Events this weekend! And fastelavn!

WEEKEND!

Friday

Cheap beer 1

Our very own S-Huset will be running a 5-kroner bar from 11:45-19!
Nothing more to say!

More on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/147968502022226/?fref=ts

Cheap beer 2

ESN probably already informed you about this, but Studenterhuset right next to Rundetårn will be having a semester-start party!

10 hours of happy hour (2 glasses of beer for 35 kroner), 3 stages, 2 floors, 200 free hot dogs and it's all for free (well, except the beer).  Lots and lots of music too. And probably people also. Times: 12-4 in the morning!

More on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/261083597355852/

Music at the Zoological Museum

I wanted to write a feature on the Frost festival, but it seemed from their webpage that most of the cool events were sold out. Well, not this one! Do you want to party in the Darwin-exhibition and dance with animal skeletons (including dinosaur skeletons)? And some stuffed animals too? This is the event for you! It starts at 20:00 and you must buy a ticket in advance (120+a bit for processing). Buy here: http://www.billetnet.dk/event/362607

Austrian Elektro Guzzi will be playing a live-set with hand-played minimal techno (acoustic techno with guitar, bas and drums?). There will also be some musical surprises around the museum during the evening!

More on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/315067821936055/

Saturday

Zombies and vampires in Kødbyen! Sin City will be having a theme party - Zombies and vampires. Dress up and expect scary surprises! (With fastelavnstønde (see bottom of post) in the line, prizes for best costumes in the categories: Zombie, vampire and "regular fastelavn". There will be a band: Hola Ghost (surf and psychobilly) and a bunch of DJ's.

It is 60 kroner in door (cash) including 1 beer and wardrobe. From 22-04.

Sunday

FASTELAVN!

Fastelavn is a Danish carnival, celebrated the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. The day in Denmark is mostly celebrated with dress-up, fun games and "fastelavnsboller" (fastelavn sweet rolls!). 

Another thing is that you outside most churches can "slå katten af tønden" (beat a barrell with a "cat" inside). Back in the days it was an actual cat, and I think the story goes that it was to prevent bad luck (except for the poor cat). Now, it is mostly candy (as in a piñata!) inside the barrels, and when it's not, it's fruit and raisins. The barrel is tied to something so it hangs in the air. Then a lot of people dressed as for Halloween (but not just scary costumes) will take turns to beat the barrel with a wooden baseball bat. Only one hit per person until the line is over and everybody can try again. When the bottom falls out of the barrel (with all the candy!) everybody runs to get the candy. The person to make the bottom fall out will become the "cat queen". Next challenge is to be the one that gets rid of the last tied-up piece of the barrel - this person will become the "cat king"! Both will be crowned with paper crowns! 

In the morning, kids will make "fastelavnsris", a bundle of thin birch brances, decorate them with paper-cats, masks and the like. They will wake up their parents by "hitting" them or their bed with the fastelavnsris, chanting this song (try and see if you can translate it) to make them get up and get fastelavnsboller for them:

"Fastelavn er mit navn
Boller vil jeg have
Hvis jeg ingen boller får
Så laver jeg ballade!"

Kind of like the tradition of "trick or treat" on Halloween, some kids will walk on the streets, knock on doors  for coins, candy or fastelavnsboller - or else there will be trouble! :)

I only have good memories of this holiday, both as a child (one of the best days of the winter!) and as an adult (in my old karate-club, we used to kick the barrel instead of using a bat!). You should try and go to one of the events - it is really a nice way to spend a sunday! Aww, I want to make a fastelavnsris now!




Here are some suggestions for the celebrations of the day:

The different one:

Complete with costumes, barrels and ... winter bathing in the harbor-bath? Sounds different and like a lot of fun! But don't worry if you don't want to freeze - you can still go and see people dressed up jumping in the ice-cold water! And if you want to take a dip - don't worry, there is a sauna! There are prizes for the cat-king and the cat-queen! And it's free!

The harbor bath as it looks in the summer!

Address: Havnebadet, Islands Brygge. From 10-14.

The one in the Zoo:

The money from the tickets, you have to buy to go to this one, will be donated to WWF for protection of endangered species! 

The barrel will be inside the lions' area - but the lions will be indoors. And the prizes for the cat-king and cat-queen will be another trip to the lions' area, to help the zookeeper take care of the lions. :)

Address: Zoo, Roskildevej 32, 2000 Frederiksberg
From 10-13.

The one without kids:

The William Blakes will be playing a fastelavns-concert with a costume theme and a bunch of guest performers including Danish reggae-boy wonder Shaka Loveless, jazz sax-guy Benjamin Koppen, D-A-D guitarist Jacob Binzer, Kresten Osgood and Dreamer's Circus! This is the fifth year in a row! All performers and audience will be in costume and some of the music will be improvised!

The profit from tickets will be donated to the organization Partners in Health, leading the humanitarian help in Haiti.

Address: Amager Bio, Øresundsvej 6, 2300 KBH S
At 20. Buy a ticket at www.amagerbio.dk (price in advance = 140 kroner + handling, in-door 165 kroner)

Or just visit any bakery - they will definitely have fastelavnsboller. The ones with cream are divine!!!







All the best,
Nanna