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Denmark

Princess Benedikte attends Swedish Christmas fair in Copenhagen

Christmas is fast approaching for all of us and a number of permanent traditions await most royal families.Princess Benedikte of Denmark and Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg had a great time when she visited the Christmas bazaar in the Swedish church of Copenhagen, where she bought several special Swedish Christmas items.

The Christmas mood was at its peak when Princess Benedikte, true to tradition, visited the Christmas bazaar in the Swedish church at Østerbro in Danish capital of Copenhagen. It’s a tradition she inherited from her mother, Queen Ingrid, who was born Princess of Sweden. Since 1912, the bazaar has been held in Gustafskyrkan church, which is the official name of the Swedish Church, and time and time again it has been with royal participation.

The Danish-born princess, who is Queen Margrethe’s younger sister and also a German princess through her marriage, was welcomed with flowers by a little girl. Several of those present had dressed in their Swedish national costumes. Princess Benedikte met the press along the way and said: “I thought the bazaar was nice and it is very nice to be able to be here again. I think we all thought that two-year-old pause has been too long. Seeing all the goods and all the women wearing their Swedish national costumes is so wonderful. This is something we unfortunately do not have here in Denmark”.

At the opening, Princess Benedikte gave a speech in fluent Swedish and subsequently told the press how happy she is with the bazaar and the Swedish Christmas traditions. Along her way through the fair, she bought painted traditional “Dala –horses”, sticks with elves to put in the Christmas ham, Swedish mulled wine, red and white candy, gingerbread and Lucia bread. Everywhere there where scents of Swedish specialties, and the red and green colours announce that Christmas can now seriously begin.

The Swedish church in Copenhagen is a part of the Church of Sweden Abroad. It was built between 1907 to 1911 to the design of Swedish architect Theodor Wåhlin and is named after King Gustaf V of Sweden. The church is a natural gathering place for Swedes who live in Copenhagen.

About author

Senior Europe Correspondent Oskar Aanmoen has a master in military and political history of the Nordic countries. He has written six books on historical subjects and more than 1.500 articles for Royal Central. He has also interview both Serbian and Norwegian royals. Aanmoen is based in Oslo, Norway.