From Denmark with Love - The History of Hearts in Denmark

Every Scandinavian country has something that they can claim as their own, to set them apart from their neighboring countries. In Denmark they claim the heart.

While in the United States we most often see hearts during February in celebration of Valentine's Day and romantic love, the Danish heart has different origins and meanings that lean more toward strength, valor, and joy than romance. The official mint mark of the Royal Danish Mint in Copenhagen is a heart and can be found on ore and kroner coins after 1980. Historically hearts have also appeared on the royal coat of arms.

Woven heart baskets are one of the more common iterations in Denmark today. Even Hans Christian Anderson, the famous Danish author, made the woven heart baskets during the holidays, decorating homes and Christmas trees with beautiful designs made with bright colored paper. Sometimes they are filled with small gifts or candy. The oldest paper heart, made by Anderson, can be found today at the Odense City Museum.

At Little Scandinavia we have lots of heart-themed things, from a heart-shaped waffle maker, to earrings, to socks. You can find all of our online available heart products here, or come in person and find a lot more! Also, don’t forget to check out our events page to see if we have any Danish heart weaving classes coming up!