Homes are decorated with easter colours, fresh flowers or branches to hang decorations off. It’s very popular to bring nature into homes in Denmark and around Easter time, homes will be coloured with bursts of yellow, mint green and pale pink.

 

Children bring home Easter decorations such as a small chicken or bunny box with cress seeds.

Easter decorations. Photo: Allan Lundgren/Ritzau Scanpix

Påskefrokost

The påskefrokost, or Easter lunch, is a must for most Danes. Some families have Easter lunches at a restaurant, but most people invite family and friends to their homes.

Påskefrokost lasts most of the afternoon and is a mixture of lunch and dinner (or even breakfast).

The food will include ryebread (of course), eggs, cress, breaded fried fish, different kinds of herring, a variety of cheese, sliced meats and liver pâté (leverpostej). Lamb is also a typical dish for this time of year. 

The drinks will include Easter beers. All breweries begin releasing their Påskebryg (Easter brew) in the run up to Easter claiming it to be stronger and tastier than the average beer. 

There will also be snaps, or “en lille en,” a northern European kind of flavoured spirit (could be akvavit), which is drunk in one-go and accompanied by a cheerful “Skåål!” 

If you’re invited to a påskefrokost, remember to bring a bottle of wine or some flowers and arrive on time.

Gækkebrev

Making a gækkebrev (or several) is a standard activity for Danish children. The idea is to design a letter in the basic shape of a snowflake that includes a rhyming riddle and a snowdrop. Children will not sign their names on the letter, but will instead put one dot for every letter in their name.

Recipients then have to guess who sent them the letter. If they guess right, the sender has to give them a chocolate egg. If they don’t guess the sender’s identity, then the recipient has to give the egg. Pro tip: You’ll almost certainly know which child sent it to you but play along and give them the chocolate. 

Like everywhere else in the world, the egg is a major symbol of Easter, also in Denmark. It symbolises new life and a new beginning.

 

Eggs will be eaten boiled, fried or as a prepared solæg, which translates as “sun egg.” This is a tradition from southern Denmark. The eggs are boiled with onions and the yolk turns dark. The eggs are then put into a salty mixture for at least one week, and then eaten with mustard and chilli.  

Påskeæg. Photo: Kjersti Hjelmen/Nf-Nf/Ritzau Scanpix