Embracing the Happiness and Hygge of Danish Life

Larissa Brand (UC 2021-2022)

Three months since returning from my semester abroad, I have had an opportunity to reflect on my time living in the fairy-tale city of Aarhus, Denmark.

Before going I had no idea what to expect of my very randomly allocated new home. No one had ever heard of this mystery town, so here is a little background for you. Aarhus was a

Viking city founded in 800AD, and is the second largest city in Denmark, located four hours from Copenhagen. Today it has left behind its vicious past and now resembles a Sylvanian Families town.

You often hear that Danes are one of the happiest nationalities, and this is true, however I believe this is because of their extreme ability to unapologetically do exactly as they please. For example, another exchange student felt a friendship beginning with a Dane and decided to make the first move and ask to go for coffee, but was bluntly rejected with the reply “I already have enough friends.” Harsh, but maybe they’re on to something. They really just do what they want, when they want; from the mass of crocheting girls in all my lectures, to tying people to poles and throwing cinnamon on them for their 25th birthday, I am sure this must make them a happy bunch.

Their happiness could also be due to their terrific approach to government, which actually pays their students to go to university.

Denmark has the highest tax rate in Europe at 27% in comparison to Australia’s 10%. This makes going out for coffee only for very special occasions, but it also means that the government takes care of its citizens. With hardly any homelessness and 18-year-olds able to afford Teslas, Denmark has it all figured out.

The Danes present a dichotomy of their Viking heritage and their more current image of beauty and cosiness, otherwise known as Hygge. This was the first and only Danish word I learnt, which encompasses the warm and content feeling of having a candlelit dinner with friends or cuddling up by a crackling fire and watching a movie. This is how the Danes live their life, and they know how to create the good vibes, as they are the country that burns the most candles in the world. As I was on exchange during their winter, one of the coldest, windiest and rainiest experiences of my life, Hygge is what saved me.

Through their abundance of board game cafes, pottery painting and my amazing exchange friends, I can say that the Danish happiness is contagious.

So, although actually making friends with a Dane is extremely difficult, calling their country home for seven months was an incredible experience. Even with less than five hours of sunlight a day, I was still able to embrace the happiness and Hygge of Danish life.