If I had a krone for every time I heard someone talk about the importance of attending a julefrokost in order to socially integrate in Denmark, well, I might not be rich but I’d probably have enough money to buy a cafe latte in Copenhagen. While I wasn’t fortunate enough to score an invitation to a julefrokost this year (probably because I don’t have a ‘proper job’ yet, as my mom would put it) I still can’t help wondering what it is about this event that makes it so essential in Danish life.
Naturally I’m not referring to the actual Christmas day lunch, but to the traditional Christmas office parties taking place throughout December. One website with information to foreigners on Denmark describes these events as a ‘unique chance to see the native Danes at their most Danish’ – apparently the event consists of the Danish staples of social events, which means long-winded speeches, cheerful (and as mentioned in my last post, somewhat dorky to the foreign eyes) song-singing, and of course – lots of drinking. All of which can probably be summed up as the essence of ‘hygge’ and all of which I’ve experienced before at social and family events in Denmark.
I’ve always felt that social events in Denmark are quite telling about the Danish culture since they appeared to be rather different from social events I had experienced elsewhere, especially in the number and length of speeches and songs (I’m still not quite sure what the deal is with all those songs). The sheer duration of the events themselves is also quite shocking to the initiate. The above-mentioned website describes it well: ‘The Danes have a remarkable ability to sit at a party table for hours on end, practising an extreme, and possibly inherited form of bladder control’.
But it appears that the julefrokost stands out from other Danish social events, especially in two ways: the amount of alcohol consumed (the website calls the event ‘a party where the Danes gather to eat and drink themselves into a frenzy of Christmas cheer’) and the, how shall we put it, ‘friendly’ behavior displayed by employees (referred to as ‘employees are expected to let their hair down’ by the website). Stories from friends mention frequent physical activity among co-workers and sometimes even with bosses. This sounded quite familiar to me – I’ve experienced it before in London.
One of my first shocks in London when I moved there years ago was the somber and unsocial office work environment (anyone who’s experienced the English work tradition of lunch equaling a sandwich eaten hastily at one’s desk in front of one’s computer, would know what I’m talking about). The shock got greater when during my first office Christmas party I witnessed all my colleagues becoming extremely friendly and social under the influence of alcohol, the contrast with the normal day-to-day behavior being so stark that it brought Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to mind. I’ll never forget coming home that night and telling my partner that I discovered my colleagues did in fact have a social personality and that everything would now be different at the office. Sure enough, the following Monday there was no trace of that night’s behavior and the day-to-day routine went straight back to its depressingly unsocial former self.
The stories I hear of the Danish julefrokost, with its extreme warm and social behavior by co-workers followed by a chilling return to the office code on the following Monday, sound strangely similar to my London experiences. I say strangely, because in London I blamed the typical English reserve and politeness for the change of behavior from ‘everyday distant’ to ‘Christmas party night warm’. In Denmark I always felt people were direct and honest (not to say uninhibited) as a general rule – why then do they also seem to change their behavior drastically under the influence of alcohol at the office Christmas party? Surely in their case there’s not such a great need to ‘let go’ and ‘lose one’s inhibitions’ as in the case of the English?
Perhaps the conclusion is that the Danes are not as much ‘themselves’ in the office environment as I had always thought, and that therefore they do in fact have a need to let their hair down during the Christmas party. Or maybe the Danes, just like the English and so many others, simply enjoy getting drunk and frisky with their colleagues one night a year. I’ll probably only be able to answer the question if and when I ever join a ‘typical’ Danish office environment and attend a typical julefrokost. Meanwhile I can find comfort in the fact that I’m not the only one missing out on a julefrokost experience this year – a Danish friend working for a ‘proper’ company told me their party got cancelled this year due to cutbacks, and apparently they’re one of many companies to do so. It sounds like this year many Danes will have to find another opportunity to let their hair down…
Naturally I’m not referring to the actual Christmas day lunch, but to the traditional Christmas office parties taking place throughout December. One website with information to foreigners on Denmark describes these events as a ‘unique chance to see the native Danes at their most Danish’ – apparently the event consists of the Danish staples of social events, which means long-winded speeches, cheerful (and as mentioned in my last post, somewhat dorky to the foreign eyes) song-singing, and of course – lots of drinking. All of which can probably be summed up as the essence of ‘hygge’ and all of which I’ve experienced before at social and family events in Denmark.
I’ve always felt that social events in Denmark are quite telling about the Danish culture since they appeared to be rather different from social events I had experienced elsewhere, especially in the number and length of speeches and songs (I’m still not quite sure what the deal is with all those songs). The sheer duration of the events themselves is also quite shocking to the initiate. The above-mentioned website describes it well: ‘The Danes have a remarkable ability to sit at a party table for hours on end, practising an extreme, and possibly inherited form of bladder control’.
But it appears that the julefrokost stands out from other Danish social events, especially in two ways: the amount of alcohol consumed (the website calls the event ‘a party where the Danes gather to eat and drink themselves into a frenzy of Christmas cheer’) and the, how shall we put it, ‘friendly’ behavior displayed by employees (referred to as ‘employees are expected to let their hair down’ by the website). Stories from friends mention frequent physical activity among co-workers and sometimes even with bosses. This sounded quite familiar to me – I’ve experienced it before in London.
One of my first shocks in London when I moved there years ago was the somber and unsocial office work environment (anyone who’s experienced the English work tradition of lunch equaling a sandwich eaten hastily at one’s desk in front of one’s computer, would know what I’m talking about). The shock got greater when during my first office Christmas party I witnessed all my colleagues becoming extremely friendly and social under the influence of alcohol, the contrast with the normal day-to-day behavior being so stark that it brought Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to mind. I’ll never forget coming home that night and telling my partner that I discovered my colleagues did in fact have a social personality and that everything would now be different at the office. Sure enough, the following Monday there was no trace of that night’s behavior and the day-to-day routine went straight back to its depressingly unsocial former self.
The stories I hear of the Danish julefrokost, with its extreme warm and social behavior by co-workers followed by a chilling return to the office code on the following Monday, sound strangely similar to my London experiences. I say strangely, because in London I blamed the typical English reserve and politeness for the change of behavior from ‘everyday distant’ to ‘Christmas party night warm’. In Denmark I always felt people were direct and honest (not to say uninhibited) as a general rule – why then do they also seem to change their behavior drastically under the influence of alcohol at the office Christmas party? Surely in their case there’s not such a great need to ‘let go’ and ‘lose one’s inhibitions’ as in the case of the English?
Perhaps the conclusion is that the Danes are not as much ‘themselves’ in the office environment as I had always thought, and that therefore they do in fact have a need to let their hair down during the Christmas party. Or maybe the Danes, just like the English and so many others, simply enjoy getting drunk and frisky with their colleagues one night a year. I’ll probably only be able to answer the question if and when I ever join a ‘typical’ Danish office environment and attend a typical julefrokost. Meanwhile I can find comfort in the fact that I’m not the only one missing out on a julefrokost experience this year – a Danish friend working for a ‘proper’ company told me their party got cancelled this year due to cutbacks, and apparently they’re one of many companies to do so. It sounds like this year many Danes will have to find another opportunity to let their hair down…
No comments:
Post a Comment