Being Danish and not wanting to discuss the weather would probably be like….being American and not wanting to discuss baseball or being Dutch and not wanting to discuss....tulips. (Okay strike the last one. I don’t know anything about what the Dutch like to discuss.)
What I’m saying is that conversations about the weather is what the Danes do the most. That and conversations about sports (football/soccer and handball in particular).
Part of the reason why we [constantly] talk about the weather could be that we once depended a lot on being an agricultural country. So if the weather was bad (we don’t like too much water and we don’t like too much sun either) the harvest would fail.
Not being solely dependent on the harvest anymore I’m sure it’s just because ‘the weather talk’ have been passed on from generation to generation, but it’s probably fading more and more. Not a lot of the kids these days know much about agriculture (nor do I, but I did spend a lot of my childhood on a farm. What?) so it’s not a necessity anymore. But it still makes great small talk ;o)
Alright back to the thunderstorms.
On a stormy day there’s nothing better than to get a blanket, a book (and a lot of candles in case the power goes out) and a lot of coffee/soda/water/alcohol/whatever beverage you choose and get all comfy on the couch or in your favorite chair. And do nothing but read, listen to the thunders and the rain, and look out the window from time to time. And when you are all at peace and really enjoying yourself you’ve reached a state of mind that (apparently) only have a description in Danish (and Norwegian). We call it hygge. And it’s something we do all the time - hygger - either alone or with others. (Basically when something is nice and comfy and you’re enjoying yourself – that’s hygge…)
I love the heavy rain and the thunder. I’m fascinated by lightning. It always amazes me how the lightning is able to light up the sky at night. And the paths it might take.
It’s probably because the weather in Denmark is pretty boring. It consists for the most part of average amount of sun, rain and snow. It rarely acts out.
I like when the weather is acting out. But at the same time it scares me a bit. Because I know it can be lethal.
I was reminded of that 3 days ago, when a Dane was killed by lightning. (Last time someone was killed by lightning in Denmark was in 2006, so thankfully it’s not a common thing. But that doesn’t make it any less dangerous.)
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2 comments:
Some Americans (aka Me) would much rather talk about weather than baseball, i hate baseball which was invented in Canada anyway so why is it our "national passtime?" whatever, i digress.
what was i saying? oh right, the weather. we too talk about the weather constantly (we are also traditionally a mainly agricultural society so perhaps similar reason applies). i have lost my train of thought again.
oh yes, i LOVE thunderstorms. i grew up in Ohio where we have them regularly. mainly in summer, when it is super hot, and we would sit on our front porch swing and drink iced tea and watch the lightening and catch a moment of cool air. and then the rain would stop, and the rainbows would appear and we would run around and laugh...
As a kid, when we were at my parents holiday home, the thunder and lightning seemed louder and brighter (because it was by the ocean), and if it was a nightly storm we would get up and make coffee at the stove or the fireplace and drink 'thunder coffee' while sitting by the candle lights. Good times ;o)
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