Culture Night: Denmark

A few months ago we had another culture night.  This time we did Denmark.  Joe and I both have many ancestors from Denmark.  So, we decided to learn a little bit more about the country.  

Here was the spread for dinner:

Pretty simple.  Just fruit and Smørrebrød (Danish open-faced sandwiches):

I got the recipe for the roast beef sandwiches here.  I just kind of made up the ham ones after looking at pictures.  I thought there might be a chance of the kids actually eating the ham ones.  As it turned out, they mostly just ate watermelon.  They didn't like the rye bread, or the sprouts.  I thought the roast beef ones were super tasty; even for lunch the next day.  It's always fun to have an excuse to buy new things like tarragon, capers and sprouts.  

One thing they liked a lot better was the ebelskiver we had a week or two later.  After being all wrapped up in Danish culture, I happened to walk by an ebelskiver pan for sale at Costco and made an impulse buy (that never happens at Costco...).  It came in handy, though, since Elizabeth had a heritage feast at school and had to bring something so we made those.  No pictures, sadly, but they are just little pancake balls that can have fillings or not.  

I do have a picture of the cute little Danish doll she had to make:

( I can't get that to rotate)

She is holding a violin in her arms.  I was proud of myself on this one for resisting the impulse to try and take over when she was making this.  Elizabeth made it entirely by herself and I think she did a great job.  

Anyway, back to culture night... Elizabeth was in charge of history, Natalie did animals, Joe did arts and culture, and I was in charge of family history.  My brother helped a lot by sending me some pictures from his files and from when he visited Denmark recently. (Thanks Matt!)

This is my great-great-great grandfather Bendt Nielsen Sr. with his first wife and some of their children:

 

(I am descended from a later wife)

Here are some pictures Matt took:

Danish countryside

My ancestors were farmers 

A church that near where they lived that would have been built around the time they lived there:

I don't know much about my family history but I want to learn more.  One thing that helps is the church's new family history website.  Have you been there?  It's pretty cool.  I love the family tree and fan charts and that you can see pictures and read stories that have been uploaded.