ALMAS
CONFIRMATION
Dear all, here is everything you need to known regarding Almas confirmation on May 13th 2022.
From adresses, a break down of the big day; to a crash course in the significance of confirmations in Danish culture, flights from the UK and places worth seeing while you are here. Where the majority of background information is mainly aimed at all non-Danes attending.
Please note that we will keep this page updated in case there are any changes.
Deadline: Please let us know wether you will be attending the confirmation
before Wednesday April 20th at 12 AM.
Also let us know wether you have any food allergies or special dietary needs.
Write directly to Barnaby on: stigswann@gmail.com
WHERE TO STAY
Seeing that our corner of Denmark is a popular holiday destination there a several opportunities for places to stay.
Note however that it is a prolonged holiday weekend in Denmark why we advice you to book in good time.
Fuglsøcentret (where Almas party will take place) have offered all our guests a rebate on the following type of rooms. Note that there is currently 10 of each type of room available.
For description of the rooms see (in Danish): www.fuglsoecentret.dk/ophold/vaerelsers
Deadline: If you want to book your stay at Fuglsøcentret with the rebate let us known which type of room and for how many nights before Wednesday April 20th at 12 AM.
Write directly to Barnaby on: stigswann@gmail.com
BONFIRE BARBECUE
THURSDAY MAY 12TH
Confirmation warm up from 18:00-20:00 at Karpenhøj Naturcenter (neighbour to Fuglsøcentret).
Seeing that many of you will probably be arriving on the Thursday we have arranged an informal get together over an evening meal. See video below.
We would also like to offer this as an opportunity to those of you who will not be able to make it to Almas actual confirmation the following day seeing that it is one of the main weekends for confirmations and weddings in Denmark.
Deadline: If you will be joining us for the Bonfire Barbecue let us known before Friday April 20th at 12:00 AM.
Write directly to Barnaby on: stigswann@gmail.com
BREAK DOWN OF
FRIDAY MAY 13TH
10.30 AM
Vistoft Kirke
11.30 AM
outside Vistoft Kirke
AFTER
The Ceremony
12:00 - 19:00 PM
at Fuglsøcentret, Festsalen
19:00 PM - ?
at Fuglsøcentret, Gildesalen
The church ceremony
The day begins with a church ceremony concluding with each of the local teenagers confirming their Christian belief in front of their closest relatives.
Greeting outside the church
Corona aside church seating is often an issue when a group of local youngsters are being confirmed. Why it is common for not only friends and family, but also the local community to greet and offer praise outside church following the service. Each teenager now being referred to as "konfirmanden" i.e. "The Confirmed"
Transporting konfirmanden away from church
The outdoors gathering leads to another tradition (within the tradition) of transporting each konfirmand from church to the location of their individual parties.
Here it is common to surprise with everything from decorated cargo bikes, vintage cars, horse-drawn carriages and so forth. Most often depending on what is at hand within each family.
The Confirmation Party
Three course meal, speeches, communal singing and ‘lejlighedssange’ (songs for the occasion) another Danish tradition in its own right of writing a song based on a popular melody where you often both tease and praise unique characteristics of the person being celebrated.
After Party
Note that it is tradition for the celebration to end early evening with a bite of food to send everyone on their way. So at 19:00 there will be hot dogs in Gildesalen.
Seeing that most of you are staying at Fuglsøcentret Alma will however be breaking tradition by throwing an after party in Gildesalen with drinks and dance floor.
The significance of confirmations in Danish culture
In Denmark confirmations are regarded as one of the central celebrations of life on par with christenings, bar mitzvahs, weddings and so forth.
In spite of it being the religious act of confirming ones Christian belief (and thereby sealing the covenant from your baptism) today it is not important wether the teenager actually believes in God. It is a significant coming of age rite so engrained in Danish society, that even with the more contemporary alternative "non-firmation" stripped of all religious ceremony, the majority of teenagers in Denmark still follow through with the traditional Christian confirmation. Including preparations once a week with the local vicar for approximately 10 months leading up to the big day.
Traditionally the coming of age rite implied you were now ready to pull your weight from working in the fields, for the local notability or going off to sea. It was an obligatory religious act and the consequence of not being confirmed in church meant you were not allowed to study or work. Which probably explains why the tradition went on to become a corner stone in Danish culture.
It is worth noting that Alma wants to confirm her Christian belief on the day.
Bonus info:
The following Monday all ‘konfirmander’ get the day off school to go on a pre-planned outing together. This is called Blå Mandag (Blue Monday).
PLACES OF
INTEREST
Seeing that many of you will mostly likely be making a weekend out of it, here are things worth knowing about our area and a few of our favourite places.
Remember we live right in the middle of a National Park with a varied landscape of sea, hills and kettle holes all shaped by ice and melted water during and after the most recent Ice Age.
NATIONALPARK MOLS BJERGE
Our area offers an abundance of walks, formidable views and vast areas to explore on your own. National Park Mols Bjerge has free printed maps plus an App which lists walking trails, mountain bike routes, shelters, cultural sites and more.
They also have a list of local guides that can take you out on land, on sea or below the surface.
THE SEA
Nothing has shaped Danish culture and nature like the sea. Syddjurs offers a 159 kilometer long varied coastline with beaches, coves and bays. Giving you a vast option between windy and windless spots; child friendly beaches or areas where you descend directly into the deep depending on your needs.
Knebel Bro Harbour is one of our favourite spots to hang out and do water activities.
EBELTOFT
Original Merchant town with old winding cobbled stone streets and half-timbered houses.
The town is turning into a new cultural hub in Denmark and offers attractions like The Old Town Hall; Ebeltoft Havn; Fregatten Jylland (museum and the worlds longest wooden ship); Maltfabrikken (an old derelict malt factory which has been transformed into an Arts Centre).
KALØ SLOTSRUIN
Denmarks longest paved road from the Middle Ages leads you out to the small Kalø peninsula where you find the stunning Kalø Castle Ruins. Built by the Danish King Erik Menved after having defeated The Jutland Peasants’ Revolt in 1313.
There is an App which lets you experience what the castle looked like in its hay day.
JERNHATTEN
The 49 meter ascent up Jernhatten is best described as walking through an Elvish wood with its contorted troll-shaped beech trees and blankets of dark-green ivy. The hill overlooks a white beach sprawled below and the island of Hjelm pivoting in the Kattegat sea.
The beach is also one of the best places for spearing flatfish.
EBELTOFT GÅRDBRYGGERI
A small family run brewery idyllically situated between fields overlooking the Kattegat Sea and Jernhatten. They offer hand-brewed beer and soft drinks served with a light tapas.
Seeing their beers and soft drinks are popular you will however also find them in more or less any local restaurant or café.
THE TOLKIEN
CONSPIRACY
Despite some of you having never visited our corner of Denmark, you are most likely more familiar with some of the local place names and legends then you are aware of.
It is well known that Middle-earth, the fictional setting of the majority of J. R. R. Tolkiens work, is heavily inspired by stories and characters in Norse Mythology. A lesser known fact however is that Tolkien, having spent a significant amount of his scholarly life researching East Jutland, re-interpreted legends and names from this very part of Denmark into his own mythology. In particular areas from Syddjurs where we live (the southern half of the Djursland peninsula).
To name a few examples:
Hjelms Dyb
The major battle in Lord of the Rings vol. II: The Two Towers takes place at the deep gorge Helm's Deep. Denmarks deepest stretch of water which separates the island of Hjelm from the mainland of Syddjurs is called Hjelms Dyb ."Dyb" being the Danish word for deep.
Isengaard
The evil magician Saruman lives in a fortress called Isengaard. Our local manor house and the area around it is called Isgård.
Note that "aa” was how the Danish letter “å” was originally spelt. Why Isgård would previously been spelt Isgaard emphasising the resemblance to Tolkin's Isengaard.
River Aros
Isgård looks out onto Aarhus Bugt (The Bay of Aarhus) bounded by Kalø Vig in the north, Sletterhage and Helgenæs in the east, Samsø and Tunø to the south and the East Jutland Coast to the west. Tolkien's Middle-earth has the River Aros running through it. "Aros" being the viking name for Aarhus.
The legend of King Angantyr
Samsø (Hjelms neighbouring island) is not part of Syddjurs, but clearly visible from the coast and is home to one of the most famous legends in Norse mythology.
Having conquered the whole of Denmark, not least due to his magic sword, the Danish king Angantyr is subsequently killed and buried on Samsø along side his 12 berserker brothers. Despite dying in battle they are all however denied access into Valhalla ("Hall of the Fallen" i.e. the heaven for dead viking warriors) seeing that Odin the king of the Norse Gods does not want Angathyrs magical sword into his realm. The sword granting endless power and victory in battle to whoever owned it, but also carrying a dark curse of doom to its owner. Why death, destructions and a constant change of hands always followed in its wake.
So instead Angantyrs unrestful soul is left to haunt Samsø every night with his enchanted sword and the ghosts of his 12 brothers.
Lord of the Rings also has a ghost king Angantyr with a magical sword and a ghost army who however reside within a mountain and not on an island.
FLIGHTS FROM
THE UK
Current direct flights available on Thursday 12/5 2022
Thursday 12/5 at 12:25 from Stansted Airport to Aarhus Airport (Ryan Air)
Thursday 12/5 at 7:20 from Stansted Airport to Billund Airport (Ryan Air)
Thursday 12/5 at 19:40 from Stansted Airport to Billund Airport (Ryan Air)
Thursday 12/5 at 18:15 from Heathrow Airport to Billund Airport (British Airways)
Thursday 12/5 21:00 from Billund Airport to Heathrow Airport (British Airways)
Current direct flights on the Sunday 15/5/2022
Sunday 15/5 10:15 return from Billund Airport to Stansted Airport (Ryan Air)
Sunday 15/5 at 13:30 return from Aarhus Airport to Stansted Airport (Ryan Air)
Sunday 15/5 22:55 return from Billund Airport to Stansted Airport (Ryan Air)
