General Prayer Day

Holidays in Denmark National Holiday in Denmark

Holidays in DenmarkSTORE BEDEDAG (Great Prayer Day) is a special Danish festival falling on the 4th Friday after Easter Sunday, at the earliest on 17 April and at the latest on 21 May.

It is basically a collection of minor Christian holy days consolidated into one day.

The Great Prayer Day was put on the Statute book in 1686 and combined several lesser fast and prayer days.

Under the law, all trade, work, etc were forbidden on this day. The bakers came up with the idea of baking some wheat buns which could then be heated up and eaten the following day.

It gradually became common throughout the country to eat the hot buns on the evening before Great Prayer Day.

In Copenhagen it has been common to go for a walk on Langelinie, on the ramparts around Christianshavn; a custom, which can be traced back to 1747 when Copenhagen Cathedral ‘Vor Frue Kirke’ (The Church of Our Lady) had a new carillon.

The day was heralded the previous evening by ringing the church bells.

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