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WORLD CULTURES and FOLK CUSTOMS

SIMO JELACA, Ph.D.

FOREWORD

This book summarizes information about culture and customs of different nations. Noticeable differences in customs are among Christian, Islamic and Buddhist’s nations, although in all prevails intention for nice and greatest.

It will be too much to include every country, as there are similarities among many nations of the same or close nationalities. Characteristic are Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, Belarus, Croatia, Montenegro, Macedonia, or as well as Germany and Austria. The similar conclusion values for Latin nations, among themselves too.

Readers will find basic information about each country, such as its location and size, population and Ethnic Make-up, Religion, Climate, Language, Etiquettes and others.

This book can equally be used for travelers, either as tourists or business people, therefore everyone will find necessary information about Etiquette of people at their homes as well as at the business.

My intention was to find as much good information as possible. How much I have succeeded readers will judge it.

Author

DENMARK

CULTURE AND FOLK CUSTOMS

Facts and Statistics

Population: 5.4 million.

Capital: Copenhagen, population 2 million.

Government: Kingdom of Denmark.

Size: 43.094 square km.

Climate:Denmark has a temperate climate, the mildness of which is largely conditioned by the generally westerly winds and by the fact that the country is virtually encircled by water. The mean temperature in February, the coldest month, is 0° C, and in July, the warmest, 17° C.

Denmark is a small nation whose cultural unity is mitigated by regional traditions of rural, urban, and island communities with distinctions based on local language, food, and history. Denmark historically includes the former colonies Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Greenland gained home rule in 1979. In 1948, the Faroe Islands became a self-governing territory within the Danish state.

Location and Geography

The kingdom of Denmark, which is situated in Scandinavia and northern Europe, is surrounded by the North Sea, Skagerrak, Kattegat, and the Baltic Sea. The country covers approximately 43,095 square kilometers. Roughly eighty of its more than four hundred islands are inhabited. Jutland, Zealand, and Funen (Fyn) are the largest and most densely populated regions. There is a relative homogeneity in topography, with few areas at a high elevation. Since the sixteenth century, the capital has been Copenhagen, which is also the largest city.

The capital of Denmark is Copenhagen, situated in Zealand, the most densely populated part of the country. Denmark has about 5,4 million inhabitants, an area of c. 43 000 km2 and a coastline of c. 7300 km. Its neighboring countries are Germany, Sweden and Norway.

Demography

The first census in 1769 counted a total of 797,584 people; by 1998, the total population was 5,294,860. Infant mortality, epidemics, war and emigration, better hygiene, food, and housing influenced population changes. The population increased from 2.5 to 5.3 million during the twentieth century, showing an interdependency between decline in population growth and industrialization, with the average number of children per woman decreasing from 4 to 1.5. Free abortion and sterilization rights since 1973 caused slower population growth, which in certain years was negative (1981 through 1984).

Immigration increased from 35,051 in 1988 to 50,105 in 1997. Immigrants from other Scandinavian and northern European countries account for most of the increases, but immigrants from southern Europe and the Middle East are the most noticed in public debate.

Linguistic Affiliation

Danish belongs to the Germanic family language within the Indo-European languages. Linguistic relatives are English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, and Icelandic, all of which descend from the ancient Teutonic language.

"Standard Danish" is one dialect among many.

There is no secondary language, but several languages, including English, German, French, Spanish, and Russian, are taught in schools. Most Danes can speak some English and German.

Many foreigners complain that Danish is difficult to learn because the same wording can have differing and even opposing meanings, depending on the intonation and context. Also, pronunciation does not necessarily follow spelling.

Symbolism

Markers of the national culture include the national flag (the Dannenberg), the national anthem, public holidays, and hymns, songs, and ballads. According to myth, the national flag descended from the sky to the Danish army during a battle in Estonia in 1219 and was institutionalized as a national symbol in the seventeenth century.

Danes use the flag at festive occasions, including birthdays, weddings, sports events, political meetings, and public holidays. Hymns, songs, and ballads provide metaphors associated with Danish nationality, the mother tongue, school, history, and homeland. The national anthem, "Der er et Yndigt Land" ("There Is a Lovely Land"), was written around 1820.

Ethnic Relations

Denmark once was considered an open and welcoming country to foreigners, but tensions between native residents and immigrants arose during the last decades of the twentieth century, culminating in the establishment of political parties whose platforms called for the exclusion of inhabitants of foreign ethnicity from social services and other forms of public support.

Architecture

In cities, people hope to escape the restraints of social control in rural communities and seek conveniences such as better shopping, entertainment, and job opportunities. Migration to urban areas is common in the pursuit of education, and many young people from the provinces remain in the cities after graduation.

Architecture is marked by a division between the ideals of Denmark as a "fairy-tale country" and as a modern, industrialized one. The first image is characterized by traditional small houses with small windows, low ceilings, straw roofs, and gardens with flowers and vegetables.
Towns and cities are characterized by a center area with older houses (some several centuries old) and a periphery with newer houses, divided into business and residential areas. Village size is from five to one thousand houses, and many villages have been enlarged by new residential areas.

Private houses commonly are divided into areas for cooking, dining, and television-viewing and preferably have a private room for each family member. Private homes are considered spaces to "relax" and "be yourself".

Food in Daily Life

Danes eat most of their meals at home and in private settings, although public dining places ranging from small hot dog stands to fancy restaurants are available and are used.

A breakfast of coffee, bread, or cereal is eaten at home. Sunday breakfast commonly includes fresh bakery bread, boiled eggs, juice, tea or coffee, and the Sunday newspaper.

Lunch at a workplace, school, or institution is either homemade or available in kitchens or canteens, offering open sandwiches, hot meals, or a buffet table. Open sandwiches are traditional, consisting of rye bread with salami, liver pâté, herring, roast pork, fried plaice, cod roe, cheese, chocolate, or fruit.

Pizzerias are found in small towns and cities. In larger cities, there are Chinese, Italian, and Greek restaurants, along with fast-food establishments from America, the Middle East, and South America and restaurants that serve Danish open sandwiches.

Food Customs at Ceremonial Occasions

Danes eat or drink at every social occasion, preferably traditional dishes, cakes, and drinks. However, the act of drinking and eating together is considered more important than what is actually consumed. Formal social occasions include birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, baptisms, confirmations, graduations, and funerals. Private parties held in community centers or restaurants are common. Hosts spend from one to six months' salary on a formal party for rent, food, drinks, and musicians. Holidays with special meals include New Year's Eve, Easter, Martin Mass, and Christmas.

Basic Economy

Natural resources are limited to agricultural land, clay, stone, chalk, lime, peat, and lignite. The economy is therefore heavily dependent on international trade. Farming accounts for two-thirds of the total land area, and agriculture produces enough edible products for three times the population. Industrial exports account for about 75 percent of total exports, while the share of agricultural exports is about 15 percent. Most farmers are freeholders, 91 percent of them on individually owned family-run farms, 7 percent on company-run farms, and the rest on farms owned by the state, local authorities, or foundations.

The major goods produced include foods and beverages, textiles, paper, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, glass, ceramics, bricks, cement, concrete, marine engines, compressors, agriculture and forestry machinery, computers, electric motors, radio and communication equipment, ships, boats, furniture, and toys. Agricultural products include beef, pork, poultry, milk, and eggs.

The main industries are food processing, furniture, diesel engines, and electrical products. Major agricultural products include dairy products, pork, beef, and barley. Commercial fishing includes salmon, herring, cod, plaice, crustaceans and mollusks, mackerel, sprat, eel, lobster, shrimp, and prawns.

Major commodity groups sold on the international market include animal products (cattle, beef and veal, pigs and pork, poultry, butter, cheese, and eggs), vegetable products (grains, seeds, fruit, flowers, plants, and vegetables), ships, fish, fur, fuel, lubricating goods, and electricity. The major industrial exports are machines and instruments, medicinal and pharmaceutical products, chemical items, industrially prepared agricultural products, fish, crayfish and mollusks, furniture, textiles, and clothing. Imports, which lag slightly behind exports, include automobiles, fuel, consumer goods (food, clothing, electronics, and others), and goods to be further processed at local industries. The major trading partners are Germany, Sweden, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, the United States, Japan, and Italy.

Social Stratification

Classes and Castes

Most national surveys dealing with social strata do not divide the population into different income groups. Instead, the population is categorized into five social layers, according to level of education and occupation.

Those social categories are academics, owners of large farms, and persons with more than fifty employees, farmers with at least four employees, owners of companies with more than six employees, and college-educated business owners, farmers with a maximum of three employees, owners of small companies, and persons with jobs requiring expertise, skilled workers, small landowners, and workers with a professional education and workers without skills training.

Government

Denmark is a constitutional monarchy in which succession to the throne is hereditary and the ruling monarch must be a member of the national church. The parliament has 179 members, including two from Greenland and two from the Faroe Islands. Members of parliament are elected for four-year terms, but the state minister has the right to dissolve the parliament and force an election.

Two-thirds of Denmark's land is devoted to agriculture.

Social Welfare

All residents receive social support when they are unemployed, either through union insurance or locally run programs. Idled workers receive compensation that is equal to slightly less than the lowest wages paid for regular, full-time employment, and they are also guaranteed housing, food, and other basic necessities.

Individuals are free to choose their marriage partners. Forty percent of the adult population is married, 45 percent is unmarried, 7 percent is divorced, and 7 percent is widowed.The ideal household unit consists of a married couple and their children who are below age twenty.For many centuries, men and women have had equal inheritance rights. If one member of a couple dies, the other partner inherits all the possessions of the deceased. If both partners die, their children inherit equal shares of their possessions.

Three to six months of maternity leave is a legal right, but the mother may share the last three months of that leave with the father. Infants generally are breast-fed until the end of the period of maternal leave. Most children enter kindergarten at age three.

There are five universities: the University of Copenhagen, the University of Southern Denmark, the University of Aarhus, Aalborg University, and Roskilde University Center.

Religious Beliefs

Religious freedom is consonant with international standards on the right to freedom of religion. Eighty-six percent of the population belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church, which has for centuries been supported by the state and is considered the national church. Numerous other Christian communities exist, including the Catholic Church, the Danish Baptist Church, and the Pentecostal Movement. Other world religions represented in the country are Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, the Baha'i faith, and Sikhism.

Danes are not great believers in God.

Arts

There is an extended culture of painting, sculpture, textiles, and pottery. Those subjects are part of the school curriculum and are taught in leisure time courses. Many of the islands are known for their artifacts. Bornholm produces pottery, sculpture, and glass. Artifacts are exhibited at museums and art exhibitions attended by school children, university students, and tourists. Music and dance from Europe have been dominant.

Physical and Social Sciences

University life dates back to the fifteenth century, with theology, medicine, and law as the first areas of study. The terminal degree was for centuries the master's garden , which was between a master's and a doctoral degree. Recently this degree has been replaced by the kandidat grad, which is equivalent to a master's degree. The physical sciences are well established. The Technical University of Denmark was founded in 1829 and today is a leading international institution, training construction, chemical, computer, and mechanical engineers.

Business Etiquette

Danes take punctuality for business meetings very seriously and expect that you will do likewise. These are hardworking people who desire that each minute spent on the job is productive and used effectively. It is therefore important to arrive on time for both work and meetings. You should make a call with an explanation if you are delayed since meetings will begin and end punctually. This is also the case when attending social meetings.

Gift giving is rare to bring gifts to business meetings, but when you are invited to someone’s private home, you should bring flowers or a couple of bottles of red wine. Unlike in many other countries, here roses are acceptable gifts for your host or hostess. Nevertheless, be sure you don’t give white roses, because this color is associated with mourning. If you do give flowers, be sure they are presented wrapped. Other suitable gifts include a box of fine chocolates or desk items bearing your company’s logo.

Business dress code

The informal attitude of the Danes is expressed in a generally relaxed but still conservative dress code. While many men prefer a suit and tie, it is not uncommon to see businessmen in more casual clothing, especially when meeting contacts they already know. Women also dress relatively casually, however, it is always advisable to pay some attention to your choice of clothes and err on the conservative side.

Bribery and corruption

According to the annual survey Denmark was perceived as being the world’s fourth least corrupt country (after Iceland, Finland and New Zealand). Denmark also has one of the lowest crime rates in the world and this makes the country attractive as a business environment for foreign investment.

Importance of business meetings

Business meetings start and end at agreed times and normally hands are shaking both before and after the meetings. Danes are easy-going, flexible and patient in negotiations, and are good listeners known for their ability to secure good deals without making enemies.

You should always arrange your appointments with your Danish business partners well in advance (at least two weeks before the actual meeting). The most common holiday months for Danes are July and August. When preparing for a meeting, send an agenda in advance to your Danish business partner. The meetings might begin with some small-talk, but then Danes get straight right to the point. Despite maintaining professional standards of behavior at all times, they are tolerant, relaxed and informal, tending to be quite frank in the way they speak as being sincere and honest. If you are doing business in Denmark which involves negotiations, come well prepared. They also value a critical approach and will not hesitate to express their dissenting opinions. This is not considered rude in Denmark and you should not be offended by it. Criticism is regarded as something that has to do with one’s work and is not a personal attack.

Greeting in Denmark: Danes greet all participants with firm handshakes and direct eye contact upon arrival and leaving. When talking to a Dane, stand at least two arms lengths away to give him or her enough distance.When running a meeting it is important to remember that the Danes tend to be matter of fact and businesslike in their conduct and they appreciate dialogue and the idea of democracy. It is normal to discuss subjects thoroughly in order to reach an agreement.

The minutes of meetings will be circulated after the meeting has concluded. A record should be kept of what was discussed, and the dates items were agreed to be completed by i.e. deadlines. It is important, in order to maintain credibility, that actions are followed up and completed in the timescales agreed.

Business meals

Lunch is the most common mealtime during which to conduct business negotiations and is usually served from noon to 2 pm. Dinner, the main meal of the day, is served from 6 to 8 pm. The evening meal may consist of meats, fish, vegetables, and dessert. Drinks served with dinner are usually regional beers or wine.

If you are invited to a dinner at your business partner’s home, you should bring flowers or a couple of bottles of red wine. The dining etiquette is very much the same as in most other European countries.

Most Danish business people have good skills in English.

It is important for North Americans to know that in Denmark dates are written in the following way: the day first, then the month, then the year [e.g. October 21, 2013, is written 21.10.13.].

It will be continued

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