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Hygge – hear it from the Danes

Hygge – hear it from the Danes

Reading up about our theme hygge (pronounced hoo-gah), I was left with a warm, good feeling. So, what is this enigmatic feeling/lifestyle/attitude called hygge?
The word is untranslatable in other languages and stems from Danish, where it first appeared in written documents in the early 1800s. Translations such as cosiness or Gemütlichkeit or contentment come to mind.
Survey after survey, Denmark consistently comes up first in global happiness ratings. Try googling World Happiness Report. The reason for their satisfaction with life? Denmark is a welfare state with social security, universal healthcare, and a universal pension. However, so are other Nordic states. There must be more to the Danish state of happiness – and the answer is hygge.
According to Meik Wiking, founder of The Happiness Research Institute of Copenhagen which explores global trends of life satisfaction, hygge makes all the difference. "Hygge has been called everything from 'the art of creating intimacy', 'cosiness of the soul,' and 'the absence of annoyance' to 'taking pleasure in the presence of soothing things’."
For Henriette Lindberg van Zyl, a born Dane living in Namibia since 2012, hygge ultimately means living in the moment. “Hygge is so much more than just a word, it is what connects me to my Danish culture and without it I don’t think I could feel at home in Namibia. Basically, our whole lifestyle and most of our traditions are based on creating this atmosphere. It is so incorporated in the way we grew up, that I will decorate my home in a certain way or do stuff, without realising the reason for it is this hygge-feeling. I also think that because of it, I have many cherished moments with my kids I would otherwise miss out on.”
Henriette subconsciously made her Outjo home hyggeligt by incorporating vintage items,textured rugs, pillows and blankets, plants, books, warm natural colours, special nooks for certain activities like snuggling up with a book, and candles. In Denmark candles, firelight from the hearth and well-placed pools of light from lamps play a large part in creating the hygge atmosphere.
Meik Wiking reckons that “candles are perhaps more a manifestation of the hygge culture than they are a driver of it. I think hygge originates from something more fundamental, something about togetherness, equality, and community.”
Henriette agrees. “Hygge is not just about the items in our house, it is also about the time we spend together, being in the moment, enjoying each other. We eat together every night as a family, often with glowing candles on the table. We are together with no distractions. Preparing the meals together is half the fun or enjoying other activities together such as Lego, boardgames, drawing, clay, beads or reading books. The children are not kept busy one side while we do something else. Rather we join in, creating family time and hygge moments. One needs to mute all technology and enjoy the right here, right now.”
Wiking calls hygge the “feeling of being in the right place. Peace and joy. Hygge can happen alone or together with people… in that very moment expecting nothing more. It can happen anywhere and for everyone.”
Henriette says many Namibian homes already have the hygge quality. “But we need the last step. Instead of having the candle holder and vase just standing, light the candle and put flowers in the vase. Instead of buying the cake, bake it - it doesn’t have to be perfect, because it is the time spent that counts. Instead of each person checking social media while drinking coffee, switch off the phone and be in the moment. Instead of mom cooking, dad being on the phone and kids watching TV, cook together. The hygge is in us working and relaxing together.”
“The closest thing Namibia already has to hygge is the braai, getting together around the fire, enjoying each other’s company. But! Men around the fire and the women running back and forth is not hygge. We should prepare before the guests arrive, set the table in readiness, creating a calm scene so that when the braai starts everybody is part of it -- because that creates the hygge lifestyle.”



Henriette van Zyl orginally from Denmark,
who made Namibia her home.