Every winter, the calls start coming in. Whenever the temperature drops and the nights lengthen, people begin to reach out to Claus Elholm Andersen, asking about hygge. After all, Andersen isn’t just a professor of Scandinavian studies; he’s a native of Denmark. Who better to explain the Danish concept of hygge to Americans?
“I’m probably asked to do five or six of these talks a year,” he says, “and then often on the media, radio and TV interviews, asking me to give the 30-second version of hygge.”
In the 30-second version, hygge is synonymous with cozy: it’s woolen sweaters and crackling fires and pockets of soft candlelight surrounded by darkness. But, Andersen argues, the 30-second version misses many of the most important aspects of hygge.
Hygge is a concept known throughout Scandinavia. The root of the word comes from Icelandic, and variations are common in Norwegian, Swedish, and Finnish. But Danes have made hygge part of their national identity. Hygge is called out on Denmark’s national website and on tourist sites. Artists as disparate as Henrik Ibsen and Hans Christian Andersen invoked hygge — and frequently scorned it — in their work.
To be Danish is to understand hygge, so we asked Andersen to tell us how to have a truly hygge experience.
Hygge Is Social
“My definition of hygge is ‘pleasant togetherness,’ ” says Andersen. “Pleasant is about the atmosphere. And then togetherness is about the social. We might also say it is the art of creating coziness and familiarity. In the pleasant column would be things like candle lights. It would be things like indirect lighting in your house. It would be things like maybe a fireplace, relaxed clothing. And on the social side it would be intimacy with friends and family and being in a relaxed environment.
Hygge Is Intimate
“It’s about creating pockets of togetherness, sociability, friendliness. It’s for small groups.”
Hygge Is Intentional
“In Denmark, what is very important is the word itself. And the word hygge exists as a verb, ‘to hygge;’ a noun; and as an adjective, hyggelig. And part of doing hygge is using the word. The word kind of becomes a speech act. You’re sitting in an environment with friends, and then you say, ‘This is hygge.’ ”
Hygge is Mindful
“In our home, we have a tradition called eftermiddagsmad, an afternoon snack. And literally, it is hygge. At one point in the afternoon, we sit down together. We have a cookie, or we might have pumpkin pie. My wife and I have coffee. It might last anywhere from two to 10 minutes, but we sit down. We take a breather. We spend time together.”
Hygge Is Egalitarian
“Hygge is also used as a way of social control to create egalitarianism. If someone has a lot of money and builds a house that’s too big, the worst thing you can say about that is that is not hygge.”
Hygge Can Be Anytime
“One misunderstanding is that [hygge is only] in the wintertime. How do you get through the winter months? And yes, hygge is an important component there, but hygge is something that you do all year round. It’s also in the summer, on a long evening where it’s light until midnight and you are sitting outside and cozying up. It doesn’t have to be indoors. It doesn't have to be when it’s winter and dark outside.”
