Sitting by the fire on a cold winter night, wearing your favorite oversized sweater, while drinking hot chocolate and reading a book surrounded by candles. That’s definitely “hygge”. Hygge is also about surrounding yourself with the things that make life good, like friendship, laughter and security, as well as more concrete things like warmth, light, seasonal food and drink. It works best when there’s not too large an empty space around the person or people.
A few years ago, if you asked a group of Danes to translate the word “hygge,” they would probably become a bit hesitant. Some would fall back on ‘cosiness’ to define it, others that it’s about the sense of contentment that comes from being with friends and family. These days, the term has become so all pervasive that it was short-listed for the Oxford Dictionary Word of the Year. Find a photo on Instagram of a convivial bar bedecked with tealights and a #hygge hashtag is almost obligatory. The Danish capital of Copenhagen is reaping the benefits.
Friends meeting in the street might say that it has been hyggeligt to see each other, and someone who is fun to be with can be called a hyggelig fyr, when he would hardly be describes as a ‘cosy fellow’. The truly emotive depth of the word hyggelig is best captured by considering its opposite, uhyggeligt, which means anything from cheerless through sinister to downright shocking and grisly.
To have a hyggelig time is social nirvana in Denmark. Candlelight is used to encourage a hyggelig atmosphere. In fact, the Danes are mad about candles and use them everywhere, both in public places like cafes, bars, restaurants and offices, and in the home. The dim lighting helps to soften the clean, uncluttered surfaces and uncompromising white walls that are that are typical features of Danish living rooms. Everyone’s ideal is to have a Christiania kaakelovn (antique stove) or an open fireplace and feel the warmth from its hyggelige glow.
The Danes fight their cold and dark winters with their best weapon: hygge, and the millions of candles that go with it. Ever been to Tivoli Gardens or walked the streets of Copenhagen during Christmas season? Then you know what Danes can do with lighting and mulled wine (known as gløgg)!
Source: Press release from VisitCopenhagen.com
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