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Hello Heritage: Danish culture for newcomers

The Local Denmark
The Local Denmark - [email protected]
Hello Heritage: Danish culture for newcomers
The new mini-festival is aimed at English speaking audience. Photo: Hello Heritage.

A new Copenhagen festival hopes to teach expats, foreign students and visitors about Danish humour, music, food, pornography and more with three days of events exclusively in English.

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The annual Golden Days Festival is billing itself this year as the 'Festival of Important Shit' but its not just the catchphrase that is in English. As a subcomponent, the three-day Hello Heritage mini-festival will put on a series of events in English directly targetting expats, international students and tourists. 
 
Organizers hope that the inaugural edition of Helle Heritage will reach all newcomers to Copenhagen, especially those wanting to get a deeper understanding of Danish culture.
 
“Hello Heritage is tailor-made for tourists or people who are not Danish speakers, so it is like a 'best of' of Danish culture," festival manager Josefine Albris told The Local. 
 
Hello Heritage will offer various activities meant to introduce key elements of Danish culture. Those interested in cooking traditions can try their hand at making traditional smørrebrød while learning about the history of the iconic open-faced sandwiches. There will also be a guided tour of Carlsberg for a history lesson on another mainstay on Danish tables. 
 
If that sounds too tame, you could opt for a look back at the sexual revolution in Denmark, which became the first country in the world to lift a ban on pornography. The theatre Husets Biograf and the sex toy shop Lust will team up for an erotic trip down memory lane to the early days of Copenhagen's sex industry, complete with rare footage of early pornography. 
 
Danish humour, not exactly the easiest thing for a newcomer to grasp, will also be explored through a look at the 160-year history of the Danish comedy staple ‘the Revy’, or variety show. There will also be an introduction to the life and work of humorist and artist Storm P. 
 
In total, there are more than 30 talks, concerts, workshops and other events that organizers hope will give non-natives a chance to dive into Denmark's cultural heritage and legacy. 
 
Albris said she hopes expats and foreign students will embrace the new concept. 
 
“Now that you are here, why not dig deeply into the culture that surrounds you? Taking part in the local culture is such an important part of being in a new place," she said. 
 
The Hello Heritage mini-festival will take place in Copenhagen from September 18th to 20th. Some of the events are free while others require an entrance fee. 

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