Study Abroad Stories

A Night of Hygge with Queen Margrethe II

Kilangsungla Yanger, Carleton College

Writing a paper on Danish culture and society for Prof. Brock-Nannestad's 'Migrants, Minorities and Multiculturalism in Europe' class, I interviewed a Dane on my kollegium floor and confidently asked her, "so, what is this 'hygge?"
At first she just gave me a puzzled look and I repeated my question. Still, she scrunched her face even more until I showed her my question in writing. "Ohhh, you mean huga , not hoogga ," she said.
Embarrassed, I mumbled, "Yeah, yeah, that's what I meant," and thought, great, this interview is off to a great start with great pronunciation and communication skills.

Anyhow, her response was, "umm it's hard to explain to a non-Dane, but it's basically being able to have a good time with other Danish people."
With one eyebrow raised in bewilderment and determined to try and 'understand' Danish culture, I further asked, "ok, well since it's hard to give a concrete definition, can you describe a scenario of hyggeligt?"
She thought for a moment and finally said, "last night I went to my friend's birthday party and we didn't do much except tell jokes. That was hyggeligt. It's an atmosphere thing."

With that response, I was crestfallen. What a letdown! I thought, Is that it?? I don't see what the big deal is about 'hygge' if it's basically having a good time with others! I mean, after all, that happens everywhere in the world, from Timbuktu to Tivoli . Good friends, good conversations, good ambiance, that's not necessarily something that pertains specifically to Danish culture.

In our opening ceremony at the Black Diamond, we had been told 'hygge' roughly translated to 'cosiness.' In addition, we were also told that it was a Danish thing. It was because of this that I decided to ask the hygge question as part of my research on Danish culture. However, hearing a Dane describe what hygge was to me, I concluded I didn't want to explore it any further since it appeared to be more of a colloquial term than a cultural term. That was my attitude in the beginning of the semester here in Denmark . It wasn't until I attended a ballet performance of the 'Nutcracker' at Tivoli at the end of the semester that I was driven to reopen my discarded chapter on hygge, and to appreciate and hopefully understand it more deeply and genuinely.

My friends and I had been excited to attend the Nutcracker performance at the winter Tivoli . The lights in the auditorium were dimming out to the mellow intensity, signifying the commencement of the program so we were just about sitting down when everyone around us abruptly stood up. Having no clue why, we all stood up as well. Since our lovely last row seats didn't permit us to see what was happening in front of us, we concluded that it was probably the conductor coming in. "Wow," I thought, "Danes are really respectful to stand up for the conductor." We all settled down finally and watched with unwavering attention and enjoyment the first act of the performance, until we had to stand up again during the intermission. Now we were all thinking, ok, this is quite ridiculous to keep standing up for the conductor unless he's Zubin Mehta for goodness sake! Only then did a Danish woman sitting next to us tell us, "The Queen is here, that was her going out."

Queen Margrethe came in again to see the rest of the performance and we had to stand up again of course, which now I didn't mind. As I continued watching the second act of the ballet, with the new awareness that the Queen was watching and probably appreciating some of the beautifully danced principal solos, ornate costumes, the question finally dawned on me, "is this hygge?"

I was surprised that the Queen did not have a fancy looking secluded box all to herself, but was in the midst and view of everyone. I had been enjoying the ballet prior to knowing that the Queen was there. Yet, when I found out the Queen Margrethe was in the same building watching the same performance as me, it added an additional 'metaphysical-like' layer of appreciation to my enjoyment, and not in a royal/celebrity-induced manner.

People did not stand up begrudgingly for her like we had initially in our ignorance, but did so out of outmost appreciation for their beloved Queen. I felt the respect, sense of pride and identity the Danes around me were exuberating with in her presence. Maybe I caught on to it as well, because for some odd reason, I dare say, I 'felt' Danish at that moment! I was proud of the Queen like she was my own Queen too. There was an intangible yet strong sense of belonging and identity I felt in the midst of the merriment. Nestled in my cosy seat, laughing and enjoying the antics and grace of the Nutcracker in the warm auditorium with my friends, a few hundred other Danes including Queen Margrethe, I thought, maybe THIS is hygge.

Trying to recount and recapture that feeling is indeed tough, let alone writing about it. Despite drinking a hearty portion of some potent glögg afterwards with my friends, the same 'Danish' feeling I sensed had evaporated. That had been my own hygge moment at the ballet. It definitely wasn't just having a good time; it was something more, a feeling of warmth, belonging and yes, for lack of a better word, 'cosiness.' How different or close to a Dane's idea of hygge it was, det jeg ved ikke . Just like the Dane I interviewed earlier in the semester so wisely told me, "It's an atmosphere thing," and what a great atmosphere it was to finish off my semester here in the Kingdom of Denmark.

Tak to HRH Queen Margrethe who unknowingly changed my stubborn mind about hygge!