Hygge: A Mission of Happiness pt 1

Hygge (hue-guh) is a Danish term for the quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being. There is no English word that is  equivalent to hygge, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be put into practice over here.

Hygge has been referred to as the, ‘cosiness of the soul,’ and, ‘the art of creating intimacy,’ which certainly goes some way into explaining what this Danish practice consists of. It is to ‘take pleasure from the presence of soothing things,’ and enjoying a ‘cosy togetherness.’

One of my most cherished sources of information on hygge is provided by the book pictured above The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well by Meik Wiking of The Happiness Research Institute, Copenhagen. The book goes incredibly in-depth into the practice of hygge and how to achieve the goal of comfortable happiness, using food, decor and most importantly; friendship. Wiking (2016) is a strong advocate of hygge, having lived by the practice throughout his childhood and into his position as the CEO of the Happiness Research Institute. His book describes some of the fast track ways of creating hygge inside and outside of the home.

I am going to delve somewhat into the practices of hygge and share some of the tips and information I have gathered from my research. Hopefully, some of you will take an interest in the art of living well and continue to follow this blog for further updates!

Light

 Candles

One sure fire way of creating the cosy ambience required for hygge is by the use of candles. Everywhere. Candles in every room, of every size and in every colour. The soft glow of a candlelight room creates a peaceful and cosy atmosphere that can be appreciated by all. On average, 28% of Danes light candles every day and 31% of those individuals light more than 5 candles at a time. That’s a lot of candles. For the most hyggeligt (meaning: hygge like/ pronounces hue-guh-lid) of hygge, the more candles the better the atmosphere.

You can purchase candles on the cheap in most supermarkets, but here’s a link I found for some cheap tealights on Amazon for £5.79!

Lamps

Hygge lighting is not all about candles, but it is all about the dim and sensual ambience that they produce. Filling your room with lamps is another way of achieving this goal! Rather than coming home from work and flicking on the main ceiling light in your den, purchase a few lamps to place in the corners of the room and put those on instead. The bright white light produced by the main ceiling light does little to produce comfort in the home, replacing this with a warm lamp light creates a feeling of restfulness. There are so many lamps available at stores such as ikea and B&Q – I doubt you need me to recommend any!

As a short introduction to hygge, I hope you have found this interesting enough to bring some Danish tradition into your life. Before we start discussing the benefits of the hyggekrog and hyggesnak we need to further understand how to bring hygge into the home. Follow this blog for the next chapter of my hygge journey; discussing home decor & how to involve your friends and loved ones in your hyggeligt activities.

 

L x