Lentorama 2021: Take Your Holiday to Go

Day 12: Store Bededag

This Danish holiday takes place on the fourth Friday after Easter. King Christian V, as the head of the Church of Denmark, introduced it to the church in 1686 as a way to consolidate a number of minor holidays that originated in the Catholic church and survived the reformation in Denmark. In English, the name translates to "Great Prayer Day."

There aren't many specific traditions related to the holiday. Early on it was common for people in Copenhagen to walk along the city's ramparts, but now that the ramparts are gone people walk on specific streets or along historic fortifications (assuming the weather is good, which is always a dicey proposition at this point in the year).

There is also a tradition of eating varme hveder, a type of bread, with people stocking up the day before as bakeries would be closed during the holiday. This is also one of two days in the Church of Denmark where people are confirmed into the church.