Fluent Fiction - Danish: The Enchantment of Danish Midsummer: A Night of Heritage and Transformation
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Story Transcript:

Da: Den danske midsommer var altid fuld af snurrende farver.
En: The Danish midsummer was always full of swirling colors.

Da: Det var lige som om, det hele blev lidt mere jersey, lidt mere levende, når midsommer havde støvet majstangen af.
En: It was as if everything became a bit more magical, a bit more alive, when midsummer had dusted off the maypole.

Da: Og larmerne i gaderne lød bare anderledes.
En: And the noises in the streets just sounded different.

Da: Lars, Sofie og Frederik var fra København.
En: Lars, Sofie, and Frederik were from Copenhagen.

Da: De boede alle i byen og arbejdede på forskellige kontorer.
En: They all lived in the city and worked in different offices.

Da: Alle tre var de børn af storbyen og en moderne tid.
En: All three of them were children of the city and a modern era.

Da: Men når midsommeren brød ud, uden en eneste sky på himlen, forvandlede de sig helt.
En: But when midsummer broke out, without a single cloud in the sky, they transformed completely.

Da: De skiftede deres almindelige tøj ud med derens bedsteforældres gamle folkedragter.
En: They swapped their ordinary clothes for their grandparents' old folk costumes.

Da: Lars med en gamle vest fra Bornholm, Sofie med en skøn kjole fra Fyn, og Frederik med knæbind og en skjorte fra Jylland.
En: Lars in an old vest from Bornholm, Sofie in a beautiful dress from Fyn, and Frederik with knee bands and a shirt from Jutland.

Da: Endelig var de klar til Holmens kirkeplads, hvor majstangen havde blevet rejst.
En: Finally, they were ready for Holmens Church Square, where the maypole had been raised.

Da: Der var en særlig følelse ved det, en klar fornemmelse af noget dybt og historisk, når de tog folkedragterne på.
En: There was a special feeling to it, a clear sense of something deep and historical, when they put on the folk costumes.

Da: Det var som om, de var blevet løftet ud af deres normale liv og blev en del af noget større.
En: It was as if they had been lifted out of their normal lives and become part of something greater.

Da: Festen begyndte, og de tre venner holdt hinanden i hænderne, i en lang kæde af festklædte danseglade mennesker.
En: The party began, and the three friends held hands, in a long chain of festively dressed, dancing people.

Da: Og der, lige ved siden af majstangen, dansede Lars, Sofie og Frederik.
En: And there, right next to the maypole, Lars, Sofie, and Frederik danced.

Da: Time for time forsvandt, og solen begyndte langsomt at gå ned.
En: Hour by hour passed, and the sun slowly began to set.

Da: Men festen i København stoppede ikke.
En: But the party in Copenhagen did not stop.

Da: Den skiftede blot karakter.
En: It just changed character.

Da: Majstangen forsvandt i mørket, men blev erstattet af et rødligt skær fra bålet.
En: The maypole disappeared into the darkness, but was replaced by a reddish glow from the bonfire.

Da: Lars, Sofie og Frederik sad ved bålet, lyttede til historierne, sangene og snakkede om deres med-dansere.
En: Lars, Sofie, and Frederik sat by the bonfire, listening to the stories, the songs, and talking about their fellow dancers.

Da: De havde for længst glemt den moderne verden, de egentlig levede i.
En: They had long forgotten the modern world they actually lived in.

Da: Da festen var slut, og midnatstimen nærmede sig, vendte de tilbage til deres hjem i København.
En: When the party ended, and midnight approached, they returned to their homes in Copenhagen.

Da: De tog folkedragterne af, men et stykke af midsommeren holdt de tæt ind til hjerte.
En: They took off the folk costumes, but held a piece of midsummer close to their hearts.

Da: De havde fejret midsommer, danset om majstangen, hilst på deres forfædre og følt det gamle Danmark i hjertet, alt sammen på én dag og nat.
En: They had celebrated midsummer, danced around the maypole, greeted their ancestors, and felt old Denmark in their hearts, all in one day and night.

Da: Og de havde delt det hele med hinanden.
En: And they had shared it all with each other.

Da: Som om det var en hemmelighed, kun de forstod.
En: As if it were a secret only they understood.

Da: Og så, med indre ro, lagde de sig til at sove.
En: And then, with inner peace, they went to sleep.

Da: Endnu et år ville gå, inden de igen skulle finde folkedragterne frem, og vente på den næste midsommerfest.
En: Another year would pass before they would bring out the folk costumes again, and wait for the next midsummer celebration.

Da: Men lige meget hvad der ville ske i mellemtiden, så vidste Lars, Sofie og Frederik, at de altid vil have midsommeren.
En: But no matter what would happen in the meantime, Lars, Sofie, and Frederik knew that they would always have midsummer.

Da: Og den ville altid have dem.
En: And it would always have them.


Vocabulary Words:

• swirling: snurrende
• colors: farver
• magical: jersey
• alive: levende
• maypole: majstangen
• streets: gaderne
• Copenhagen: København
• office: kontorer
• children: børn
• modern: moderne
• transformed: forvandlede
• folk costumes: folkedragter
• historical: historisk
• dancing: danseglade
• party: festen
• bonfire: bålet
• stories: historierne
• songs: sangene
• ancestors: forfædre
• celebrated: fejret
• heart: hjerte
• shared: delt
• secret: hemmelighed
• peace: ro
• costumes: folkedragter
• celebration: fest
• understood: forstod
• inner: indre
• sleep: sove