Constitution Day is celebrated in Denmark on 5 June. The day honours the Danish Constitution, as both the first constitution of 1849, signed by King Frederik VII, and the current constitution of 1953 were established on this day. The day has gained even more significance over the years as women were given the right to vote on 5 June 1915. Denmark is one of only a handful of countries in the world that do not have an official national day, but Constitution Day is sometimes considered the equivalent of such a day. It is also widely considered to be a day for celebrating Danish democracy.
Despite the fact that it has never been an official national holiday, Constitution Day was a half-day off work from 1891 until 1975. Since then, collective labour agreements have usually given workers a half-day or the whole day off on Constitution Day. Stores with an annual turnover of at most 34.9 million kroner can stay open on Constitution Day, but all other stores must stay closed.
The day is widely celebrated throughout Denmark with church congregations, associations and political organisations meeting for what are essentially "secular services". These services include the raising of the Dannebrog (the Danish flag), a speech by a local politician or celebrity and collective singing (Danish: fællessang).
Celebrate Danish Constitution Day by practising your interpreting skills with the Danish section of the Speech Repository.