Denmark has routinely been voted the happiest country in the world. In 2016 top spot was theirs, and in 2017 they dropped to second place.

This year they took a knock in the rankings, but still made it into the top three.

Basically, they live a good life.

Meik Wiking is a happiness expert, who hails from Denmark. I didn’t now  ‘happiness expert’ was a thing, but here we are.

Apparently, happiness in Denmark all comes down to something called “hygge” (pronounced hoo-gah), which has no direct translation but refers to all things warm and fuzzy.

The Independent reports that there are seven elements of Danish society that contribute to the overall wellbeing of the general population. All of these things have something to do with hygge (noun), hyggeligt (singular adjective), and hyggelige (plural adjective).

The seven contributing happiness factors include good food, spending time with friends and family, not working overtime and a very good welfare state. Christmas also makes it onto the list, as a major contributing factor to the overall hygge of the country.

Another festival, that provides plenty of quality family time and community togetherness, happens on the Faroe Islands, which form part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

During the festival, people gather to engage in the systematic slaughter of over a thousand dolphins and whales every year.

Why? To show strength and maturity. The killing is a celebration of adulthood and maturity.

It’s barbaric. The video below was shot in July this year. Be warned – it’s disturbing:

Yeah, super happy.

It’s like a weird, anti-sea-mammal version of The Purge. Also, those people who brought their kids along to participate are real champions.

When little Hans starts a promising career as a serial killer, you know who to blame.

It also reminds me of that horrid documentary, The Cove, which now has a sequel coming out, although it’s told from a different perspective.

Should make for interesting viewing.

[source:theindependent]