Join the new world

Today, June 5th, is Constitution Day in Denmark.

It is today that we honour the Danish Constitution, as both the first constitution of 1849 and the current constitution of 1953 were signed on this date. Denmark is one of only a handful countries in the world to not have an official national day because we has never been occupied by other nations for very long periods of time - thus no need for an independence day. However, this day is sometimes considered the equivalent of a national day as it is also widely considered to be a day for celebrating Danish democracy, which we will indeed be able to do in full style this year.

Though it has never been an official national holiday, Constitution Day use to be a half-day off work from 1891 until 1975. Since then, collective labor agreements have usually given workers a half-day or the whole day off. Most shops and workplaces close at noon on this day and political rallies and meetings are traditionally held. In modern days, a select few supermarkets and shops are still open full time.



The original Danish Constitution, signed by King Frederik VII, abolished the absolute monarchy and provided a set of citizen’s rights. The document drew inspiration largely from the Constitution of Norway and, in terms of human rights, from the Bill of Rights of the USA Constitution.

The Constitution has actually been updated four times in total in 1866, 1915, 1920, and in 1953. Because there is no amendment process, the document itself has to be updated each time. The most recent edition eliminated the Upper Chamber, creating a unicameral parliament.  All updated versions, including the current one, was signed on June 5th.



Celebration:
Public celebrations mainly centre around the raising of the Dannebrog (Danish flag) – which you, if you are in Denmark, will see flying proudly all across the country. Unlike other Nordic countries, there are no festivals or street parades as this is seen more as a day for spending time with the family.



Danes are generally very into their politics and this day is largely set aside for political rallies and speeches. By June the weather is usually quite warm and these open-air meetings are usually social events where many people do picnics to eat in the park, grab a hotdog or burgers and, of course, a beer. Some people prefer to drink coffee with cake or buns instead. On top of all that, today is also Fathers Day which gives cause for even more celebration and an excuse to be spending time with family if you have children or a father you wish to celebrate.



Constitution Day 2019:
This year in particular, the Danish parliamentary election is also held on this day.
Not only do we spend the day celebrating our democracy as well as Fathers Day, but we also have to use our democratical rights to elect new parliament members and possibly a new Prime Minister.

At the very same time we must also elect a Country President in eDenmark.
And so the celebration of democracy will continue on eRepublik!


- Kitarou
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Finance