Finding cheer is never difficult at Christmas for Scandinavians, for whom the holiday is the highlight of the winter season. Food and beer are never in short supply at parties, and the spirit of togetherness creates a hyggelig – Danish for “cozy” – environment, like a warm fire against a cold wind.
The Danish Christmas Bazaar was the first of the Washington area's several Scandinavian Christmas celebrations that attempt to recreate that spirit while providing Christmas treats and trappings to Scandinavian immigrants and Americans who do not claim that ancestry. Held in St. Elizabeth's Church in Rockville, Maryland, the Bazaar featured a smørrebrøds of open-faced sandwiches, as well as traditional songs and dancing.
The Bazaar was organized by the Danish Club of Washington, D.C., who have partnered with the Royal Danish Embassy for many years to preserve Danish traditions and foster cultural exchanges between the United States and Denmark. Tables piled with pastries greeted guests as they walked in, and crowds of people snatched them up within hours of the opening. Once you moved past the pastries, the hall was lined with tables loaded with imported Danish goods: candies and treats; greenery; arts and crafts; Christmas trim with advent calendars and candles; amber and silver jewelry; and the famous Royal Copenhagen and Bing & Grøndahl china.
After perusing tables covered with red and white paper hearts, contrasting the deep green of pine wreaths and centerpieces made from polished pine logs, guests could treat themselves to another heartily-embraced Danish tradition: a holiday lunch. The simple set-up of the Danish Café belied the complex and delicious flavors awaiting guests. Options included Fisk Fillet (fried fish with a remoulade sauce), Frikadeller (fried spiced meatball), a Leverpostej (liver patê) sandwich, Røget Laks (smoked salmon sandwiches topped with dill and a mustard sauce), and Derlaegens Natmad, or “ the Vet's nite snack” (beef and liver pate topped with consomme jelly). Desert options, if you had missed the earlier rush on pastries, offered Kringle (a flaky pastry with almond paste), Aeblekage (apple cake), and Kransekage (marzipan cookies). To compliment the hearty meal, Carlsberg beers set up a tap nearby.
The day was brought to an end with a performance of traditional song and dance. A locally based group by the name of Skandal played violins and an accordion, while dancers from the Nordic Folk Dancers dressed in traditional Danish outfits and performed jovially for the crowd.
If you missed the Danish Christmas Bazaar, but still want to party it up with some merry Scandinavians, here's a list of upcoming events in the Washington, D.C. area:
- Norwegian Festival and Bazaar - Friday, December 2nd and Saturday, December 3rd, at the Fairfax Elks Club
- SWEA Swedish Bazaar - Saturday, December 3rd, at the House of Sweden; St. Lucia performance at 1:00 pm
- American Scandinavian Association Christmas Bazaar and St. Lucia Festival - Saturday, December 10th, at St. James Episcopal Church; St. Lucia performance at 5:00 pm
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Scandinavians Celebrate the Holidays with Community
November 22, 2011
Finding cheer is never difficult at Christmas for Scandinavians, for whom the holiday is the highlight of the winter season. Food and beer are never in short supply at parties, and the spirit of togetherness creates a hyggelig – Danish for “cozy” – environment, like a warm fire against a cold wind.
The Danish Christmas Bazaar was the first of the Washington area's several Scandinavian Christmas celebrations that attempt to recreate that spirit while providing Christmas treats and trappings to Scandinavian immigrants and Americans who do not claim that ancestry. Held in St. Elizabeth's Church in Rockville, Maryland, the Bazaar featured a smørrebrøds of open-faced sandwiches, as well as traditional songs and dancing.
The Bazaar was organized by the Danish Club of Washington, D.C., who have partnered with the Royal Danish Embassy for many years to preserve Danish traditions and foster cultural exchanges between the United States and Denmark. Tables piled with pastries greeted guests as they walked in, and crowds of people snatched them up within hours of the opening. Once you moved past the pastries, the hall was lined with tables loaded with imported Danish goods: candies and treats; greenery; arts and crafts; Christmas trim with advent calendars and candles; amber and silver jewelry; and the famous Royal Copenhagen and Bing & Grøndahl china.
After perusing tables covered with red and white paper hearts, contrasting the deep green of pine wreaths and centerpieces made from polished pine logs, guests could treat themselves to another heartily-embraced Danish tradition: a holiday lunch. The simple set-up of the Danish Café belied the complex and delicious flavors awaiting guests. Options included Fisk Fillet (fried fish with a remoulade sauce), Frikadeller (fried spiced meatball), a Leverpostej (liver patê) sandwich, Røget Laks (smoked salmon sandwiches topped with dill and a mustard sauce), and Derlaegens Natmad, or “ the Vet's nite snack” (beef and liver pate topped with consomme jelly). Desert options, if you had missed the earlier rush on pastries, offered Kringle (a flaky pastry with almond paste), Aeblekage (apple cake), and Kransekage (marzipan cookies). To compliment the hearty meal, Carlsberg beers set up a tap nearby.
The day was brought to an end with a performance of traditional song and dance. A locally based group by the name of Skandal played violins and an accordion, while dancers from the Nordic Folk Dancers dressed in traditional Danish outfits and performed jovially for the crowd.
If you missed the Danish Christmas Bazaar, but still want to party it up with some merry Scandinavians, here's a list of upcoming events in the Washington, D.C. area:
- Norwegian Festival and Bazaar - Friday, December 2nd and Saturday, December 3rd, at the Fairfax Elks Club
- SWEA Swedish Bazaar - Saturday, December 3rd, at the House of Sweden; St. Lucia performance at 1:00 pm
- American Scandinavian Association Christmas Bazaar and St. Lucia Festival - Saturday, December 10th, at St. James Episcopal Church; St. Lucia performance at 5:00 pm
