19 December: "Let's hope for the snow!"
Kyriaki Karvela is an international student from Greece and studies Business Development. For the first time she will celebrate Christmas in Denmark.
The Omnibus Advent Calendar:
The Advent calendar is a treasured Danish Christmas tradition. In many families, kids get to open a small gift each day all December until Christmas Eve, when Christmas is celebrated.
Our small holiday gift to you is a chance to meet one of AU’s many international students and employees every day until Christmas.
All 24 will share where they’re spending Christmas this year, their favorite (and least favorite) Christmas traditions from their home countries, and what’s most annoying – or surprising – about Christmas in Denmark.
How are you going to celebrate Christmas this year?
This year I will celebrate Christmas first time in Denmark! A lot of walks, shopping, traditional food and drinks. Let's hope for the snow!
What is the best / worst Christmas tradition from your home country?
On 24 December kids are going from house to house singing Christmas carols, they also do this 31 December in the morning. We have different carols for Christmas and new year. On 24 and 25 December families gather for lunch or dinner, most of the time we have turkey for Christmas and many others courses as well.
We have three different Christmas sweets the first one is the melomakarono (One of the best things during Christmas!), the second one is called kourabies and it's a biscuit with nuts covered by sugar. The third one is called diples and its fried dough covered by honey and nuts. The Christmas time is spend with family and friends. We host many Christmas tables. On 31 December we enter the new year with family and friends and then we go out to some clubs or bars to celebrate the new year. So it's a long night.
On the New Years Eve we have a cake with a coin hidden inside. After we've entered the new year, we cut the cake. There is a slice of cake for everyone in the family, and whoever finds the coin wins a small gift and we say that he or she will have a nice year ahead with luck.
What do you think is most annoying about Danish Christmas?
I am really excited that I will spend Christmas in Aarhus this year and so far I haven't notice anything annoying about Danish Christmas!
- Καλά Χριστούγεννα!
The Omnibus Advent Calendar:
The Advent calendar is a treasured Danish Christmas tradition. In many families, kids get to open a small gift each day all December until Christmas Eve, when Christmas is celebrated.
Our small holiday gift to you is a chance to meet one of AU’s many international students and employees every day until Christmas.
All 24 will share where they’re spending Christmas this year, their favorite (and least favorite) Christmas traditions from their home countries, and what’s most annoying – or surprising – about Christmas in Denmark.