I visited Copenhagen a few months ago and noticed the word ‘hygge’ almost everywhere. Hygge - actually pronounced ‘hooga’ - is both hard to pronounce and difficult to explain. As I understand it, it involves deliberate downtime, winding down and comfort - often with others. Hygge is often associated with winter, as the cold, dark and wet climate during long parts of the year encourages Danes to spend time together indoors in warm and comfortable spaces.
Hygge can be interpreted and practised differently by each individual, and I’ve decided to spend the better part of winter in my pyjamas. I rarely enjoy winters, but it’s been far more bearable this time around. I typically spend the Christmas season in Lagos, but perhaps I’m acclimating in multiple ways.
Climate isn’t the sole differentiator between spending the Christmas season in Lagos or London. Nigeria shares its tropical year-round climate with many other regions, yet Lagos is specifically renowned for its festivities - characterised by abundance, opulence and decadence, underscored by religious themes of year-end gratitude.
This phenomenon, more recently known as ‘Detty December’, demonstrates our unique ability to compartmentalise – for better or worse – despite the nation’s socioeconomic woes. ‘Oblee’ - pronounced ‘ohblay’ - was deemed the unofficial theme of this year’s Detty December and reflects our approach to downtime: pure, unbridled euphoria, in contrast to hygge’s cosy contentment.
I previously dismissed this way of life as driven by escapism or surface-level hedonism. On a deeper level, ‘hygge’ and ‘oblee’ are different yet similar: both recognise the value of maximising circumstance, time well-spent and community in the present.
Perhaps pleasure is multilinear, there isn’t a single right way, and everyone is maybe better off learning from these distinct philosophies.