Hygge

Hygge, the famous Danish concept that has become so popular in the world. I have avoided to write about it because it is a very fuzzy concept and it is very difficult to define it precisely. I will approach it in a couple of ways. First I will give a definition of hygge after which I will show how is it most commonly understood or  after which I will give my take on it from the perspective of where does it come from or in contrast to what does it stand. In the end I will try and show how Danes use hygge in other contexts.

Definition and traditional understanding of hygge:

"Hygge is a quality of coziness that makes a person feel content and comfortable. It's also often used as an adjective meaning "cozy or comfortable.""

This is the most common definition of hygge and this one comes from Merriam-Webster online dictionary. But still, what does hygge refer to?

Imagine the cheesiest possible imagery; It is a snowy winter night and you are tucked in nicely with your partner in a luxury winter cottage. The fire is lit in the fireplace crackling away while you are preparing dinner with candle lights and a nice bottle of wine. There is gentle jazz music playing in the background, conversation is fun and engaging and you have no worries in the world.

This situation is a classical example how hygge should be understood. It is in general a bit fuzzy combination of a good company, good food and drinks and pleasant atmosphere in general.

As my boss once said, it is Danish coping mechanism against the winter depression. And I agree with him, I think that is indeed one cause for hygge. When 7 months long gray, dark and oppressing Danish winter comes, one finds little to none enjoyment in the outdoors, so pleasant atmosphere needs to be created indoors. And if you can make a pleasant atmosphere in your home, as I have given in the description above, it indeed makes life a bit easier during the winter and it does make the winter bit easier to endure.

I think there is one more source of hygge. It is Danish working ethics. When Danes work, they work hard. But when they are off, they are off. And that is where hygge comes in. It is after work relaxation technique. So I am of the opinion that hygge necessarily stands in the opposition to Danish working ethics. When Danes are not working, they are not working hard and that is channeled either into partying hard or into hygge. While partying and hygge may sound like light years away from each other, they actually are not. They are just two starkly different way of relaxing.

If it where only that easy, this entry would be over. The thing is that Danes use hygge for a wide variety of different situations other than the one I described earlier. That is hygge in the broader sense. This take on hygge was the one that was eluding me for a long time and that was the reason why I was reluctant to write about hygge. But I think that I have finally grasped it, so here we go.

Everything can be hygge

Danes are trigger happy with the word hygge and that was the thing that was putting me off track for a long time. Almost anything can be hygge. Conversation can be hygge, coffee, tea, a walk in the park, visit from a friend, playing a game (board game or a PC game), train ride, bike ride. You can have hygge alone, with your partner, with family, with friends and with complete strangers. Even work can be hygge, school can be hygge, shopping can be hygge. It seemed to me like there is no rule. It seemed like the hygge sticker can be slapped on anything and everything. But there is a pattern. In Danish culture any and all activities that are pleasant or cozy can be called hygge. In a sense Danish tendency to call hygge anything that is remotely pleasant is like a good twin brother to Croatian tendency to curse at anything or everything that is remotely unpleasant. It is basically the same pattern but diametrically opposed. Think about it this way;
- Danes: pleasant activity or event = That was hygge
- Croatian: unpleasant activity or event = Curse the shit out of it

That is the essence of hygge. I would describe it as a tendency in Danes to place an emphasis on activities and events that are pleasurable and going out of their way to make them. If you consider how long and oppressing danish winters are and how hard working people Danes are, taking pleasure up a notch makes cultural sense. But, in the end there is nothing magical or mystical about hygge as it was portrayed when it was exported out of the country. But that doesn't make it any less beautiful.