Two years after Denmark's government abolished Store Bededag as a public holiday, every major party now refuses to guarantee the religious day will remain a working day. The reversal comes as party leaders position themselves for the upcoming election campaign, abandoning their previous stance that scrapping the holiday was economically necessary. Source: Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Store Bededag.
Political U-turn exposes government miscalculation
The Social Democratic-led SVM coalition claimed abolishing Store Bededag was "compellingly necessary" when they pushed the legislation through Folketinget in 2023. Now Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen admits her party "would like to discuss Store Bededag" during coalition negotiations.
This represents a complete policy reversal. The government's own economic advisors found no evidence that Danes would actually work more or contribute more to the economy long-term from eliminating the holiday. Yet Finansministeriet claimed the change would generate 3 billion kroner annually and create 8,500 full-time positions.
Venstre leader Troels Lund Poulsen, whose party supported the original abolition, now says they're open to restoring the holiday if other parties can find alternative funding for defense spending. Even De Radikale, the only opposition party that backed the government in 2023, has softened their position.
The most inventive proposal comes from Moderaterne leader Lars Løkke Rasmussen, who wants to replace Store Bededag with Grundlovsdag (Constitution Day) as a national holiday. "I'm extremely envious of Norway, which has May 17th," he said, suggesting Denmark needs a proper national celebration day.
Workers already paying the price
The political flip-flopping ignores the immediate impact on workers. Salaried employees now work the former holiday for their regular salary with only a modest wage supplement. Hourly workers lost special holiday pay or compensatory time off they previously received.
Retail workers face particular pressure since Denmark's Lukkeloven (closure law) no longer requires larger stores to close on Store Bededag. The mandatory closure framework that protected workers from having to choose between income and religious observance has disappeared.
Enhedslisten's Pelle Dragsted promises to introduce legislation restoring Store Bededag as his first act when Folketinget reconvenes. "If all these party leaders vote for it, we'll have Store Bededag back," he said.
The cynical calculation is obvious. Politicians discovered that abolishing a centuries-old religious holiday without warning voters generates more backlash than budget benefits. Expect Store Bededag to return as a public holiday within months of the next government taking power, regardless of which parties form the coalition.
Read more: Danish Chemical Lobby Rewrote Safety Research Before Publica....