Mead and caraway pretzels 

Among the traditions connected with mead in Viking times were the harvest celebrations, which later became the Christian festival of Michaelmas, observed on 29 September. This was the feast day of the Archangel Michael, whose name is associated with heaven and forgiveness. 

For the Vikings, heaven was a paradise that flowed with milk and honey, and for this reason, among other things, they drank honey wine and ate caraway pretzels to celebrate the day. Today ‘honey wine’ is what we know as ‘mead’. 

Honeymoon

From around 1600-1900, wedding celebrations in England were known as the ‘honey ceremony’. To ensure the new couple a good marriage, generous amounts of honey had to be served at the wedding celebration, in both the food and the beverages. 

After the wedding came the honeymoon, a tradition also practised in Denmark. For one month, or a moon, after the wedding the newlyweds were to carry on having food and drink made with honey, including mead, to ensure them a happy marriage. 

Mead traditions in 2023+

Over time, mead has disappeared from many Nordic traditions, but with the increasing focus on natural products and the vast range of possibilities and flavours that mead offers, this honey-based wine is regaining popularity in our culture. 

The desire to get closer to nature, the simple life and natural ingredients are perfectly embodied in Dansk Mjød and all it stands for. The different mead varieties pair well with many contemporary traditions, right from the tradition-bound meals of Christmas to the peaceful moments of everyday life.