Celebration Songs


Brief Overview

 A celebratory song from the wedding of Carl Iversen.

2008-117 - Gift of Grace Johnson


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A unique Danish tradition is that of celebratory songs.

The songs are written for a special occasion about a person being celebrated. The song is written by that person's family and friends and often replaces a speech.

It uses key words relating to the person's life and experiences and is set to a popular tune that most people will recognize. At the celebration the songs are handed out in a "song holster," a container in a funny or cheerful shape.

For research purposes these songs can be a gold mine. They will tell you not only the names of the people the song is about, but many details about their lives. They might also include information about relatives or spouses and if they are, say, from a 50th wedding anniversary then a minimal amount of mathematical calculation will give you the date of the wedding or birthday, as the case might be.

As they also mention preferences and hobbies they will provide insight into the daily life of one's relative that might otherwise have been lost forever.