Saint Ansgar's Lutheran Church
Montreal - Quebec - Canada

Saint Ansgar's Lutheran Church - Montreal
Dannebrog
The Danish flag – our national symbol

{Læs på originalsproget, Dansk}

Dannebrog

The Danish flag – our national symbol. We use it for birthdays, confirmations, exams, weddings and wedding anniversaries (copper, silver, gold, etc.). We use it, also, at funerals.

We use it on ships, bicycles, horse-drawn carriages, antique cars, aircraft, letters, gifts, suitcases, layer cakes and on the Christmas tree.

We use it on our heads, on our clothing and on our hats.

We use it for gymnastics, soccer, golf, athletics and all other forms of sport.

We use it at block parties, civic celebrations, country fairs, constitutional assemblies, and in the churches. We use it at New Year’s, Christmas, Easter and at Pentecost.

We use it at topping out ceremonies (with beer and sausages), at the launch of a new business, at receptions, anniversaries and send-offs.

We use it on May 5th, June5th, June 15th and other notable days. We use it in our allotment gardens, at the cottage, on Sundays, when the weather is good, or – merely if we’re happy….

According to legend, Dannebrog floated down “as if sent from Heaven” on June 15th 1219. It was during Valdemar II Sejr’s (1170-1241) crusade in the bloody battle at Lyndanise against the heathen Estonians. The town later became Reval, and today it is called Talinn, which means ‘Danishtown’. The flag encouraged the embattled Danish crusaders and the threatened defeat was turned into victory. According to the author B.S. Ingemann, it was the soldier Karl of Riise, who “caught” the flag. So, “we owe him respect” as it is written in “Højt fra Træets Grønne Top” a popular Danish Christmas song. Karl of Riise was from the Danish town of Stevns, and it was his name that inspired the naming of the town Karise. In that same year (1219), Valdemar II Sejr created the “Order of the Dannebrog” an order of chivalry exclusively for men. But 732 years later (from 1951) women could also be awarded the order, if their merit warrants it.

Before Dannebrog we had “Ravnefanen” a red banner with Odin’s ravens embroidered in black. It was recognized and feared as the symbol of the Vikings, and was called “Dannebroge”, a form of writing that in time has been changed to Dannebrog, which can be translated to “cloth of the Danes”. It was when Christianity came to Denmark that Odin’s ravens were supplanted by the Christian symbol – a white cross on a red background.

As Danes are an ‘enlightened’ people, they don’t buy the story of Heaven delivering the Dannebrog – absolutely not. It is plausible that it was the banner of the crusading knights of Malta, which was brought into battle. It is a flag that is still in use on Malta.

Queen Margrethe made the Dannebrog a seal of the royal family at the end of the 1300’s. The Swedes mockingly called her “King Pantless”. She is often referred to as Margrethe I, but she was never crowned as queen of Denmark, but as “Mistress and master in proxy and guardian of the kingdom”, so in fact, she cannot truly be called Margrethe I, but we do so anyway.

Christian IV, born April 12, 1577 at the castle of Frederiksborg, and died April 28, 1648 at the castle of Rosenborg, made the Dannebrog the national symbol for shipping in the 1600’s and made Dannebrog the flag of the Crown. Christian IV was a real warrior king. Besides fathering a minimum of 26 children with at least five different mothers, he also participated in many other ‘wars’ for example at Kolberger Heide, where he, as it is written, lost his right eye and some teeth on board his ship ‘Trefoldighed’ (The Three-fold) on July 1, 1644. For the purpose of the wars, he hired mercenary troops from Croatia, which became know as ‘krabater’ (wild chaps). This is where the expression “en vild krabat” comes from.

During wars the winner traditionally captures the flag, along the lines of the Indians scalping their prisoners (in actual fact, we get off rather lightly). That tradition changed following the Second World War, where the Allies captured a multitude of German Nazi flags. For the first time in history the winners would not raise the captured banners, so hated was the Nazi symbol, the Swastika.

The name Dannebrog is used on several ships – for example the royal yacht “Kongeskibet Dannebrog”. During one of the battles against Sweden in the Bay of Køge (we were always fighting the Swedes), one of our naval officers was named Ivar Huitfeldt (1665-1710). His ship was also named the Dannebrog. It was set on fire and blown up on October 4th, 1710. Unfortunately for Huitfeldt, he was on board at the time.

Dannebrog was the exclusive property of the King and the State, but the lawyer Anders Sandøe Ørsted, brother to the famous scientist Hans Christian Ørsted, suggested in 1830 to King Frederik VI that it should become the flag of the people. The suggestion was declined, but later on Ørsted became justice minister, and in that capacity he instituted the arrangement himself.

In 1842 the Dannebrog became the official flag of the armed forces. Only after 1854, under Frederik VII, were the common Danes permitted to use the Dannebrog. Since then, all Danes have loved this flag.

It is the oldest flag in the world (which is also the claim that the Basque people of Spain uphold about their flag).

This is merely another funny angle to the subject of Dannebrog.

Peter Faber, Director and Councilor of State at the Technical University and later director of telegraphy (1810-1877) and his wife, Frantzine Petrine celebrated Christmas at Gammel Strand in Copenhagen in 1847. For this occasion Faber had written “Højt fra træets grønne top” (tr: From the green top of the tree), an occasional song with a verse dedicated to each of the participants. He had no inkling that it would later on become a natural and indispensable part of our Christmas.

1848 was an eventful year in our country – the First War of Slesvig. At that time, Germany was in the thick of things. To cheer on the Danish soldiers, Peter Faber wrote the song: “Dengang jeg drog afsted” (tr: ‘When I set out’ – as in troops leaving for the front). The song became an instant hit, a national scourge and sort of a pseudonym for the national spirit against the wicked Prussians. Peter Faber gained instant fame and became idolized.

As a result, “Højt fra træets grønne top” was pulled from the bosom of his family on Gammel Strand. Peter Faber added a verse in the nationalist spirit about Hendrik, who is strong, has courage and who is the flag-bearer, and where the flag plays an important role. The song gained instant renown as the nations’ Christmas song.

Had we not had the War of Slesvig, “Højt fra træets grønne top” would likely have remained an occasional song stored in a box, together with flag garlands and other Christmas decorations in the attic on Gammel Strand. In those hard times it was understandable that our beautiful Dannebrog would be hung up on the Christmas tree in long garlands as a national symbol and a characteristic part of the decorations on the tree.

After the opening ceremony of the U.N. in 1945, a vote was held on which national flag was the most beautiful. Dannebrog, naturally, was the winner. We Danes were not surprised at that, because we knew it already.

We have been to visit many countries of the world, but nowhere else, except in Denmark, do you see the national flag used so extensively. No matter when you take a trip in any part of our beautiful country, you will see Dannebrog proudly waving on its white flag pole with the red knob on the top.

Could it be the special knack that Danes have for creating a cozy atmosphere? Or could it be our pride in being Danes? Or our strong nationalist sentiment, that is prominent, especially in the South Jutland border area? Or is the reason merely that Dannebrog is the most beautiful flag in the world - a sentiment that certain other nations, regrettably do no share.

When we let our life’s recollections pass by as in a picture book, the episodes that roll by our inner eye are characterized by the Dannebrog – indeed many of them.

Dannebrog is used at every national festival, as, for example on the 113 m. high Skamlingsbanken, South-East of Kolding, where, since 1843, they have held annual national mass meetings on May 18, in support of the Danes of Slesvig. In 1863 a granite obelisk was erected, 16 metres in height. It was blasted by the Prussians in 1864, but re-built in 1866. The Obelisk has become a symbol of Denmark and the reunification. Of course, the Dannebrog is ever-present.

Another instance - when we won the European soccer championship in 1992 in Sweden. We got in when the Jugoslavians were thrown out. First we tied with England, then we lost to Sweden. Our expectations were not great after that. But then we thrashed France and then the Netherlands, and suddenly we found ourselves in the finals.

And indeed – on June 26 1992 at Nya Ullevi Stadium in Gøteborg we beat Germany with a score of 2 – 0. The goal scorers were John “Faxe” Jensen and Kim Vilfort. What jubilation! And the image of thousands of small Dannebrog, when the ferry reached the harbour, is still vivid in our mind’s eye.

When Bjarne Riis won the Tour de France in 1996 he was garnering a lot of attention. All along the route we saw people waving the Dannebrog and even painted it on their faces. When the “Eagle from Herning” was welcomed and cheered upon his return the Dannebrog was everywhere, oceans of them, which people had brought out from storage. Only later on did we find out about the spectre of doping which had hitched a ride on the luggage rack.

Although it’s a little foggy from my childhood’s memory, May 4 and 5 1945 are perhaps the days that the Dannebrog has been used most pervasively. The capitulation of Germany was a fact. The news of peace was broadcast on the radio on May 4 at 20:35 by the announcer, Johannes G. Sørensen: “At this moment from the Montgomery troops that the German troops in The Netherlands, North West Germany and in Denmark have surrendered, I repeat……………” We remember the words so well……….

The joy knew no bounds. We lit candles in the windows, a custom we still practice in the evening of May 4. People went out on the street with their blackout curtains in one hand and Dannebrog in the other. The time for blackout curtains was now over - they were tossed on bonfires in the streets. These are pictures that we remember well from the larger cities, where ecstatic people crawled around on the tops of the street cars and busses, swinging the symbol of victory, the Dannebrog.

On May 5, 1945 at 8 all the church bells pealed in the country. Dannebrog waved everywhere, on the day that is still marked as a day for hoisting the flag.

Everyone was exceedingly happy, but we forgot Bornholm, where the German commandant refused to give up. On the following days until May 8 the Russians bombed Rønne and Nexø. It was a bombardment that cost the lives of 10 Danes and an unknown number of Germans.

When we have a flagpole in our garden, an obligation comes with it. The obligation of raising the flag when the neighbours celebrate a silver anniversary or another celebration, or raised at half mast if someone has died.

Hoisting the flag at half mast is a custom that originates from the seafarers, who had a special flag in case of death. It was raised when a person died at sea. When it was permitted in 1854 to hoist the Dannebrog as the people’s flag, it was raised under the flag of death. As a result, the placement of the flag also became a custom on land.

It should be second-nature for every owner of a flag pole to know something about the national flag days and the rules surrounding the issue of hoisting a flag. For example, you often hear that the flag is struck at sunset. But that is incorrect – a flag is lowered. To strike a flag means that, in the situation of a war, that you capitulate.

But, what do you do with a worn-out Dannebrog? I could not consider throwing it into the trash. After all there is something ‘holy’ about a flag, even if it is a faded and worn out Dannebrog. To burn the Dannebrog would be a demonstration – even a mocking of the flag. Putting it into a re-cycling bin would only serve to pass the buck. Perhaps the Dannebrog should be buried? Or perhaps I should consider buying a surf board and using the flag as a sail?

No, then it would be easier to use it as a polishing cloth. Or perhaps I should ask my wife Hanne to sew me a pair of “short trowsers”.

The correct solution, according to the Denmark Society, is to burn the worn-out flag, even if it sounds disrespectful.

Frede Lauritsen

Take off the hat when the flag is hoisted or lowered.
The flag is hoisted at dawn, but not before 8:00 a.m., and it is lowered at sun-down.
The flag must never touch the ground.
If you have the flag at half-mast, first you must hoist the flag all the way to the top, where it rests a moment for emphasis, then it is lowered so the underside of the flag is at the middle of the flag pole.
At the lowering of the flag, it must again be raised to the top, before lowering it completely.
Hoisting the flag and taking it down must be done at a dignified tempo.
In Denmark it is permitted to raise the flag together with the flags of other nordic countries, as well as the flags of the UN and the EU.
The flags of other nations may be raised only after getting permission from the police, and only if you also raise the Dannebrog. The latter must be of at least the same size and placed in a prominent location. If several flags are hoisted in a row, the Danish flag must be raised farthest to the left as seen by the spectators – or on the central flag pole.
The height of the flag must be one fifth of the height of the flag pole.
Dannebrog Pennants must be half the height of the flag pole in length.

January 01. New Year
February 02. The battle at Mysunde 1864
February 10. Voting in southern Jutland 1920
February 11. Storming of Copenhagen 1659
April 02. The battle of Reden 1801
April 09. Occupation of Denmark 1940. Half-mast until 12:02 p.m. Then at full mast.
April 18. Battle at Dybbøl 1864
May 05. Liberation of Denmark 1945
May 09. Battle at Helgoland 1854
June 05. Constitution Day
June 15. Valdemar’s Day and Reunification Day
July 06. Battle at Fredericia 1849
July 25. Battle at Isted 1850
October 04. Storming at Frederiksstad 1850
December 25. Christmas Day
Good Friday at half mast
Easter
St. Bededag (a public holiday – 4th Friday after Easter)
The Ascension of Christ
Pentecost
And all birthdays in the Royal family