Danish traditions - Easter

During Easter (påske), the crucifixion of Jesus and his resurrection is commemorated.

In Denmark, the Easter holiday spans Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday (skærtorsdag, langfredag, påskedag, 2. påskedag).

Maundy Thursday – the last supper
Good Friday – Crucifixion of Jesus
Easter Sunday – Resurrection of Jesus (falls on the first Sunday after the first full
moon in spring)

Around Easter, it is tradition for Danish children to write and send out a kind of “guess letter” (gækkebrev). The sender reveals at most the initial of his or her name, writing out the missing letters with dots. The recipient has to guess who sent it in a maximum of three attempts. If you don’t get it right, you owe the sender an Easter egg.

Eggs play an important role. They are painted in various colours and in southern Denmark, it is popular to decorate them and roll them down a slope. The person whose egg rolls the longest and remains intact wins them all.

The typical Danish food on Easter is lamb. The tables are arranged in yellow and bright green with plenty of chocolate eggs as ornament that can be eaten before, during and after the meal.

It is common to hide chocolate eggs around the house and in the garden. Such, kids get some excitement, while the adults can enjoy the opulent meal and good drinks.