De Hallen

Hygge

Denmark is one of the happiest countries in the world. Meik Wiking, a researcher at the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, attributes this to ‘hygge’, the Danish art of living. The secret to this Danish lifestyle is ‘appreciating the little things in life’.

Hygge (pronounced ‘huu-gu’) means a cozy, sociable atmosphere. It represents the Danish attitude to life; enjoying the things that truly matter, quality time with family, giving each other your full attention and caring affection. Unlike in many other languages (such as ‘gezelligheid’ in Dutch), hygge in Danish is a verb, meaning Danish people actively take part in creating and enjoying hygge. 

When envisioning hygge, imagine a crackling fire, candles, hot drinks, cooking and eating together, reading a book whilst wrapped in a blanket on the sofa, a walk in the woods, and playing board games. Even taking the time to hang out laundry together can be considered to be ‘hyggey’. 

Throughout December the works shown in de Hallen have as a theme; ‘Hygge’. This is because the model in the pictures is a Danish monkey and because December is possibly the most ‘hyggeyish’ month of the year… Enjoy the photographs!