned this nissefamily has traveled to both Greenland and the Faeroe Island - but perhaps they will manage to meet up at Christmas? We shall see.
The question of of course, where will they meet?

(*) While a traditional Danish Christmas Eve is full of joy and feasting. Christmas Night is downright scary! That's when all sorts of strange beings, including the dead BTW, roam the Earth.
The animals can talk on Christmas Night, but all humans who have heard it have become mute, so no one knows what they are talking about...

I add my thanks to the many others for your nisse explanations! I do love that HM Queen Margrethe is also the Queen of Nisse and makes sure that all Danes know they are an important part of the Nissesaga. Mange tak for including non-Danes in the story:flowers:
 
Christianity came fairly late to Scandinavia and in DK it took several hundred years to become dominant.
It was only during the 1100's that the old Norse gods finally retired for good, but the old superstitions and heathen rituals were alive and well until forcibly eradicated by the 1720's.

Now, Christmas Night was when Christ was born, so that was a particular magic night! Where all sorts of strange things happened. The Christmas Days were also the beginning of a new year, with all the countless rituals connected to a new beginning.

Since not all who read this thread have access to the member area I will from time to time repost something about the old Danish rituals and superstition. Some of them are pretty creepy though!
We are here talking about the period from around 1300-1850.

Let's return to Nisser.
Originally they resembled peasants from the 1600's and as such wore day to day peasant attire. They varied in how they looked though. Swedish Tomter and Norwegian Nisser, don't necessarily look like the Danish ones.

Here is a nisse from the 1600's: https://lauritzbloginternational.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/mandshc3b8j-mekanisk-nisse.jpg
And a couple of modern nisser from around 1930 or so: https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GLRskcs-gAI/UNNQBnQfBgI/AAAAAAAADgs/gNCzlwHX080/s1600/2 jule nisse.jpg

If you are interested I'll go to rituals tomorrow.
 
These nisse stories for December are always so involved. Does QM have a court nisse who helps her plan and execute it all? I would love to know who else is responsible.
 
Christianity came fairly late to Scandinavia and in DK it took several hundred years to become dominant.
It was only during the 1100's that the old Norse gods finally retired for good, but the old superstitions and heathen rituals were alive and well until forcibly eradicated by the 1720's.

Now, Christmas Night was when Christ was born, so that was a particular magic night! Where all sorts of strange things happened. The Christmas Days were also the beginning of a new year, with all the countless rituals connected to a new beginning.

Since not all who read this thread have access to the member area I will from time to time repost something about the old Danish rituals and superstition. Some of them are pretty creepy though!
We are here talking about the period from around 1300-1850.

Let's return to Nisser.
Originally they resembled peasants from the 1600's and as such wore day to day peasant attire. They varied in how they looked though. Swedish Tomter and Norwegian Nisser, don't necessarily look like the Danish ones.

Here is a nisse from the 1600's: https://lauritzbloginternational.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/mandshc3b8j-mekanisk-nisse.jpg
And a couple of modern nisser from around 1930 or so: https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GLRskcs-gAI/UNNQBnQfBgI/AAAAAAAADgs/gNCzlwHX080/s1600/2 jule nisse.jpg

If you are interested I'll go to rituals tomorrow.


Muhler-I'm interested in learning about the rituals. Also could you share why and how the old Norse traditions were forcibly eradicated??
 
Christianity came fairly late to Scandinavia and in DK it took several hundred years to become dominant.
It was only during the 1100's that the old Norse gods finally retired for good, but the old superstitions and heathen rituals were alive and well until forcibly eradicated by the 1720's.

Now, Christmas Night was when Christ was born, so that was a particular magic night! Where all sorts of strange things happened. The Christmas Days were also the beginning of a new year, with all the countless rituals connected to a new beginning.

Since not all who read this thread have access to the member area I will from time to time repost something about the old Danish rituals and superstition. Some of them are pretty creepy though!
We are here talking about the period from around 1300-1850.

Let's return to Nisser.
Originally they resembled peasants from the 1600's and as such wore day to day peasant attire. They varied in how they looked though. Swedish Tomter and Norwegian Nisser, don't necessarily look like the Danish ones.

Here is a nisse from the 1600's: https://lauritzbloginternational.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/mandshc3b8j-mekanisk-nisse.jpg
And a couple of modern nisser from around 1930 or so: https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GLRskcs-gAI/UNNQBnQfBgI/AAAAAAAADgs/gNCzlwHX080/s1600/2 jule nisse.jpg

If you are interested I'll go to rituals tomorrow.

Fascinating piece of Danish historical lore. I had no idea about the Nisse until seeing Queen Margrethe II on the Danish Official IG video. Christmas is such a magical time, please go on Muhler:stocking:
 
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Today 3 December:

"On the back seat of the 62-year-old Rolls-Royce called “Big Crown”, the elves find the sleigh that will take the Elf Girl around the Realm. Hopefully, the sleigh as the means of transport will help get her to the Elf Brother on the Faroes and the Elf Sister in Greenland before Christmas.
Last year, the sleigh was handcrafted in the Royal Danish House Workshop out of aged oak from Fredensborg Palace park. Now, it once again stands ready beside The Queen’s seat in Big Crown, and, for the long journey, Her Majesty has supplied the sleigh with a food basket, trunk and packages. The Queen has informed the elves that the packages may only be opened if it becomes strictly necessary during the journey to the Faroes and Greenland. "


https://www.instagram.com/p/CIU1hWwgTC2/
 
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@Muhler

I guess many An exasperated Royal nanny has used stories of Ghosts and creepy things to get excited children to mind ;)

Probably. ?

Certainly an employee at the court told Frederik and Joachim that a dragon lives beneath the stairs at Marselisborg. But it's a nice dragon.
He retold that tale to a group of German kindergarten children - in German.

These nisse stories for December are always so involved. Does QM have a court nisse who helps her plan and execute it all? I would love to know who else is responsible.

IIRC an archivist helps QMII finding items, descriptions and other material.
I think QMII herself is perfectly capable to spin a yarn or two about nisser on her own based on whatever is dug up.
And someone from the PR office upload it - that after all is way beyond the capabilities, let alone interest, of QMII. :lol:

Muhler-I'm interested in learning about the rituals. Also could you share why and how the old Norse traditions were forcibly eradicated??

The church had always been more or less against the old pagan rituals and superstition. But before the Reformation there was a good deal of live and let live attitude towards the old traditions. So long as they got baptized, confessed reasonably regularly and paid at least some attention at mass (that was conducted in Latin and very few understood anything. That is if they could even hear what the priest said over the general chatter, arguing, wailing of children and sometimes even drunken fistfights during services!)
Then came the Reformation. Pretty much from the top down, but the transition period took several decades - until the last monk in the last monastery had died of old age actually.
So while there were no doubt some who wanted to impose strict Protestantism everywhere from the very beginning, including abolishing pagan rituals it was too difficult to impose locally and it met with little support from the top. After all kings and nobles were not themselves above the old superstition.
But around 1600 the very energetic Christian IV started reforms to better the moral of the common people according to Christian virtues - of course it didn't apply to him...
Christian IV was also the most eager witch hunter we have had in power in DK. He genuinely believed in witches and demons and he saw it as his foremost duty to protect his people and country from the Devil, something he discussed with James I, who was like-minded. But while Christian IV tried to do something about the pagan fertility rituals, he was less keen when it came to the old traditions against protecting people and homes from misfortune, death and the Devil.
Four wars with Sweden later at the end of the Great Nordic War, we are now in the 1720's. By now things had changed. Absolutism had been introduced, retaking the ancient Danish lands in what is now Sweden has de facto been abandoned, Sweden was pretty much bankrupted and with the male population decimated so they were no longer a serious threat. But most importantly a civil servant class had been established - consisting very much of Germans. The state apparatus had become much more efficient, organized and controlled and now by the 1720's it was time to crack down in earnest on the paganism, fornication, drunkenness and downright unchristian behavior of the ordinary people! And Christian V or VI (can't remember off hand) was the man to do it!
And by and large he succeeded.
The omnipresent civil servants who were often not ethnic Danes and certainly not local, had the power to crack down on lewd behavior. At the same time a virtual clerical propaganda campaign was started. Because now there were benches in the churches and people were expected to sit still and actually listen to what the priest was saying.
And while local courts beforehand had mostly dismissed any case of inappropriate behavior you were now punished. That could be a couple of weeks on bread and water, or riding the wooden horse and doing some time of hard labor in iron or even in some rare cases being beheaded.
That put a damper on the old Christmas parties, that in some cases were actually little more than drunken orgies - with the inevitable results nine months later...
People still got drunk and rolled in the hay, but now not nearly to the same extent as say in the year 1600.

Why did people drink themselves senseless and perhaps even more so after the Reformation?
Partly because it was old tradition. The Vikings for example drank until they passed out, that was simply a part of any celebration. There was no such thing as moderate drinking (or eating for that matter). And that continued after the Viking Age. The before-mentioned Christian IV was famous for his ability to eat and drink - during a state visit to England, the Danish guests managed without too much difficulty to drink their hosts under the table - and the English weren't exactly out of practice even back then! ?
But another part in my personal opinion is that a lot of the Catholic rituals were abolished after the Reformation. Rituals are important! In a world were so many things happen that you can't understand, performing a ritual gives you at least a sense of having some influence over your life. And watching a ritual is reassuring.
I think some of the old pagan rituals had a renaissance after the Reformation, because Protestantism for the ordinary person, simply couldn't provide enough alternatives in regards to rituals. It was a void that had and was filled out - and perhaps went a little out of control as well.
 
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Today 4 December:

"The gateway to and from the big journeys has, for many years, been located a few hundred meters away from Amalienborg. By the quay across from the Sixtus Battery on Holmen lies the Northern Customs House, which, with its wide granite steps, has received royalty and heads of state arriving on barges from large ships in Copenhagen Harbor since 1848. It is also from here that The Queen and the royal family sail out to the Royal Yacht Dannebrog when the sailing season is underway."


https://www.instagram.com/p/CIXaX3Qgzm-/
 
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Thanks, eya. :flowers:

Let's have a look at the places mentioned in today's post.

Battery Sixtus:
https://images.jfmedier.dk/images/f...a5b_29_90_0_0_8368_5584_1440_961_db380f5e.jpg
https://i1.trekearth.com/photos/143403/2016-08-27_19-17-06.jpg
This is a naval battery not that far from Amalienborg.
The Dannebrog flying here is the official Flag of the Realm.
Each morning the guns salute the hoisting of the flag.
That takes place at 8 in the morning or when the sun comes up during the winter months.
And the flag is lowered at 18 or at sunset, whatever comes first.
Because Danneborg must never fly in darkness. Otherwise you are flying the flag for the Devil.

Nordre Toldborg - Northern Customs Building. - This is where foreign dignitaries were received when they sailed to Copenhagen.
And it's officially from here the DRF sail out to Dannebrog to start a cruise.
- An appropriate place for the nissegirl to start her journey, eh?

This is the hamlet of Bøur on the island of Vagoy, where the nissegirl will fly to. I think most would never grow tired of the view!
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Bøur.Vágar.5.jpg
https://visitvagar.fo/content/uploads/2018/09/boeurpq.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Bøur.Vágar.2.jpg
https://www.jenskjeld.info/vagar/vagar55.jpg
https://cf.bstatic.com/images/hotel/max1024x768/225/225815676.jpg

Another view from the island of Vagoy: https://www.make.fo/media/1147/faro...600x650px.jpg?width=1600&height=500&mode=crop
 
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