Denmark: Prayer Day?

February 4, 2008 10:38 AM

I'm planning a field trip to Denmark in April. How much of stuff will be shut down as a result of Prayer Day?

Are youth hostels likely to be full? Are supermarkets, etc, likely to be shut?

posted by biffa to travel & transportation (5 comments total)

Hmm, well according to this blog entry from last year's Store Bededag:

"Today, all trade, work and so on is forbidden (with some exceptions, like medical care professionals)."

Sounds pretty bleak.
posted by mumkin at 11:17 AM on February 4, 2008

Depends on where you are going in Denmark. In Copenhagen some supermarkets will be open and some closed - other kinds of stores will be closed. In small town Denmark things really do close entirely down. Sights and the like are open. I dont see why hostels should be full more than ordinarily.
posted by FidelDonson at 11:20 AM on February 4, 2008

FidelDonson has it. Feel free to call for a meet-up if you're coming to Copenhagen. We've only ever had one meet-up here but that was tons of fun.
posted by sveskemus at 12:23 PM on February 4, 2008

Danes considers "prayer day" for yet another sunday with almost all stores closed and absolutely no prayers involved. It's nothing like Thanksgiving. It is a day for the family to relax and do nothing besides a visit to the cinema and eating "hveder".

The bakers make special bread for this day, "hveder". For a foreigner, it'll probably seem weird and very uninteresting (it is).

If you have never been to a baker in Denmark, this is a must do. Real Danish pastry is very unlike the stuff you get elsewhere. Unlike the US, all pastry is made the same morning. They never sell day-old pastry as that would be suicide business wise.

Culture-houses such as museums and cinemas usually have open, but not swimming baths. The main church ("Domkirken") in Copenhagen have usually open late, but their calendar is not yet updated for 2008: www.koebenhavnsdomkirke.dk
The National Museum have open: nationalmuseet.dk/sw20374.asp

Public transport use the Sunday schedule. A good online map of Copenhagen is findvej.dk
posted by flif at 2:31 PM on February 4, 2008

Thanks for the answers all! sveskemus: A meet-up would be lovely but alas I will be responsible for 18 x 18-21 year olds so I better act that way.
posted by biffa at 2:27 AM on February 5, 2008