A
ccording to the World Happiness
Report, Denmark’s residents
are the happiest on the planet –
and the secret to their unending
joy is fast becoming a global
movement: “hygge”. The Danish word
roughly translates to “cosiness”, with the
wider concept essentially pointing to
a way of life that encourages taking
pleasure in the small things, being kind to
yourself and celebrating the every day.
Sorry, adult colouring books, your reign
is coming to an end.
For the Danes, who experience
a long, dark, dare we say bleak
winter, hygge-inducing things –
a warm bowl of porridge, wine
with friends around the fireplace,
a good book and a blanket on the
couch – make staying indoors feel
less like cabin fever. But it’s not
just for grizzly weather – getting
your hygge on in summer is
totally possible, and definitely
encouraged. In The Book Of Hygge:
The Danish Art Of Living Well,
Louisa Thomsen Brits says, “In the
summer, Danes hygge together in
public places, celebrating the light by spending as
much time outside as possible, sitting together in
gardens and parks with their faces turned to the sun.”
Marie Tourell Søderberg, author of Hygge: The Danish
Art Of Happiness, adds, “Summertime is holiday time,
potter-about-in-slippers time, togetherness time. Time
for having long breakfasts on the terrace in the
mornings, and having a barbecue or lighting a bonfire
in the long and light summer evenings.”
So picture this: it’s Saturday, lunchtime, and
you’ve invited your nearest and dearest over for
a barbecue. The hygge way is to have everyone
pitch in, rather than insist your guests relax with
a drink while you finish the cooking alone. A few
head to the kitchen to finish prepping salads (drink
in hand, of course), one or two guests man the four-
burner and everyone else is tasked with setting up
a trestle table and corralling every chair, bench or
milk crate they can find for seating – formality is not
important to hygge. Then everyone squeezes in –
elbow to elbow – to share a home-cooked meal.
It’s here that we should add Danes don’t approve
of fussy diets, so the host needn’t bother askingabout dietary requirements. The
meal should emphasise the idea
of community; that means food
is served on trays and wine is
topped up frequently by arms
extended across the table.
No-one should rush to leave
the table once they’ve finished
eating (and did we mention
phones should never be removed
from pockets?), and no meal is
complete without cake at the end. The Danes are also
known to break into a song or two when said
cake appears on the table, so warm up your vocal
cords at your own leisure.
Beyond the weekend, there are plenty of simple
ways to hygge-fy your daily routine. “Make your
morning coffee in a stovetop pot,” says Charlotte
Abrahams in Hygge: A Celebration Of Simple Pleasures- Living The Danish Way. “Don’t do anything while
it comes to the boil other than listen to the sound of
the steam and breathe in that coffee-scented air...
And drink it in a mug that looks and feels good.”
She also recommends picnics, vegetable patches,
fresh flowers, baked goods (homemade, of course)
and embracing the great outdoors, whatever the
forecast. “Even in the winter you see [Danes] cycling
through the rain and the snow
and sitting wrapped in
blankets outside cafes.”
Danes really love their
cake, too, so never deny
yourself a slice and you’ll
be doing hygge right. q
WELLBEING
84 ELLE AUSTRALIA
Words: Laura Collins. Photography: Getty ImagesBEGINNER’S
GUIDE
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