Astrid S. Nielsen - Hygge: Cozy Living The Danish Way

Hygge

Cozy Living The Danish Way (Denmark, Nordic Way, Contentment, Slow Down, Simply Living, Art of Hygge)

Astrid S. Nielsen

Hygge: Cozy Living The Danish Way (Denmark, Nordic Way, Contentment, Slow Down, Simply Living, Art of Hygge)

Copyright 2017 - All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher, ASN Publishing. Please read the full disclaimer at the end of this book.

Table of Contents

1 - Introduction

What is Hygge?

Hygge trended in 2016. Books, articles, and social media buzzed about hygge. It was even shortlisted for Oxford Dictionaries 2016 Word of the Year (post-truth eventually won as Word of the Year).

But what is hygge?

Tracing the Origins of Hygge

Hygge traces its roots from the Nordic culture, specifically from the happiest country in the world, Denmark. With the clamor for the antidote to restlessness, loneliness, and consumerism, people all over the world are seeking for concrete ways and role models on how to achieve happiness and meaning. This explains the hygge trend.

Pronounced as hoo-ga or hue-guh, hygge has no direct translation in other languages. The nearest words would be from Denmarks neighboring European countries: the Dutch word gezelligheid, German gemtlichkeit or gemtlich, Norwegian koselig, and Swedish mysig.

If ever, the closest English translation of hygge would be cozy and convivial. And as Oxford Dictionary would expound, this sense of coziness and conviviality evokes and promotes a sense of comfort, well-being, community, and contentment.

Meanwhile, Collins Dictionary traced the roots of hygge from the 16th-century Norse word hugga, which means to console, and which is also the root word of hug.

Hearing from Danish themselves, the Denmark tourism webpage, Visit Denmark, succinctly describes hygge as a culture of cozy and intimate social gatherings that fosters a happy and relaxed feeling brought about by finding joy in the simple pleasures of life.

Hygge is about everyday togetherness that brings about that warm and fuzzy feeling inside. Hygge evokes a homey feeling of warmth, comfort, safety, and love.

Hygge also connotes a sense of intimacy stemming from a tight and snug atmosphere shared with loved ones, as well as a sense of safety from being sheltered and well-protected from harsh conditions outside specifically cold weather. This is understandable given the long and very cold winters in Denmark.

Again, Denmark tourism webpage perfectly describes this geographical roots of this concept. Hygge is the Danish coping mechanism for winter weather and challenges. During the winter months, Danish experience freezing temperatures, with 17 hours or 70% of their day in cold darkness.

Instead of mulling over and giving in to the so-called winter blues, Danes have grown to find their own spot of sunshine amid the cold, dark winter days. They choose to brighten up instead of feeling sullen or down.

In their minds, the cold and dark winter time is the perfect excuse to stay in, light some candles, curl up in soft couches, cuddle up with thick wool blankets, cup a hot chocolate in hand, or just watch the fireplace.

In the coldest winters and amid the strongest storms, they envelop themselves in warm atmospheres and connections to shield themselves against the harsh weather. Amid the miserable weather, the spirit is on fire with that warm and fuzzy feeling of love and comfort.

While the harsh-gentle dynamics of hygge is essential, it must be noted that hygge is actually not limited to winter, cold, or stormy days. Specific situations can be hygge too.

For instance, spending quality time with close friends can inspire a Dane to thank that friend for the hyggelig rendezvous, or meeting someone new and having an instant special connection would surely make a Dane say that it was hyggelig to meet the new friend.

Danes apply hygge in as many situations and moments as possible, as much as they inject hygge and its adjective form, hyggelig, in as many phrases and sentences as they can. Indeed, hygge permeates Danish culture.

2 - Exploring the Values and Focus Points Behind Hygge

Hygge is an art. It is a philosophy or way of thinking, a lifestyle or way of living, a feeling, an atmosphere, a particular situation, or a specific object that encapsulates the spirit of hygge.

In a scholarly dissertation, anthropologist Jeppe Trolle Linnet defined hygge as a pleasant and highly valued everyday experience of safety, equality, personal wholeness and a spontaneous social flow.

Hygge is also about creating some sort of safe sanctuary while living a simple and authentic life, as described by Louisa Thomsen Brits in her book The Book of Hygge: The Danish Art of Contentment, Comfort, and Connection. What this means is that the hygge sanctuary is not an escape from real life, but rather an extension and expression of it.

All these descriptions, definitions, and values of hygge center around authenticity, moderation, spontaneity, contentment, slowing down, and simple living.

These pillars or focus points make it different from the contract-like and hierarchical relations typical of work life, whether corporate or blue-collar. Hygge also differs starkly from formality and intensity.

Moreover, hygge contrasts with materialism, luxury, and consumer mentality bordering on hoarding. Hygge is healthy hedonism, as Signe Johansen coins in her cookbook and wellness guide How to Hygge: The Nordic Secrets to a Happy Life.

In a way, hygge is finding joy in the ordinary, warmth amid the cold, and tearing down formalities to get to the heart of humanity.

In her article for Lonely Planet titled Why I Love Denmark, writer Carolyn Bain wrote: Hygge is social nirvana in Denmark: a sense of coziness, camaraderie, and contentment. It is about slowing down and living a simple life.

These pillars also shed light on the all-encompassing trait that hygge provides people who live the hygge lifestyle. Hygge is about how people maximize things like time, effort, and material possessions to express and experience love and warmth. In a way, hygge is similar with minimalism because it recognizes and prioritizes the essentials over the non-essentials.

It understands that life is not meant to be lived in the fast lane typical of a dog-eat-dog world, but rather it is meant to be enjoyed by slowing down and taking the time to light some candles and sip some wine with loved ones or perhaps just by having some simple tote--tte.

It understands that life is not meant to be complicated, toxic, or cluttered, but rather it is meant to be simple, flourishing, and pleasurable, filled only with things that make us happy, relationships that enrich us, and experiences that make us feel truly alive.

3 - Exploring Some Examples of Hyggelig Situations

To better understand hygge, let us example specific images, situations, and manifestations of hygge.

Imagine this: The first snow of winter just fell. You are strolling along the streets with your friends going home, laughing under the glow of the street lights. Thats hyggelig.

Imagine this: Snow is falling heavily. You are sitting in the living room with your family, warming yourselves in front of the fireplace, sipping mulled wine, and talking about random things. Thats hyggelig.

Imagine this: A storm is raging outside. You are snuggling with your spouse on the couch. Candlelights dance in the soft wind coming from the tiny gap between the window and the windowsill. You sip hot chocolate and talk about how your day went. Thats hyggelig.

Imagine this: A close friend invites you and your other friends over for a low-key dinner at her home. You enjoy a light and long conversation over a candlelit dinner of warm and hearty stew and a good bottle of red wine. Thats hyggelig.