COPY LINK

For members

DENMARK EXPLAINED

‘You’re nothing special’: How to explain the Danish values of ‘Janteloven’

Foreigners in Denmark are often introduced to "Janteloven", or 'The Law of Jante' - a concept that underpins certain Danish cultural values. But what does it mean exactly and does it help Danish society?

Published: 29 November 2023 15:33 CET
Updated: 9 March 2024 06:15 CET

'You're nothing special': How to explain the Danish values of 'Janteloven'

Photo: Claus Fisker/Ritzau Scanpix

What is Janteloven?

It is a social code used across Scandinavia which puts emphasis on collective accomplishments rather than individual achievements.

“Janteloven is not something we think about, but it subtly influences attitudes towards behaviour that are perceived as bragging or excessive self-promotion,” Helle Bundgaard, Associate professor of Anthropology at the University of Copenhagen, told The Local.

Where does Janteloven come from?

Danish-Norwegian author Axel Sandemose wrote a novel in the 1930s called ‘A Fugitive Crosses His Tracks’ (En flygtning krydser sit spor). The author was satirising what it was like in a Scandinavian small town, which he named Jante. In the novel, the town wants people to be modest, find pleasure in the ordinary and be part of the collective rather than focused on the individual.

“Although Janteloven is not part of the formal educational curriculum in Denmark, high school students often become familiar with it through Sandemose’s work,” Bundgaard explained. In the book the author wrote these ten rules:

1. You’re not to think you are anything special.

2. You’re not to think you are as good as we are.

3. You’re not to think you are smarter than we are.

4. You’re not to convince yourself that you are better than we are.

5. You’re not to think you know more than we do.

6. You’re not to think you are more important than we are.

7. You’re not to think you are good at anything.

8. You’re not to laugh at us.

9. You’re not to think anyone cares about you.

10. You’re not to think you can teach us anything.

How is Janteloven taught today?

“Those ten rules are not written out in a lesson, nobody tells you this, it’s just how we act with each other. You can sum it all up in one rule, which is, you’re not supposed to think you’re better than others. That is a cultural marker for the Danes,” Mette Bærbach Bas, an author specialising in Danish culture, explained to The Local.

“Everybody has to be on the same level, so if someone sticks their neck out, it will be pushed back in. It’s a way to make everybody feel ok because if I show everyone how rich or good or successful I am, then other people will feel bad and we don’t like to make other people feel bad, or feel bad ourselves. It’s about having an equal marker, whenever you show up, people will respect you,” she added.

The notion of being on the same level starts in the early years, where children are rewarded for being a good friend or helping others, rather than by academic results.

“Danish schools today are very focused on how the child feels, not how they are performing. That is actually part of the result of Janteloven; we don’t want to make others feel bad by showing off. It’s a way to regulate how we make others feel and how we feel with each when we compare how we perform,” Bærbach Bas said.

Is Janteloven popular?

“It’s not that popular. I think psychologically it’s not a nice feeling to be told you shouldn’t stick your neck out, if you’re really proud of what you did and the other person says, ‘yeah but don’t be too happy’. I believe every single Dane has experienced that – being told not to brag when they are proud of themselves.

“My personal view is that if we all have to be average, you’re not encouraged to go above that middle line when you are gifted at something. I have seen that with my daughter at school. It’s also a problem at work. If you get a good result, you have to be very modest but that makes it hard for others to be inspired by the achievement. We’re not used to people that shine and that’s the biggest factor of Danish culture,” Bærbach Bas explained.

Why does Janteloven still exist?

“When you look at our population in Denmark, we have a large percentage of middle class and a very small percentage of rich and poor. So we have seen that being in the middle is good and it has brought us to a good place as a country,” Bærbach Bas said.

“I think one of the reasons we are a happy nation is because we don’t envy our neighbours because they have the same or almost the same as us.

“So we relate being in the middle to giving us a lot of security and trust in society. But then we attach the feeling of ‘don’t be too good’ to the risk of losing all that. Maybe it’s a question of not risking what you have to be more than average,” she added.

Member comments

Become a Member to leave a comment.

How to survive a children's birthday party in Denmark

If you’re hosting, remember: man skal bare hygge sig (you only need to have a nice time!)

In a some countries, children’s parties (børnefødselsdage) are an opportunity for social competition. You blast other parents away with a conjuror flown in from Dubai, helium on tap, cakes and treats from the most expensive local caterer, glitzy decor, and generous presents for each attendant.

Not in Denmark. Here it should be hyggeligt: good enough to meet the minimum requirements for a children’s party, but not so lavish as to create a standard other parents might struggle to meet. In short, just make sure everyone feels comfortable and that there’s a pleasant vibe.

You can add small personal touches – cute homemade cup cakes, a party game from your own country – but nothing too dramatic.

Whatever you do though, don’t forget the Danish flags. The national flag, Dannebrog, is not only a symbol of patriotic pride but a marker of any celebratory occasion, not least birthdays. You’ll see little paper flags stuck into the grass outside, tiny ones scattered across the dining table and, if there’s a flagpole on the property, an outsized version of the red Danish flag proudly flying to show there’s a birthday going on.

A flagpole is not a must, but making sure there are flags is. Fortunately, this is easy to do if you’re hosting a birthday, because all supermarkets sell packets of paper flags of all sizes, for the specific purpose of using them for birthday parties.

Who to invite?

There aren’t any strict rules about this, but until the age of nine or so, don’t be surprised if you are expected to invite all the kids in your child’s børnehave (kindergarten) or class, even the weird ones with unsavoury parents.

If they all come, and you invite friends too, this can mean something like 15-20 children, and perhaps a similar number of adults, running around your house or apartment.

While a good way to cut down on numbers might be to send out the invitations a week, or even just two or three days, in advance — Danes aren’t big on spontaneity — you might find that even with plenty of notice, the number who have prior plans will mean you end up with a manageable amount.

Although Denmark is a highly digitised society, birthday party invitations can still be sent out like they were in the 1990s and 2000s — on a piece of paper deposited at each of your child’s’ classmates’ coat hooks, drawers, or whatever other space they have for storage at their school or kindergarten.

Where to have it?

If your house or apartment is big enough to handle 20-30 people, then you can host it at home. In which case, to meet Danish standards, you should make sure everything is impeccably tidy. In terms of decor, aside from the mandatory flags (see above), balloons and maybe a bit of bunting are enough.

If you live in a 50 square-metre, two-bed apartment, and want to avoid a squeeze, many blocks of apartments in Denmark have a shared function room called a fællessal. These can be a little institutional and you should book it well in advance (usually through the building’s vicevært or the housing association, if this is applicable). On the plus side, you won’t have to tidy your house before the event.

Skattejagt or fiskedam?

Danish children’s parties – up until the children are aged about nine anyway – usually have one of these two things.

A skattejagt is a treasure hunt (skat = treasure, jagt = hunt), where a series of paper clues leads to a box or bag containing bags of sweeties. A fiskedam is a fishing game (fisk = fish, dam = pond) in which bags of sweeties are fished out.

Whichever it is, the game is often announced by the birthday boy or girl halfway through the party and is a way of delivering a sweetie bag into the hands of each child while also sending a signal to parents that it will soon be time to get going.

These games are quite important in successfully creating a hyggelig kid’s birthday vibe. If you don’t have them, children will complain.

For the skattejagt, the clues can be simply a drawing of the place where the next clue is hidden, but for older kids they can be more challenging and creative: I’ve heard of clues frozen in a block of ice in the freezer, hung out of the window on string, and put inside balloons which need to be popped.

For the fiskedam, a curtain or sheet is pinned about 150 centimetres high across a doorway. A fishing rod is then created from a broom handle or other suitable pole, with a piece of string tied to the end, and a clothes peg at the other end of the string. Children (with the help of an adult) then fish for the sweetie bags, and an adult on the other side either attaches the sweets, or some sort of comedy item (a sock, a boot, or an unused nappy, for instance).

The bag should contain maybe ten sweets, of which one is a lollipop as well as maybe a small toy like a temporary tattoo or bouncy ball.

What should you lay on?

A giant thermos of coffee for parents is pretty much obligatory. There should be also be tea, but you don’t need to go overboard here. A box of green tea bags and another one with some kind of fruit infusion will do. If you’re attending a birthday (or anything else in Denmark for that matter), then Yorkshire Tea or PG Tips are not going to be on the menu.

Some biscuits or småkager for the grown ups to nibble on also goes down well, as does some sliced fruit like melon, pear and apple. If it’s summer, include a bowl of strawberries (don’t worry about the cream).

You should lay on a couple of different types of crisp or nuts, and children should also get saft, a berry squash drink.

If you want to offer warm food — this is not a bad idea if the party is likely to last a few hours — then pølsehorn, small hotdogs which can either be baked with your own dough or bought frozen, are enough to keep everyone happy (with a bit of ketchup on the side).

It’s a good idea to offer sausage, biscuit and cake options in vegetarian, gluten-free, and lactose-free form.

What about the cake?

In the UK and the US, it is totally acceptable and even encouraged to make your own cake representing a child’s favourite cartoon character, an animal or a vehicle.

This is less common in Denmark, where a lagkage, literally “layer cake” consisting of layers of sponge, cream, strawberries and chocolate is the quintessential birthday cake at kids’ parties.

If you want to push the boat out a bit while remaining fully traditional you could buy or make a lagkage with an extra marzipan layer.

Putting candles on the cake and getting the fødselar or birthday boy or girl to blow them out is not uncommon but I’ve also seen children’s birthdays where this hasn’t featured, leading me to think it’s probably an imported custom in Denmark.

What to do as a guest?

Danes are punctual, so unless you’ve warned otherwise, turn up within 15 minutes of the party’s official start time, and pick up your children about 15 minutes before the official end (if you’re not staying — for younger children, a parent will probably stay for the duration).

Children can be dressed up in fancy dress, or in better-than-average clothes, but shouldn’t be in mini-tuxedos or frilly crinoline. Normal clothes are also fine, but they should be clean.

Up until about the age of five or maybe six, at least one parent is expected to stay while the party is going on. After that, most will just take off their children’s boots and jacket, oversee the giving of presents, and disappear.

If you do have the chance to stay, it’s probably best to do so, as it’s one of the best opportunities you will find to get to know other parents as a foreigner in Denmark.

If you do, you should probably help out the hosts with clearing the table, stacking the dishwasher, and calming crying children.

You should bring a present for your child to hand over but it’s best not to spend much more than 100 kroner. Cards are less important but older children might want to a write longer message to their friend, in which case you should not hold back. Toy guns, swords, knives and nunchucks are generally frowned upon.

Do you have any tips for Danish birthdays? Let us know in the comments.

SHOW COMMENTS

Url copied to clipboard!