Expat in Denmark is back on social media!

We were there before, and we are now back again! We are relaunching the profile of @expatindenmark, and we are very excited to show it to you.

As we are starting the profile from scratch, we would very much like your input on what we should be focusing on in terms of content. Should it be interviews, promotion of events, memes? Whatever you want, we will try and create.

Our ambition is to make our Instagram a hub of knowledge and fun about Denmark to make it easier for expats to indulge and enjoy living in Denmark. Be sure to check out our Instagram, by clicking the bottom right button. Help us out by answering the question or poll that is posted to our story and be sure to follow for an exciting 2024!

We have a website now! If you are struggling to get an overview of everything Expat in Denmark has to offer, then go visit our website. Apart from being our platform for everything Expat in Denmark, it will also be a place for you to indulge in different content. Everything from communities with expats to earlier editions of the newsletter will be available to you.

Be sure to check out the website (di.dk/expatindenmark) by clicking the bottom left button to not miss out on what we do apart from this newsletter. Again, we have made this for you!

If you (or someone you know) would like to share your/their story, whether it be about your job or personal life as an expat in Denmark, be sure to send us an e-mail at ankh@di.dk - You are also welcome to slide into our DM's at @expatindenmark on Instagram. If you have an idea for the newsletter or our website, you are also more than welcome to contact us!

The Royal family receives a rather high approval rates among the Danish population. Actually it is one of the most approved of monarchies in the world. With an approval rating lying steadily above 80% Denmark's royal family is rated notably higher in approval than their British counterparts who have an approval rating of only 55% in the latest poll.

Even though the approval rating of the royal family in Denmark has been high for many years, it hasn't always been that way. 52 years ago, in 1972, when Margrethe II took over from her father Frederick IX, the approval rate of the monarchy was only 42%. In a period where the support for monarchies around the world has fallen significantly, the Danish monarchy has not only stood strong, it has reingratiated itself in the hearts of the Danish population. The approval rating has doubled and that is in large owed to the queen herself.

The love for the queen has been almost never ending in the period up until her abdication. This is in part because of longevity and the familiarity with her. But it is also a result of her person, what se stood for beyond her royal duties. During her life, she established a reputation as a talented artist. After reading Tolkien's Lord of the Rings to her sons as a bedtime story, she was inspired to paint representations of the imaginary landscapes of Tolkien's world. Under the pseudonym of Ingahild Grathmer, Queen Margrethe had her works published in the 1977 edition of Tolkien's world famous story. Her interest in the arts of especially scenery and costume design has resulted in her works being seen at the Royal Danish Ballet and Copenhagen's Tivoli. Furthermore, her paintings and embroideries have been exhibited in numerous museums and churches throughout Europe.

Whilst having a warm presence and a warm smile, she also had a no-nonsense manner and thus she encapsulated the Danish nature in her behavior. Although she was born into immense privilege, she managed to become a mother to the nation for many Danes, and a strong role model for many Danish women.

King Frederik X (the 10th) as he is now called, has been first in line to succeed the throne of Denmark his whole life. But that is not the only throne he is in line to succeed. He is also 332nd in line to the British throne. In 2004 he married Mary from Australia, and together they are now king and queen. King Frederik was born in 1968 at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, and since then he has had the constant attention of the Danish media. In his years as crown prince, Frederik garnered a reputation as a sweet but shy man, and as such he has never been looked at in the same way as his intellectually talented mother. However, his clumsiness with words has not translated into his physicality. Known for being incredibly passionate about sport and nature, he frequently skis and sails, and he is also the first royal ever to complete an ironman.

Although the characters of Margrethe II and her son are quite different, it is difficult to grasp what the actual changes will be. The most obvious change will probably be the production of a new batch of coins. Denmark's National Bank have traditionally made coins with the profile of the new regent when they have ascended the throne. As well as coins, the crown jewels will now be worn by a new person. It will however not be Frederik, instead it will be Queen Mary who will bear the priceless jewels.

Every regent must have a royal motto. A sentence that represents them, their future as a regent and the country they will rule. King Frederik X's royal motto is; "Forbundne, forpligtet, for Kongeriget Danmark" - "United, committed, for the Kingdom of Denmark". The symbolism is scarce and you might struggle to interpret anything extraordinary. Notably however, this royal motto is one of the few in Danish royal history which does not mention "God".

In addition to the royal motto, the most interesting part of king Frederik's rhetorical future will be his speeches. And one speech in particular. The New Years speech, held annually by the regent at new year is a major conversation topic among the Danes, and this was also the speech in which Margrethe announced her abdication. The speech, although not a particularly old phenomena, is deeply rooted in tradition. Specific subjects and sentences are expected to appear, and the expectations have become such a big thing, that bookmakers will take bets on what the queen will say this year. The most ubiquitous sentence however, is the final 3 words of the speech. "Gud bevare Danmark" translated to "God preserve Denmark". Much more known than the royal motto of Margrethe, this concluding sentence will surely have the Danes plastered to the TV-screen when the clock strikes 18:00 on the 31st of December, 2024. Will Frederik repeat his mothers words? Or will he establish himself as his own person and choose a new conclusion to the most popular 15 minutes of Danish television? You can be sure to inspire a passionate conversation if you ask those questions to a Dane in this coming year.

The Danes, as has been established, love to talk about the weather. Mostly there is nothing of actual importance to talk about, but they do anyway. Imagine then when the weather is actually something that affects us on a larger scale. When a storm arrives, often times the bridges connecting Sjælland with Fyn and Fyn with Jylland get closed. If just for a couple of days it might not be the biggest deal, but during Christmas it certainly is, and it certainly was a big deal this time as well.

For a small week (felt longer) during Christmas everyone was talking about this storm named "Pia".

You might have sensed that a certain nervosity spread among the population in that time and for that small week (felt longer) everyone was talking about one thing. A storm was coming. "Can we get across the bridge?", people asked while making new plans in the back of their minds.

But, in the end, nothing catastrophical happened and the conversations about wind were now replaced by conversations of snow.

Interestingly the tradition of naming the storms that pass through Denmark is a rather new invention. In 2013, then minister for climate, Martin Lidegaard decided that the storm passing through Denmark, should be named, just like it had been in the neighboring countries. By popular demand from the readers of the newspaper Ekstra Bladet - the name decided was Allan, after the Danish football-player Allan Simonsen. On that day, a tradition was born, which means that every now and then, when the mild weather turns rough, the people of Denmark will start to utter a traditional Danish name in abundance.

If you live on Zealand or are interested in light-installations, then this festival is for you! Put on a warm jacket, pocket your thermos, and venture out into the beautifully lit up Copenhagen from the 2nd to the 25th of February.

This year Copenhagen Light Festival has kicked off at Vestre Kirkegaard in Vesterbro. Here you can already experience five fantastic light works. With an early opening of this year's light festival, there is free entry until 22:00 every evening for anyone who wants to explore the beautiful surroundings of the cemetery.