“Studentertiden” – the Danish Graduation Euphoria

Hi there!

My name is Carla, and I’ve lived most of my life in Denmark. Denmark? Yeah! It’s that small blob squeezed in between Germany, Sweden and Norway. A country small in size, but we pack a punch.. especially if you’re in your late teens and just graduated school. That’s exactly what I did almost a year ago, and I want to tell you about it.

Does it look like I’ve just been crying? That’s because I had been. I promise they were tears of happiness! Three years of hard work finally culminating in a single moment of relief. So what now? Well, we do what Danes do best – party! Feeling proud of myself and my friends, we were excitedly headed into a month of celebration and good memories.

Usually decorated with branches, handpainted signs and the Danish flag, we drive around in these festive trucks to the homes of every person in the class. Each home serves a bite of food and something to drink and gives the family and friends of that person a chance to celebrate and congratulate them on their achievement.

If you (like us, when planning the trip) are wondering about the logistics of the whole trip I wouldn’t judge you. Let’s just say that it takes a while, about 10 hours of driving and visits. But filled with music, drinks and good company it’s nothing to complain about and it does really pass so so fast.

Oh but we are not finished. During the next months time many of the graduates hold a “studentegilde” – graduation party, where they invite friends and family to once again celebrate and have a good time. It truly is a time blessed with so many fun times and amazing people.

I hope you enjoyed getting to learn about the Danish graduation traditions. I sure enjoyed sharing.