Did you know that our Danish friends have applied for UNESCO status for hygge as ‘intangible cultural heritage’? I must admit, I was pretty surprised about this when the press release dropped into my inbox. I always thought UNESCO was for physical sites of cultural heritage – I had no idea that an intangible concept…
Tag: denmark
7 untranslatable Nordic words you’ll love
In case you hadn’t heard, I’m quite fond of hygge. One of the things I really love about it is that there is no direct translation into English – this is the Linguistics graduate in me. I love the different characters of languages that give us terms we can’t say neatly in our own language….
Hygge mythbusting
In the last few weeks, amid the deluge of posts about hygge, I’ve seen a few creeping through talking about how it’s smug, it’s ‘ruining London’ and it’s Denmark’s ‘least welcome import’. I think it goes without saying that I think this is all pure nonsense, and I can’t help but wonder how many of these…
Hygge and happiness with Meik Wiking
Got a hyggestund? I’m in a serious state of hyggehjørnet, so let’s hyggesnak about our favourite topic: that’s right, it’s hygge! And if you’re wondering what these fabulous terms mean, you’d better get your hands on a copy of The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well by Meik Wiking. I’m the…
Time for Hygge Tea
Spring is great. It’s often overlooked as a transition from sparkly, merry winter to hot summers on the beach, but I love it. Bursts of pink and white blossom and lilac skies and April showers and brightening evenings and all other sorts of colourful gorgeousness ensue. But another reason I love spring is that it’s…
Claus M. Lohman: ‘Everybody can hygge’
I need to start this post with another thank you to all the new followers I’ve collected since my last post. I’ve been absolutely overwhelmed by the enthusiasm you guys have expressed for hygge. I always knew it was something special, but the excitement people have expressed to me over the last few days has totally…
A whistlestop tour of Copenhagen
Hej hej! I have, of course, returned from Copenhagen! It was fantastic, despite the wind and the grit (more on those later) and I’m back in one (slighty whiplashed) piece, which is a plus. So, this entry is dedicated to a travel journalism piece about the trip. We arrived around midday last Wednesday, to a…
Hello Hygge 