Vancouver Island Danish Canadian Club
Bowen Park social center Nanaimo, BC, Canada

As we struggle with the new normal during this pandemic, it is more important than ever to remember those who fought for our freedom. Hope you were able to reflect on this during Remembrance Day. Stay well and be good to those around you.

One of our Vancouver Island Danish club members decorated a front yard tree with woven hearts to let our essential workers knw how much they are loved and appreciated!

https://www.thelocal.dk

Edmonton bake sale.....

Wow this is just so cool!! In Denmark people started an initiative called "The Human Libray". Inside certain libraries you can choose to 'borrow' a person - ins...tead of a book - to listen to the history of their life for about 30 minutes. The point? Limiting prejudice. Everyone has a 'title' such as 'Unemployed', 'Refugee', 'Bipolar', or what have you - but wonce we listen to their story, we will always be given reasons to realize even deeper - why we should never "judge a book by its cover" ;) <3 An innovative and brilliant project that by now is active in fifty countries! An initiative of The Human Library <3 (https://humanlibrary.org/)

Danish Gramma teaching kids how to eat spaghetti

The 31st of October, the hekse (witches) and spøgelser (ghosts) have come out of the dark to haunt and terrorize mankind. No one is safe in the skove (forests) or the crooked gyder (alleys) of the small landsbyer (villages). To protect themselves, people have carved grinning faces into orange græskar (pumpkins, the singular is the same), and placed the græskarlygter (jack-o’-lanterns, literally ’pumpkin lamps’) in front of their homes, stearinlys (stearin candles) flickering ...on passers-by from the pumpkins’ eyes and jagged mouths. I’ve been doing a bit of research, and it seems like the American way of celebrating Halloween came to Denmark in the 1990’ies. A lot of people complain that this is yet another proof that the Americanization of the Danish society has gone too far, and that Danish Halloween is really just a media stunt initiated by the supermarkeder so that they can sell a lot of legetøj (toys, collective plural) and kostumer. And true enough, it seems like the great supermarket chains were indeed responsible for bringing the Halloween package to Denmark back in the nineties. What the critics forget, though, is that Halloween isn’t that Un-Danish In middelalderen (the Middle Ages), when Denmark was Catholic, even Danes celebrated ’all-hallow-even’ or allehelgensaften, as it is properly called in Danish the evening before allehelgensdag (all-hallow-day, day of all saints). This day, the 1st of November, was for all those helgener (saints) who didn’t have their own day of celebration. As in modern Catholic countries, there was also an allesjælesdag (day of all souls), the 2nd of November, where all those people who had died during the year were celebrated. In conjunction with reformationen (the 16th century Reformation, where Denmark officially switched from Catholic Christianity to Martin Luther’s Protestantism), the two days were fused to one and moved to the first Sunday of November. It never really caught on among ordinary people. While church people try to link the imported Halloween to the traditional allehelgensaften, the common Danes seem to have taken this new tradition to their hearts. Danish children eagerly prepare jack-o’-lanterns and disguise themselves as monsters. Slik eller ballade! as the Danish take on ’trick or treat!’ goes. After all, efteråret (the autumn) can be quite dark and cold in Denmark, and Christmas is still far away

a visit to Tovoli ( Virtual) https://www.tivoligardens.com//haven+og/saesoner/halloween

Protecting yourself from COVID-19 Frauds and Scams (Information provided by Seniors First BC, formerly BC Centre for Elder Advocacy and Support) http://seniorsfirstbc.ca//protecting-yourself-from-covid-/... 1. What are the most common COVID-19 frauds and scams? According to Seniors First BC, the most common COVID-19 scams targeting the public are: phone calls text messages phishing (fraudulent) emails door-to-door canvassing fake charities fake websites social media online shopping 2. What should you do if a fraud or scam is suspected? Seniors First BC recommends not responding back to any attempted communications, do not answer the door if you are not expecting a visitor or package, ensure you are purchasing from reputable websites, and do your research before shopping online. Do not click on website pop-ups and close the page immediately if one appears on your screen. 3. How can fraudulent activity be identified? Official organizations will not send threats, errors or warning messages and will never give you a reason to panic unnecessarily. Scammers have ways of making themselves appear extremely legitimate. They may impersonate well-known organizations, taking advantage of official symbols or logos. 4. How can you protect yourself from scammers? Never give out personal information such as credit card numbers, banking information, passwords or social insurance numbers, unless you have contacted someone for services and verified their identity first. Scammers will often tell you not to call family members or the police but to deal only with them. It is important not to listen to this advice. Reach out to a family member, trusted friend or call your local police department if you are concerned. 5. How do you report fraudulent activity? Suspected frauds and scams can be reported to: The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at antifraudcentre.ca or 1-888-495-8501 Your local police department by filing a non-emergency report (do not call 911) Your local bank/financial institution and credit card company The National Credit Bureau to place a fraud alert on your credit reports (Equifax Canada 1-800-465-7166 or TransUnion Canada 1-800-663-9980) The National Do-Not-Call List at lnnte-dncl.gc.ca or 1-866-580-3625 6. Where can you learn more? Seniors First BC operates the Seniors Abuse and Information Line (SAIL), a BC-wide program with trained intake workers ready to talk to you in confidence about abusive situations of any kind involving older adults. Seniors First BC also provides free legal services to older adults age 55+ who cannot afford a lawyer. To connect with Seniors First BC for the SAIL line or to book legal services, call 604-437-1940 or toll-free at 1-866-437-1940, available 7 days a week (excluding holidays) from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm.

Happy BC day long weekend! I hope everyone is practising social distancing and hand washing while enjoying this gorgeous B.C. weather!

Happy Canada Day!

A happy Father’s Day to all. I hope you enjoyed some time with family this weekend. Happy mid summer! Enjoy those long days of sunshine. Take care, wash hands and wear a mask when out, best to stay safe.

In the era of Covid pandemic, keeping in touch with our family and friends is very important. Here is an excerpt from Sons of Norway lodge in Victoria: Right now, this is where we are. We couldn't have predicted this, not in a million years, and yet ... All we have are the relationships that we have amongst our families, friends, and colleagues from wherever they are. That's the most important thing right now. So, keeping that in mind, I very much hope that you are all w...ell, happy, and looking forward to the day when we can more comfortably get together again. Keep safe, Stay Healthy and Be Kind!

Message about June 5, Denmark's Constitution Day from the Danish Ambassador: Dear Danes and friends of Denmark, June 5 is Denmark’s Constitution Day - in Danish Grundlovsdag. The day marks Denmark’s first democratic constitution, signed by King Frederik VII in 1849, making Denmark a constitutional monarchy with a representative parliamentary system. The Constitution applies in the entire realm: Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The Constitution has been amended a few ...times since it was enacted. On June 5, 1915, an amendment of the Constitution gave women the right to vote. The Danish embassy would have liked nothing more than to celebrate this day of democracy. And you might had planned a day spent with family and friends at Constitution meetings - grundlovsmøder, enjoying the early summer day and evening listening to political speeches on the state of government. However, this year will be different due to the unusual times we live in. COVID-19 has spread across borders and affected us all. It has profoundly changed our everyday life. But when borders closed around the world, the world also opened up to the exchange of innovation and collaboration to find a cure on a scale that we have never seen before. Denmark and Canada are joined in this quest and committed to promoting democratic principles globally through protecting human rights for all citizens, equality for all, transparency, and good governance. We will get through this crisis if we stand together, though physically apart. 2020 also marks the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II and the liberation of Denmark from German occupation. Every year on May 4, we light candles in our windows to celebrate the evening when light returned to Denmark after five years of darkness. Canadians played a vital role in the Allied liberation of Europe and a special thanks goes out to our friend and ally for the freedom we enjoy today. Virtual arts and culture have lifted our spirits the past couple of months. Danes have enjoyed daily communal sing-alongs of old familiar Danish tunes while staying home. In addition, social distancing did not stop the Danes from celebrating the 80th birthday of Queen Margrethe II on April 16. Although all official events were cancelled, Danes celebrated the occasion by singing the Danish birthday song together from their living rooms to H.M. the Queen, who watched the celebration on her television and later in a televised speech thanked all Danes for making the birthday one of the most memorable. In these difficult times, we take care of each other by checking in, by helping with the groceries, by sharing baking recipes or a virtual cup of coffee or tea. The well-known Danish hygge has taken on a whole new meaning. So enjoy this time of mindfulness with your families and keep staying together by staying apart. I send you my warmest greetings and wish you and your families a Happy Constitution Day. Hanne Fugl Eskjær Ambassador See more

Viking viewpoint

Happy Mother's Day! Enjoy!!

5 May - Denmark's Liberation Day 4 May 1945 was the day when the Danes got the message on the radio about the liberation of Denmark from Germany during Second World War, after the German occupation since 9 April 1940. This meant that the Danes no longer had to use heavy black curtains to keep the light from getting out of their houses. People flocked into the streets, waving the Danish flag Dannebro and burned their black curtains. Many lighted candles on their windows. The...refore, if you see candles on the windows in the evening of 4 May, it is because Danes celebrate and commemorate this day. The message about the Danish liberation went out on 4 May, but the official liberation day is 5 May. It is celebrated with flags in flagpoles and on top of the busses. See more