Santa Lucia

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Today, the feast day of Santa Lucia will be celebrated in Sweden, Norway and Denmark with candle-lit processions in schools, churches, hospitals, and homes for the elderly. Children, dressed in white gowns with crowns of dark green leaves, carry candles or lanterns and there are Lucia songs and, by tradition, sticky saffron buns.

Copenhagen has its own distinct celebration where canoes are decorated with coloured lights and some even have Christmas trees. The large flotilla ... more than 300 canoes took part last year ... forms up at Kalvebod, just below Langebro, and from there, just as it gets dark, they paddle up the harbour to Nyhavn and gather at the inner end to sing Christmas songs.

They return to the harbour and cross over to the Christianshavn canal where they stop to sing again at the bridge at Christianhavns Torv. It is then on to the south end of the canal and, crossing back over the harbour, they paddle along Frederiksholms Kanal, around Christiansborg, and finally, from Knippelsbro, it is back to the start for a total distance of seven kilometres with the whole thing stretching over three hours.

Large crowds gather on the quays and bridges along the route to watch and to join in with the singing and, for many, this is the event that marks the start of the Christmas season.

The Santa Lucia flotilla seems like a suitably dramatic event to mark the end of a year of posts here about how the citizens of Copennhagen use the streets and squares and the parks and harbours for an amazing range of exhibitions, cultural celebrations, sports events and festivals outside.

Since the middle ages, public spaces - squares, streets and the harbour and, from the 19th century, city parks and gardens - have been used for the staging of celebrations and religious festivals and parades in the city but, of course, with Coronavirus restrictions, events that can be held outside have become more important and even more popular.

the canoes and surf boards come into Nyhavn with spectators on both quays and on the bridge at the centre of the harbour

view along the north quay of Nyhavn with the historic ships moored here decorated with lights for Christmas and the stalls of the Christmas market running up to and into Kongens Nytorv …. the large public space at the top of Nyhavn

 

today was the Copenhagen Half Marathon

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The start of the marathon was at Fælledparken and from there runners came down across the north end of the lakes and along, one block back from the lakes, before crossing over the lakes on Dronning Louise Bro. It was then straight on through Nørrebro to the railway station before heading west and south, down through to Frederiksberg on a zig zag route, to the harbour at Fisketorvet.

From there it was a long straight run - along the 02 - to Børsen and up to Kongens Nytorv and along Bredgade before swinging out to the east through Østerport to turn back down and back for the finish, back at Fælledparken.

Car traffic within the circuit was tightly restricted and at key points pedestrians could cross over into the inner city if there were appropriate gaps between runners or, at busy points, by temporary bridges.

The photograph is of runners was taken at Det Kongelige Bibliotek, Den Sorte Diamant / the Royal Library known generally as The Black Diamond. Here they are just over half way through the run but, at least, heading for home.

 

Car Free Sunday 19 September 2021

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Much of the centre of the city was closed off to traffic for the Copenhagen Half Marathon in the morning and signs and bariiers and marshalls were in place so the restrictions were kept in place through the afternoon for Car Free Sunday.

All the gantries for TV cameras were still in place on Dronning Louises Bro but after the runners are passed along Nørrebro the normally busy road was converted with food stalls and play areas for children including dance lessons. DJs set up sound systems and people broght out their deck chairs or just sat on the kerb chatting to neighbours. Kids used chalks to cover the tarmac with amazing drawings.

It all showed, only too well, what we give up to cars.

 

Beach Volleyball on the harbour quay

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This weekend - on Friday 13, Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 August - there is a beach volleyball competition on the quay on the city side of the harbour. It’s at the corner of Nyhavn - where the inner harbour bridge crosses over to Christianshavn - and a temporary court and a stand have been set up specifically for the event.

This is yet another good example of how much the citizens of Copenhagen make use of public urban spaces for major events outside.