Denmark has several public holidays in 2010. Below you will find a list of the different occasions and the date they are celebrated. Most take place in the early part of the year and then there is a prolonged dry spell until November and December.

January 1, 2010 is Nytaarsdag or New Years Day and all businesses are closed on that day.

February 14, 2010 is Fastelavn or Shrovetide, which is a celebration in which children dress up and hit a barrel with a stick. Fastelavn is celebrated on the Sunday before Lent. Businesses do not close this day.

April 1, 2010 is Aprilsnar or April Fools’ Day and, as in many other countries, this is a day to prank your friends and colleagues. Everyone seems to be on the spot, even the media and politicians.

Paaske or Easter consists of 4 days and all businesses are closed during this time. Businesses are open on Saturdays between 4-day holidays.

April 1, 2010 is Skaertorsdag or Holy Thursday, which commemorates the Last Supper.

April 2, 2010 is Langfredag ​​or Good Friday commemorating the Crucifixion of Christ.

April 4, 2010 is Paaskedag or Easter Sunday that commemorates the Resurrection of Jesus.

April 5, 2010 is the 2nd Paaskedag or 2nd Easter Day and arrives on the Monday following Easter Sunday.

April 30, 2010 is called Saint Bededag or Day of the Great Prayer and it is to celebrate the different days of prayer and it is always the fourth Friday after Easter. All businesses are closed. It is a tradition to go to the local bakery the night before in St. Bededag and buy “varme hveder” or wheat rolls to eat with melted butter and jam. On April 29 you will find long lines at your bakery to get these goodies; join in, because not much else happens on this vacation.

May 13, 2010 is Kristi Himmelfartsdag or Ascension Day takes place 40 days after Easter Sunday.

May 23, 2010 is Pinsedag or Pentecost Sunday, which takes place 50 days after Easter and celebrates the birth of the church.

May 24, 2010 is the second Pinsedag or Pentecost Monday and is part of the Pentecost holiday. Businesses are closed.

June 5, 2010 is Grundlovsdag: or Constitution Day and the signing of the Danish Constitution is celebrated in 1849. All businesses are closed.

June 23, 2010 is Sankthansaften or Midsummer Night and is celebrated with bonfires throughout Denmark; It is not a public holiday, where businesses close.

November 10, 2010 is Mortens Aften, which is a unique celebration in Denmark. The Danes will eat goose or duck for dinner in honor of the legend of Bishop Martin de Tours. The story goes that the missionary hid in a shed so as not to be consecrated a bishop. But the geese began to cluck and revealed their hiding place. So he declared that every November 10, geese should be served as main meal to get revenge on them for their deception.

December 13, 2010 is Saint Lucia’s Day and is preceded by parades of girls dressed in white and carrying lighted candles. This is based on a Swedish tradition, celebrating the martyr, Saint Lucia, who distributed food to beggars before the New Year’s Fast.

The parade is led by a girl, Lucia Queen, who wears a crown of candles and all the girls sing Lucia’s song. It is worth attending a church service on this day to be a part of this celebration.

December 24, 2010 is the Juleaftensdag on Christmas Eve, the day most Danes celebrate Christmas. You can learn more about traditional Danish Christmas below.

December 25, 2010 is Juledag or Christmas Day.

December 26, 2010 is the 2. Juledag or Boxing Day and stores are not open except grocery stores. Most of the stores will open on the 27th and will have the Christmas sales that.

December 31, 2010 is Nytaarsaftensdag or New Years Eve. Most businesses close at noon; the shops are open until 5 or 6 in the afternoon. Some stay open later.

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