FLAGS

Danes are nuts about the Dannebrog, the national flag which is red with a white cross. Most houses, particularly in rural areas, have a flagpole, and people are always waving flags if they have the chance. If you come through Copenhagen Airport, you will nearly always pass by a group of friends and relatives, waiting with small flags for someone to arrive through Customs.

The Dannebrog is widely held to be the oldest national flag. Legend has it that it appeared in the sky while the Danes were fighting to take Tallinn in Estonia in the early thirteenth century; with the siege going badly, the flag was a sign from heaven that they would succeed (which they did). The normal custom is to fly a "vimpel" (a small, thin, version) from the flagpole for most of the time, and only to put the full Dannebrog up on special occasions; birthdays, national days, that sort of thing. My mother-in-law put up the flag yesterday, for instance, since it was my daughter's birthday. However, you can only put the Dannebrog up after sunrise, and it must be taken down again before sunset. It must also not be allowed to touch the ground, since otherwise war will come to Denmark again.

Cycling past my mother-in-law's this afternoon, I thought it might be a good idea, if I got a new flagpole (the old one was rotten and fell down in a storm some years ago). Then I could fly a big Union Jack on my birthday later this summer. So I was horrified to learn that that would not in fact be possible. Since 1915 the only flags allowed in Denmark are the Dannebrog, plus the flags of the other Nordic countries, the U.N. and the E.U. If I wanted to fly the Union Jack, even on my own property, then I would have to get permission from the police.

Mmm, suddenly a new flagpole is not looking so attractive.

Walter Blotscher