Danish Golden Wedding Anniversary

In Denmark you celebrate your golden wedding anniversary probably like in most countries by having a party with all your nearest and dearest. The difference being that in Denmark local friends and neighbours meet up the night before the big day to create a wreath to hang round the main door of the couple’s house. It’s made by creating a long garland of pine branches with added flowers and fairy lights and then topped off with a heart shape sign with their names on which hangs above the door.

Once finished everyone is invited into the couples home for soup, cake and coffee. Everyone will then return very early the next morning to wake up the couple with singing, often trumpet music or banging pots and pans – utter Danish madness, I know! Once woken up the couple walks through the door with the wreath to greet their neighbour and friends once more. It’s a way of re-confirming their marriage as the same tradition/ritual happens at their wedding although people don’t show up in the morning thank goodness as you would be late for church!

The tradition is that you invite your friends and neighbours in again for breakfast and hopefully manage to ‘kick’ them out before the actual party starts later that day, it is certainly full on.