What does slik eller ballade mean?
The phrase breaks down quite easily into three simple Danish words:
- Slik: sweets or candy
- Eller: or
- Ballade: mischief or trouble
However the better translation, as you may have guessed, is “Trick or Treat”, used by costumed children on Halloween demanding sweets (or face a prank if demands aren’t met).
Where does slik eller ballade come from?
The term is a direct loan translation of the American expression “Trick or Treat”.
Historically, Denmark’s traditional door-to-door sweets event was Fastelavn, where children sang a song while they raslede (shaking a container for coins or treats). Halloween began creeping into Danish retail and pop culture in the mid-1990s and became a key event in the 2000’s.
Why it’s worth knowing?
If you have kids who are eager to participate in the neighbourhood trick or treating, teaching them this term will help them fit in with the rest of neighbourhood kids, However, most Danish families will understand what “trick or treat” means too.
Other than knowing slik eller ballade, it’s worth learning about the neighbourhood etiquette. Halloween is widely celebrated across Danish suburbs. In Denmark, placing a lit carved pumpkin (græskarlygte) or Halloween decorations outside your door signals that you are participating and ready with sweets. An unlit, undecorated doorway means "do not disturb" or “we’ve run out of sweets”.
If you live in suburbs with a high Muslim population, you may want to look into whether your sweets are halal-friendly: many gummy sweets have gelatin in, which comes from pigs.
Although many apartment complexes like to decorate their balconies with Halloween decorations, trick or treating in the city is less common, simply because of the impracticality of walking up and down stairwells. However some buildings will internally agree on a trick or treating route for kids to take.
Examples:
Børn: Slik eller ballade! / “Trick or treat!”
Nabo: Uhh, se hvor uhyggelige I er! Her er lidt slik, I må tage to stykker hver. / “Ohh look how scary you are! Here are some sweets, you can take two pieces each.”
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