The Ritual Master Welcome to Christmas in the heart of Copenhagen, these are the Tivoli Gardens in their best party dress.
Tivoli is the third oldest operating amusement park in the world, opened in 1843 in the Danish capital. Its founder, Georg Carstensen, obtained the favours of King Christian VIII for constructing the park by saying “when the people are amusing themselves, they do not think about politics”.
From its beginning Tivoli included a variety of attractions: buildings in the exotic style of an imaginary Orient: a theatre, band stands, restaurants and cafés, flower gardens, and mechanical amusement rides such as a merry-go-round and a primitive scenic railway. After dark, colored lamps illuminated the gardens. On certain evenings, specially designed fireworks could be seen reflected in Tivoli’s lake, a remnant of the moat surrounding the city fortifications.
Tivoli is always evolving without abandoning its original charm or traditions. Georg Carstensen said in 1844: “Tivoli will never, so to speak, be finished”, a sentiment echoed just over a century later when Walt Disney said of his own Tivoli-inspired theme park, “Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world”.
Christmas is a season of magical adventure in the Tivoli Gardens! The beautiful Christmas trees shimmer with colour, twinkling illuminations light up the darkness. Vendor stalls abound with Christmas goodies, and the Tivoli Youth Guard fills the Gardens with magnificent music.
My evening visit was like an enchanted visit to a land where only joy and laughter are allowed. The gardens were full of people, young and old marvelling at the Christmas dream created to spark the festive spirit in all of us.
At the end of our Scandinavian Advent Calendar, I am filled with joy and gratitude for the extraordinary journey this has been. Reading 14 incredible books that made us not only travel in between 5 countries but also through centuries of culture and traditions. Discovering delicious food and learning from the wisdom of the North, it has been my pleasure to read, research, travel and cook so that we could share a special month of December.
All my wishes of light and joy go out to you, may your Holidays be blessed with the brightest of smiles !
Until next year, Happy Christmas !
Glædelig jul !
Gleðileg jól !
God jul !
Hyvää joulua !
