1 / 20

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

Gunhild Agger Myth and History of Culture in Danish Advent Calendars, Scandinavian Cinema and Christmas , Lund University, 6 December 2012. Outline. Introducing the Danish TV Advent calendar Calendars and folklore Brief genre history: traditions and developments

kato-dyer
Download Presentation

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

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  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

More Related