Denmark 2001

Sun Worship

The cult of Sun Worship

Some of the pagan traditions are still alive in the Kingdom albeit in a modified form! I refer tongue-in-cheek of course to the cult of Sun Worship.
Topless bathing in Denmark is very common, nude bathing quite common. The Danes all look as if they spend all year on the beach, although they assure me they don't. They would if they could, but they can't.
They can't because it's usually too damn cold! I had the great fortune of experiencing the longest and warmest summer they had enjoyed in living memory.
Now the secret to their great tan is - technology.
Yes - technology.
To my horror I found that they voluntarily expose themselves to massive doses of Ultraviolet rays in establishments known as "Sol Centres". Some decades ago in Australia a Government statistician looked at the the rate of skin cancer in world populations and lo and behold Australia was right at the top. Since then Australians have generally avoided over-exposure to the sun. Even schoolchildren wear hats and sunblock.
But up in Denmark it is business as usual. To be fair, the sun's rays at higher latitudes don't have the sme ferocity as in equatorial climes. Still... to bake onself daily in an oversized oven.... Mind you the glowing tans do look particularly attractive so perhaps that's all the reason you need!


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