The first ever Denmark Day was held on May 2 this year at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi. More than 300 people attended the event that jointly celebrated the Queen's birthday and Constitution Day.

In the UAE, it is a tradition for embassies to host national day events. However, until this year the Danish Embassy in Abu Dhabi had never taken part. May 2 was thus a historic day.

The event commenced with the UAE and Denmark national anthems followed by a speech by Danish Ambassador, Merete Juhl. In the speech, the Ambassador underlined the strong relationship between Denmark and the UAE, and spoke about happiness, women in power, trade, Danes in the UAE, NATO, and the future.

Speaking about tourism and trade as a pronounced part of Danish history, tradition and culture, Juhl quoted Danish fairytale author, H. C. Andersen, thereby underlining the fairytale atmosphere of the event.

Denmark Day was in many ways a celebration of Denmark and Danish values. The event featured ballet dancers resembling Denmark's national bird, the Little Mermaid made of Peter Beier chocolate, Danish cuisine including open-faced sandwiches (smørrebrød), frikadeller and drømmekage, along with a photo booth with the country's landmarks as background.

The event was sponsored by Danish companies ranging from Arla, Novo Nordisk, Mærsk, Grundfos, KLS, Terma and Rambøll to Jacobsen Bakery, Peter Justesen A/S, Peter Beier, DSV and Rynkeby.

Source: Khaleej Times