Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading and is hosted by Bermuda Onion.
I was reading The Paris Vendetta which has it's main character living in Copenhagen and the Nisse was mentioned by a child at Christmas. Not knowing anything about Danish customs and never having heard this word before and since we were in Copenhagen earlier this year I thought I would use it as my WWW.
Danish Elf, Nisse - this story in Denmark revolves around the mischievous Danish elf, Nisse, who is known to play pranks on people. Living on a farmhouse and wearing gray woollen clothes, this elf is generally good to people but plays practical jokes on them during Christmas. Many people leave a bowl of rice pudding or porridge outside, so that he doesn't trouble them.
Christmas is one of the most popular festivals in Denmark, symbolizing the spirit of love and joy.
What a fun tradition! I love that he's a little mischievous.
ReplyDeleteA cute tradition.
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Hi Jackie,
ReplyDeleteWhat a great little story, I just love fun and informative posts such as this.
We were talking with some Norwegians a while ago and listening to some of their great traditions and characters of folklore, it was just so interesting.
I live in the West Country, here in England, so I guess our equivalent little gremlin would be the 'Pixie', or 'Piskies'!
What a fun post, thanks for sharing,
Yvonne
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ReplyDeleteI don't know all that much about Denmark, and sadly haven't been lucky enough to visit there yet, so it's interesting to hear about their cheeky little nisse.
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