As Jo Cox once so eloquently put, ‘’we have more in common than that which divides us’’, and this is certainly true when considering the world’s birthday traditions, which are as fascinating as they are frivolous, and as distinctive as they are related.
This is even true in subregions, where traditions sometimes cross borders, but equally, are often wholly unique. Today, we’re considering the Nordic countries, and the ways in which they celebrate another year spent on this earth. With that in mind, here are some interesting birthday traditions from Scandinavia.
Denmark: Flags At The Ready
Flags make quite the appearance at a Dane’s birthday celebrations. As Scandinavian Standard explains “Not every country boasts such an unwavering love for their national flag as Denmark does.’’
And the Danish flag, known as the ‘The Dannebrog’, is particularly appropriate for marking birthdays, as it symbolises celebration and happiness, and it’s common to see the flag and its famous red and white adorning both birthday cards and cakes. You might even see the flag in potted plants or on lawns to show revellers or guests the way to the party!
Even more fun is the miniature flagpole that decorates the birthday table in Denmark, making the celebrant feel like a seriously big deal.
Danish Cakes & Flowers
When you’re celebrating a birthday in Denmark, the expectation is that you get the drinks in, host the party, and even bring your own birthday cake to work.
But what cake, we hear you ask? Well, a layer cake is the common choice, often in the red and white of the Dannebrog. For children, a type of cake called Kagemand or Kagekone (‘cake man’ or ‘cake woman’) is popular. It’s simply a cake made in the shape of a person and, traditionally, the cake eating element of the birthday begins with the cake being decapitated, whilst the children scream and generally get overexcited.
Did you know that in Danish birthday flowers are called ‘blomster mors dag’ and ‘fødselsdags blomster’? Traditionally, birthday flowers come in the form of an elegant bouquet, full of purples, yellows and other royal colours. White roses should be avoided, as they are associated with mourning. Flowers are usually wrapped when given as a gift, with the preferred colour for wrapping paper being the red of the Danish flag.
How to say Happy Birthday in Danish: Gelukkige verjaardag
Denmark: Sun Salutations
In Denmark, you’re also considered responsible for the weather on your birthday, and considering the country is one of the coldest on earth, that certainly is some responsibility to bear!
Don’t be surprised if, when the sun is shining on your birthday, Danish people express their gratitude to you, saying ‘‘Thanks for the sunshine’’ or words to that effect. This is because Danish tradition dictates that the weather on your birthday reflects your behaviour over the past year.
Sweden: Birthdays In Bed
In Sweden, it’s traditional to wake the birthday boy/girl up, no matter how old they are, and serenade them with ‘Ja må du leva’ while they’re in bed. It’s also customary to have breakfast prepared and served to you in bed, and to open your birthday presents in bed, too, which sounds like heaven to us!
Similarly to Denmark, the colours of the Swedish flag, (blue and yellow) are used in the birthday party decor, and will often appear on the cake.
Swedish Cakes & Flowers
When it comes to cakes, the Princesstårta (Princess Cake) is by far the most popular confectionary to enjoy on birthdays in Sweden. This cake was named in honour of the three princesses, Margaretha (from Sweden), Martha (from Norway), and Astrid (Queen of the Belgians), and is a layered cake of sponge, pastry cream, raspberry jam and whipped cream.
The cake is covered by a layer of green marzipan, giving it a smooth, rounded top, and a truly distinctive appearance.
It’s not uncommon to give flowers to someone on their birthday in Sweden. If you’re going to send ‘födelsedagsblommor’, which means birthday flowers, then our friends from Bloom Post recommend sending Sunflowers, Mini Carnations, Gerbera Daisies, Snapdragons, Miniature Rose and Cyclamens.
How to say Happy Birthday in Swedish: Grattis På Födelsedagen
Read: 11 IDEAL happiness hacks from Sweden with love
Norway: A Unique Birthday Song
The Norwegian birthday song, ‘Hurra for deg’, is a riotous, uplifting affair, which sees friends, family or coworkers form a circle around the birthday boy or girl and sing the song.
The guys at Life In Norway break down the lyrics here:
Hurra for deg som fyller ditt år!
Ja, deg vil vi gratulere!
Alle i ring omkring deg vi står,
og se, nå vil vi marsjere,
bukke, nikke, neie, snu oss omkring,
danse for deg med hopp og sprett og spring,
ønske deg av hjertet alle gode ting!
Og si meg så, hva vil du mere?
Gratulere!
Which translates as,
Hurray for you for celebrating your birthday!
Yes, we congratulate you!
We all stand around you in a ring,
And look, now we’ll march,
Bow, nod, curtsy, we turn around,
Dance for you and hop and skip and jump!
Wishing you from the heart all good things!
And tell me, what more could you want?
Congratulations!
As you can tell from the lyrics, there’s plenty of action to go with this merry tune, and the birthday party usually perform them with gusto.
Norwegian Cakes & Flowers
A type of sponge cake known as Bløtkake is a popular choice for birthday cake in Norway. In fact, it’s also served on the 17th May, Norway’s national day.
Here, several layers of light sponge are sandwiched around jam, custard and whipped cream, before being covered entirely with more whipped cream. Then, fresh fruits are used to adorn the cake. And guess what colours those fruit should be? Yep, the colours of the Norwegian flag; that’s red and blue. Usually, strawberries and blueberries are used.
It should be noted that certain types of flowers should be avoided for celebrations in Norway; lilies, carnations, white flowers, wreaths and any others associated with funerals aren’t appropriate for birthdays.
How to say Happy Birthday in Norwegian: Gratulerer med dagen
Round Birthdays
In all three countries, birthdays with round numbers (20, 30, 40…) have particular significance, and are observed in a much more enthusiastic manner, with all the usual traditions turned up several notches, and an extra effort made to truly celebrate the birthday in style.
How do you celebrate your birthday?