Denmark’s Minister of Culture has selected the music, dance and costume tradition of Sønderho on the island of Fanø as the country’s nomination for UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage in 2027.
The decision was reported on August 31 by DR. The minister also designated the Danish folk high schools as Denmark’s nomination for 2029. The two traditions will be put forward in separate years.
Susanne Winsløv, chair of Fanø Unesco Gruppe, told DR that she and others on the island are glad. Per Winsløv, the designation matters for identity on Fanø.
Since 2018, the Fanø tradition has been part of the Royal Danish Library’s overview of living culture in Denmark. In connection with that listing, Fonden Gamle Sønderho submitted an application describing the tradition in detail.
Costume, music and dance
The Fanø costume is worn at the local Fanikkerdagene and Sønderhodag celebrations. It is also used to mark baptisms, weddings, confirmations and similar occasions. The costume grew out of the Vesterbo dress worn by women along the west coast and the Wadden Sea area in the 1600s.
According to DR, sailors bought silk fabrics in the East and brought them home to their wives, and the dress developed from there. The costume was worn daily by women on the island for many years. The last woman on Fanø to wear it every day died in 1976.
The island’s musical tradition is fiddler and folk music, but it cannot be learned from sheet music. It has a particular rhythm and violin technique that is passed on only through master apprenticeship. The music has been found to draw on tunes sailors brought home from the Netherlands, the British Isles and Scandinavia.
Peter Uhrbrand lives in Sønderho and is one of those who masters the violin technique. He teaches the playing style to the next generations.
The dances are called Sønderhoningen and Fanniken. They consist of only three steps, but locals say the dances can take a long time to learn. That is because the steps for men and women are offset from each other.
The music is played in two four time, while the dance follows three steps. As stated by Uhrbrand, it does not sound like it can work when described. He noted that 300 years of practice have shown that it can.
Many young people on Fanø take an interest in the dance, according to DR. Dance lessons are offered ahead of Sønderhodag and Fanikkerdage, where the dances are performed for an audience. Photographs from Sønderhodag in 2022 show the dance, the costume and the music presented together.
