Gunhild Agger Myth and History of Culture in Danish Advent Calendars,

1. Gunhild Agger Myth and History of Culture in Danish Advent Calendars, Scandinavian Cinema and Christmas, Lund University, 6 December 2012

2. Outline • Introducing the Danish TV Advent calendar • Calendars and folklore • Brief genre history: traditions anddevelopments • Myth and history of culture in advent calendars • Alletiders jul (TV 2, 1994) • Successors and perspectives

3. Choice • Four Advent calendars are typically screened at the public service stations DR and TV 2: • two targeting the whole family and • two targeting grownups. • In both cases, reruns are common. • The regional stations often present an Advent calendar on radio or television. • Most of the classical Advent calendars can be acquired on DVD

4. Audiences: DR ratings • 1. Nissebanden i Grønland (1993): 1.136.000 viewers2. Jul i Gammelby (rerun, 1994): 891.000 viewers3. Pagten (2009): 859.000 viewers4. Nissebanden i Grønland (rerun, 2011): 852.000 viewers • 5. Nissebanden (1992): 851.000 viewers

5. Audiences: TV 2 ratings • 1. Andersens Julehemmelighed(1993):1.651.000 viewers2. Alletiders Jul (1994): 1.390.000 viewers3. Alletiders Nisse (1995): 1.364.000 viewers4. Skibet i skilteskoven (1992): 1.329.000 viewers5. Brødrene Mortensens Jul (1998): 1.289.000 viewers

6. Hypotheses • New generations are raised to whom the old calendars are new • Older generations amuse themselves with the pleasure of repetition in the light of remembrance • The TV stations are able to vary the genre by renewing it, - making it comment its time- making use of myth and history of culture

7. The Calendar Tradition • The almanac genre: information about holidays, seasons, weather, names, constellation of stars and all sorts of practical and religious advice • Printed cardboard Advent calendars targeting a children’s audience published in Germany 1903, imported to Denmark 1932: model for later editions on radio and TV • 1962: the first Danish Advent calendar after Swedish model (1960)

8. The Folklore Tradition • ‘jul’ (literally ‘yule’): a common Nordic word for an old celebration – solstice • Jørn Piø 1977: grotesque, thrilling and horror elements a part of earlier Christmas traditions: • plays, cf. Ludvig Holberg’s comedy Julestuen (1724) • ghost stories and a consciousness of a special proximity to supernatural phenomena

9. The 19th Century • Development of national identity and prevalent traditions of Christmas (surprise gifts, tree) • The most beloved hymns and carols by B.S. Ingemann and N.F. S. Grundtvig: Christmas as the celebration of the hearts • National symbols on the Christmas tree from 1850

10. Brief Genre History: The puppet calendars • Target group: small children • (and their parents) • Rasmus Tagmus • in Kender du Decembervej? 1967 • Vinterbyøster 1974 • ”that’s where I’m postman” • The children in power • Grownups kind, but confused

11. Brief Genre History: the family calendar • Target group: the whole family • Jul i Gammelby (DR 1979): parallel worlds • Jul på slottet DR 1986(manuscript: Martin Miehe-Renard)

12. Brief Genre History: Renewal of the family calendar tradition • Alletiders jul (1994) • Alletiders nisse (1995) • Alletiders julemand (1997) • Pyrus på pletten (a feature film, 2000) • Pyrus i alletiders eventyr (2000) • myth and cultural history in a combination of entertainment and information

13. Alletiders jul: Time • “Tider går / Tider skal komme […] Julen er gammel / og julen er ny / julen er aldrig den samme” (Ages pass / Ages shall come […] Yule is old / and Yule is new / Yule is never the same) • The first lines refer directly to a beloved hymn by B.S. Ingemann (1850): “Tider skal komme / tider skal henrulle / slægt skal følge slægters gang” (Ages shall come / Ages shall pass / Generation shall follow generation)

14. Alletiders jul: Location • Rigsarkivet, the public record office in Copenhagen stored with books and paperscrolls from all ages • Inhabited by the Bertramsen, the lonely keeper of the public records, and Guttenborg, Bertramsen’s counterpart in the pixie world

15. Alletiders jul: Parallel archive worlds • Bertramsen with Josefine Guttenberg with • Brahe, his assistant Pyrus, his assistant

16. The concept of Christmas reconstructed • Tracing yule back in history • Beginning in the Iron and Bronze ages, finding a wheel and later the sun chariot • Finding the Vikings drinking yule • The myths of the Nordic gods: A visit to Asgaard via Bifrost, the Rainbow bridge • Meeting Hejmdal, the gate keeper • In Asgaard, meeting Freja, the goddess of love

17. Hans Christian Andersen • The little match-seller (1845) visualized as a tableau in the Tivoli Gardens exhibiting the little match-seller’s imaginations of the good family life with its well-provided table, its Christmas tree and gifts • The Fir Tree (1844): Hans Christian Andersen’s imagination apparently inspired by the presence of Pyrus, playing with the concept of time

18. Tradition and innovation • Pyrus wishes renewal of the traditions • In his song “Cool jul” he advocates modernization of Christmas in form of modern music, speed, colours • His rebellion: a very direct manner of approaching people and telling them the truth as he perceives it • But there are limits: harmony between generations and mutual interest of keeping up Christmas traditions in the light of continuity – provided by myth and cultural history – is stressed

19. Successors • Jul i Valhal (TV 2, 2005, rerun 2012): The Fimbul winter, preceding Ragnarok • Myth applied in a tale about challenges to the connection between nature and civilization • Absalons hemmelighed (DR 1, 2006): a quest structure requiring – and providing – knowledge of early medieval history • Pagten (DR1 2009): the problem of bullying in a school class, contrasting the values of pixies and imaginative children to the power of the Ice Witch

20. Perspectives • The calendars function as a mirror of tendencies in contemporary society, focusing on the consequences of globalization and climate issues • Knowledge of myths and cultural history is needed to prevent respectively death and apocalypse and to reconcile attitudes and values