HYGGE /ˈh(j)uːɡə/ Noun
A quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being (regarded as a defining characteristic of Danish culture).
Why not follow the Danish example and bring more hygge into your daily life?
Creating a warm atmosphere and enjoying the good things in life with good people. The warm glow of candlelight is hygge.
Though there are many ways to describe hygge, we see it simply as the Danish ritual of enjoying life’s simple pleasures. Friends. Family. Graciousness. Contentment. Good feelings. A warm glow. Certainly, hygge is intrinsic to the Danish lifestyle, but this feeling of well-being, so deeply satisfying and cozy, is something we all experience, each in our own way.
Our goal: more hospitality, more warmth, more respect for each other and the environments we share. The hygge tradition includes sharing stories—stories about ideas and history, culture and the things we create. – Skagen
Pronounced “hoo-guh,” the word is said to
have no direct translation in English. It derives
from a sixteenth-century Norwegian term…
a practical way of creating sanctuary in the
middle of very real life. – New Yorker
(The Year of Hygge, the Danish Obsession with Getting Cozy)HYGGE LITERALLY ONLY
REQUIRES CONSCIOUSNESS,
A CERTAIN SLOWNESS, AND
THE ABILITY TO NOT JUST BE
PRESENT – BUT RECOGNIZE
AND ENJOY THE PRESENT.
THAT’S WHY SO MANY PEOPLE
DISTILL ‘HYGGE’ DOWN TO
BEING A ‘FEELING’ – BECAUSE
IF YOU DON’T FEEL HYGGE, YOU
PROBABLY AREN’T USING THE
WORD RIGHT.“The daily rise and fall of the
sun is one of the few reliable
occurrences in our lives. Despite
this simple cycle controlling
the happenings of our planet,
we don’t pay much attention to
sunlight’s effect on our physical
and mental health. And as some
neuroscientists are beginning to
discover, harnessing its radiant
power could provide phenomenal
benefits to our well-being.”
– The Meaning of Light,
Georgia Frances King“WE USUALLY ASSOCIATE HOSPITALITY WITH
A CULTURE, A SOCIAL PRACTICE, A MORE
PERSONAL QUALITY TO BE ADMIRED. IN
WESTERN CULTURE, WHERE INDIVIDUALISM AND
SECURITY SEEM TO BE PRIORITIES, WE NEED TO
BE MORE THOUGHTFUL ABOUT HOW TO BRING
THE WELCOMING OF STRANGERS INTO OUR
DAILY WAY OF BEING TOGETHER.” – PETER BLOCK
