Great Prayer Day

Great Prayer Day, Store Bededag, was created under King Christian V in 1686 by consolidating several older prayer and penitence days. Church bells signalled the evening before, trade and entertainment stopped, and people were expected to attend worship and refrain from work. Because bakers could not use their ovens on the holiday, households bought wheat buns in advance and reheated them; warm hveder on Thursday evening became the date’s most durable popular custom.

Parliament passed Act No. 214 in March 2023 after a contentious political debate. From 1 January 2024, the fourth Friday after Easter is legally an ordinary working day, and earlier contractual or customary holiday rights could no longer preserve its former status. Many fixed monthly-paid employees whose annual hours increased receive a supplement equal to 0.45 percent of annual salary under the act; hourly paid workers receive ordinary agreed pay for work performed.

The abolition did not erase the liturgical date or the buns. Church of Denmark parishes may still hold services, bakeries promote hveder, and families may continue their Thursday ritual. The calendar therefore retains an observance guide but does not mark a public day off. The 2023 act expressly does not apply to the Faroe Islands or Greenland, reinforcing why their holiday arrangements must not be inferred from Denmark’s entry.