The Culture of Denmark is inherently hard to define. None the less, there are some general characteristics often associated with Danish society and everyday culture. Danes are generally a reserved people, though they are often considered positively outgoing compared to their northern cousins in Norway and Sweden. Danes are fun loving, as a trip through any town on a Friday night can attest, but hard working when there's something to be done. Danes like the idea of 'civilized' nature. They are generally compassionate, articulate, and clean. Consequently, there is also a sense of arrogance and smugness sometimes associated with the Danes. Equality is an important part of Danish culture, so much so that, 'success' or what may be seen as a deliberate attempt to distinguish one self from others may be viewed with hostility. This characteristic is called Janteloven or Jante's Law by Danes. Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning to cultivate), generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activity significance. ... Social equality is a social state of affairs in which certain different people have the same status in a certain respect, minimally at least in voting rights, freedom of speech and assembly, and property rights. ... The Jante Law (Janteloven) is a concept created by the Danish/Norwegian author Aksel Sandemose in his novel En flygtning krysser sitt spor (A refugee crosses his tracks) (1933), where he portrays his native town Nykøbing Mors as it was in the beginning of the 20th century. ...

Cultural achievements

Denmark has a rich cultural and intellectual heritage. The astronomical discoveries of Tycho Brahe (1546-1601), Ludwig A. Colding's (1815-1888) neglected articulation of the principle of conservation of energy, and the brilliant contributions to atomic physics of Niels Bohr (1885-1962) indicate the range of Danish scientific achievement. The fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen (1805-75), the philosophical essays of Søren Kierkegaard (1813-55), the short stories of Karen Blixen (penname Isak Dinesen, 1885-1962), and the dense, aphoristic poetry of Piet Hein (1905–1996), have earned international recognition, as have the symphonies of Carl Nielsen (1865-1931). Danish applied art and industrial design have won awards for excellence. The name of Georg Jensen (1866-1935) is known worldwide for modern design in silver. The Royal Danish Porcelain Factory ("Royal Copenhagen") and Bing & Grøndahl, renowned for the quality of their porcelain and ceramics, export their products worldwide. Ceramic designs by Bjørn Wiinblad also are well known and popular. In recent years, Danish movies have attracted international attention, especially those associated with Dogme 95. However the country has alwyays had a strong tradition of movie making and in Carl Theodor Dreyer has produced one of the world's greatest film directors. In software engineering, Danes have made significant contributions through Bjarne Stroustrup (inventor of C++) and Anders Hejlsberg (creator of Turbo Pascal, Delphi and the C# programming language). Visitors to Denmark will discover a wealth of cultural activity. The Royal Danish Ballet, an exceptional company, specializes in the work of the great Danish choreographer August Bournonville (1805-79). Danes have distinguished themselves as jazz musicians, and the Copenhagen Jazz Festival has acquired an international reputation. The modern pop and rock scene is not as well developed as that of, say, Sweden but has still produced a few bands of note (for example, The Raveonettes, Junior Senior and Mew). International collections of modern art enjoy unusually attractive settings at the Louisiana Museum north of Copenhagen and at the North Jutland Art Museum in Aalborg. The State Museum of Art and the Glyptotek, both in Copenhagen, contain treasures of Danish and international art. The Museum of Applied Art and Industrial Design in Copenhagen exhibits the best in Danish design. Tycho Brahe Monument of Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler in Prague   , born Tyge Ottesen Brahe (December 14, 1546 – October 24, 1601), was a Danish (Scanian) nobleman best known today as an early astronomer, though in his lifetime he was also well known as an astrologer and alchemist. ... Ludwig A. Colding (1815 - 1888) was a Danish engineer who played a key role in formulating the principle of the conservation of energy. ... Conservation of energy states that the total amount of energy (often expressed as the sum of kinetic energy and potential energy) in an isolated system remains constant. ... Niels (Henrik David) Bohr (October 7, 1885 – November 18, 1962) was a Danish physicist who made fundamental contributions to understanding atomic structure and quantum mechanics. ... Søren and David has GIANT P-nizzes ;) ( length: 20 cm, Diameter 6 cm ) FUCK YEAH :D This does not cite its references or sources. ... Søren Aabye Kierkegaard (IPA:  ; 5 May 1813 – 11 November 1855) was a 19th century Danish philosopher and theologian, generally recognized as the first existentialist philosopher. ... Blixen in Kenya, 1918 Karen von Blixen-Finecke (April 17, 1885 – September 7, 1962), neé Dinesen, was a Danish author also known under her pen name Isak Dinesen. ... Blixen in Kenya, 1918 Isak Dinesen (April 17, 1885-September 7, 1962) was a pen name for the Danish author Karen Blixen. ... Piet Hein (December 16, 1905 - April 18, 1996) was a scientist, mathematician, inventor, author, and poet, often writing under the Old Norse pseudonym Kumbel meaning tombstone. His short poems, gruks (or grooks), first started to appear in the daily newspaper Politiken shortly after the Nazi Occupation in April 1940 under... Carl Nielsen Carl August Nielsen (June 9, 1865, Sortelung – October 3, 1931, Copenhagen) was a conductor, violinist, and the most internationally known composer from Denmark. ... Georg Jensen is an important Danish silversmith and designer. ... The Royal Porcelain Factory (in Danish: Den kongelige Porcelænsfabrik) was founded in 1775 under the protection of Queen Juliane Marie and has since been recognised by its factory mark, the three waved lines above each other, which symbolises Denmark’s three straits: Øresund, Store Bælt and Lille B... Bjørn Wiinblad (20. ... Dogme 95 (in English: Dogma 95) is an avant-garde filmmaking movement started in 1995 by the Danish directors Lars von Trier, Thomas Vinterberg, Kristian Levring, and Søren Kragh-Jacobsen. ... Carl Theodor Dreyer (February 3, 1889 - March 20, 1968) was a Danish film director. ... Bjarne Stroustrup Bjarne Stroustrup (IPA: ) (born December 30, 1950 in Aarhus, Denmark) is a computer scientist and the College of Engineering Chair Professor of Computer Science at Texas A&M University. ... C++ (generally pronounced ) is a general-purpose, high-level programming language with low-level facilities. ... Anders Hejlsberg (born c. ... Turbo Pascal 3. ... Delphi is the primary programming language of Borland Delphi. ... The title given to this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. ... The Royal Danish Ballet is one of the oldest ballet troupes in Europe. ... August Bournonville (August 21, 1805–November 30, 1879) was a ballet master and French ballet master, Antoine Bournonville, who had settled in Denmark. ... Jazz is an original American musical art form that originated around the start of the 20th century in New Orleans, rooted in African American musical styles blended with Western music technique and theory. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Junior Senior is a hip hop, dance and rock duo from Denmark. ... It has been suggested that Bo Madsen be merged into this article or section. ... Copenhagen (IPA: , rhyming with pagan (the way the Danes themselves pronounce the name of the capital in English), or , with a as in spa; Danish   IPA: ) is the capital of Denmark and the countrys largest city (metropolitan population 1,211,542 (2006)), at present made up of 16 municipalities. ... View of Aalborg railroad station from J.F. Kennedys Square, 2004 Aalborg (help· info) is a municipality (Danish, kommune) in North Jutland County on the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. ... The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek is an art museum in Copenhagen, Denmark. ...

Among today's Danish writers, probably the best-known to international readers is Peter Høeg (Smilla's Sense of Snow; Borderliners) and the most prolific is Klaus Rifbjerg– poet, novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. Benny Andersen writes poems, short stories, and music. Poems by both writers have been translated into English by the Curbstone Press. Kirsten Thorup's Baby, winner of the 1980 Pegasus Prize, is printed in English by the University of Louisiana Press. The psychological thrillers of Anders Bodelsen also appear in English. Suzanne Brøgger and Vita Andersen focus largely on the changing roles of women in society. In music, Hans Abrahamsen and Per Nørgård are the two most famous living composers. Hans Abrahamsen's works have been performed by the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, DC. Peter Høeg, born on May 17, 1957, is one of Denmarks most celebrated contemporary writers of fiction. ... Smillas Sense of Snow (also published as Miss Smillas Feeling for Snow), is a book by Danish author Peter Høeg. ... Klaus Rifbjerg (b. ... Anders Bodelsen (born 1937) is a prolific Danish writer primarily associated with the 1960 new-realism wave in Danish literature, along with Christian Kampmann and Henrik Stangerup. ... Hans Abrahamsen is a Danish composer, born in Copenhagen on December 23, 1952. ... Per NørgÃ¥rd (b. ... The Hall of Nations in the Kennedy Center, with the banner of the NSO. The National Symphony Orchestra in Washington DC is a major symphony orchestra that performs at the Kennedy Center. ...

Sexual equality is a high priority in Denmark. Danes are quite liberal and tolerant towards sexual minorities. Feminism is a body of social theory and a political movement primarily based on, and motivated by, the experiences of women. ...

Copenhagen is a popular destination for lesbian and bisexual travellers. It has an active gay community and lots of nightlife options. The main gay and lesbian festival of the year is the Mermaid Pride parade, a big Mardi Gras-like bash that occurs on a Saturday in early August. There's also the Copenhagen Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, held each year in October. Danes have a high degree of tolerance for 'alternative' lifestyles of all sorts, and gays are as free as anyone to express themselves. The LBL (Landsforeningen for Bøsser og Lesbiske)(a national organisation for gay men, lesbians and bisexuals) was established in 1948, and in 1989 Denmark became the first country in Europe to offer gay partners most of the same legal rights as heterosexual couples. Adoption laws are liberal compared to other Western countries and public displays of affection between people of the same sex are unlikely to provoke ire. Lesbians wishing to have access to artificial insemination do not provoke the sort of scandals that can occur in other societies. Copenhagen (IPA: , rhyming with pagan (the way the Danes themselves pronounce the name of the capital in English), or , with a as in spa; Danish   IPA: ) is the capital of Denmark and the countrys largest city (metropolitan population 1,211,542 (2006)), at present made up of 16 municipalities. ... A lesbian is a female who is exclusively emotionally, sexually, and romantically attracted to other females. ... In human sexuality, bisexuality describes a man or woman having a sexual orientation to persons of either or both sexes (a man or woman who sexually likes both sexes; people who are sexually and/or romantically attracted to both males and females). ... Mardi Gras (French for Fat Tuesday) is the day before Ash Wednesday, and is also called Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day. It is the final day of Carnival (English:IPA: and Romance languages:IPA: ). It is a celebration that is held just before the beginning of the Christian liturgical season... The cross of the war memorial and a menorah for Hanukkah coexist in Oxford. ... World map showing Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is one of the six inhabited continents of the Earth. ... Heterosexuality is a sexual orientation characterized by esthetic attraction, romantic love or sexual desire exclusively for members of the opposite sex or gender, contrasted with homosexuality and distinguished from bisexuality and asexuality. ...

Sport

Sports are popular in Denmark and its citizens participate in and watch a wide variety. The national sport is football with the most nótable results being qualifying for the European Championships six times in a row (1984-) and winning the Championship in 1992. Other results include winning the Confederations Cup in 1995 and reaching the quarter final of the 1998 World Championships. Other popular sports include handball, badminton, cycling, ice hockey, tennis, gymnastics and recently also golf. The most popular sport and favorite of all of course would be football. where even kids as young as ten feel strongly about. The 1992 UEFA European Football Championship (Euro 92) final tournament was hosted by Sweden. ...