St. Bededag

When I first saw the name of today's holiday I wondered who Saint Bede was, but since then I have learned two things.  While St. in English is the abbreviation for saint, St. in Danish is the abbreviation for store, which means large or great.  I have also learned that at bede is to ask or to pray.  Today is Great Prayer Day, during which Danes sleep in, work in their gardens, and laugh when I ask if anyone prays.

The holiday is the fourth Friday after Easter and three weeks before Pentecost.  It was brought about in the 17th century by a bishop from Roskilde and the timing allowed for King Christian the Fifth to celebrate in Copenhagen before heading out on his summer trips.

Some people credit King Christian the Seventh's doctor, Stuensee, with the holiday.  After reformation he helped eliminate the formal observation of half the holidays (such as the third day of Christmas and Epiphany) but retained the Great Prayer Day.  This happened a full century after the St. Bededag was created, but there is still confusion.

The only tradition we have learned is to eat white rolls the night before.  One story says the bakers had the day off so everyone bought bread the night before and didn't wait to eat it.

The library, bank, and almost all stores are closed today and everyone seems to be very cheery about a day off, especially since they know it is the first of several spring holidays.