Ah, J-Day. That day of the year in Denmark when the birth of the most important figure in the Christian canon is celebrated by the release of a Christmas beer.
Blue Santa
On J-Day, employees from Carlsberg dress up in blue Santa suits and spend the evening driving around in beer trucks and horse carriages throughout the country to personally deliver the beer. Each truck visits approximately ten venues during the evening and gives one free beer to all guests and performs a Tuborg Julebryg song and dance.
J-Day in Denmark was established in 1990 as a tradition. The event is so large that it now has its own citation in the Danish dictionary: “J-Day is the day a brewery’s Christmas beer comes on the market.”
Because of the beer’s label design with white snow falling on a blue background, J-Day is also known as ‘the day the first snow falls’ and the beer is often called ‘snow beer’.
Lots of merchandise
All of the blue on J-Day comes from the beer’s iconic blue label, which was originally designed in 1979 as a postcard greeting from Tuborg. It has inspired a wide range of merchandise over the years: from blue bunny ears to boxer shorts, to even blue Christmas tree bodysuits!
And, as the evening of J-Day progresses, it will inspire projectile vomiting and public urination by hordes of teenagers wearing blue, flashing Santa hats.
It brings a tear to a sentimental old heart.
