Confirmation

In the beginning, confirmation was considered something very serious and one of the most important events in a young person’s life. It was here that one was supposed to confirm their faith in God, which had been declared at baptism. In the 1500s, during the Reformation, a law was made that banned confirmation. So, one did not have to confirm their faith in God.

Over the next few centuries, it became apparent that something had been lost. Confirmation was therefore reintroduced. However, it went completely the other way, becoming a mandatory duty. Everyone had to be both baptized and confirmed. And to be confirmed, one had to pass a knowledge test, which is said not to have been very easy.

If one chose not to take this knowledge test, they were simply sent to prison. On top of this, one could not be allowed to marry if they had not passed their knowledge test at 19, and they were not considered legitimate enough to be a witness or a godparent.

Confirmation was essential to function in society

Once the knowledge test was passed, one received a confirmation certificate. This piece of paper was incredibly important because without it, one could not get a reference book. It was in this book that one’s employer wrote comments about one’s skills, and this book had to be brought if one left the parish. It functioned as a kind of combination of a CV, passport, and criminal record. It contained all relevant information about the person. This reference book was officially phased out at the beginning of the 1900s.

In the 1800s, parents had to pay the priest to teach their children, and they had to pay extra for teaching if the children did not pass.

Only around the 1900s did confirmation begin to change character

Around the 1900s, the event began to change character to the confirmation we know today. People began to celebrate with family and make it a positive event. The clothing changed from black dresses to white dresses, and for the boys, also a more festive outfit. Aid funds emerged to help needy families financially.

The people began to challenge the church confirmation, and secular confirmations started. This was much cheaper than the church ceremony. In the 1970s, the association for secular confirmations gave up existing as there were no longer supporters of it.

Non-firmation or confirmation

Nowadays, the successor to this can be called “non-firmation.” It is a way for young people to mark the milestone and the end of childhood without believing in God.

Therefore, many non-firmations and confirmations are held in Denmark today. For many, it is not so much about God and Christianity anymore, but about gathering family and celebrating the milestone in the child’s life. It is an event that the child looks forward to, and a lot of effort and money is put into hosting it.

The most commonly used menu composition sounds like soup, roast, and ice cream, or prawn cocktail/tuna mousse, roast, and ice cream or cake. Many choose the so-called “farewell food” in the form of soup or hot dogs. There has become a tradition for young people to be picked up in expensive vehicles and for any cakes to be decorated lavishly, just like the rest of the banquet hall.