Search the term online and nearly 10 million results roll in. It’s being touted by this winter’s shelter magazines, decor retailers and lifestyle mavens.
What’s so huge? It’s hygge.
Often mispronounced “higgy,” it’s actually more like “hewgah.” To understand the term’s meaning, just burrow into a big comfy pile of phrases synonymous with “well-being.” Coziness, ease, conviviality and, above all, a warm glow.
According to author Meik Wiking in “The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well” (Penguin 2016), hygge originated from a Norwegian word. The Danes appropriated the term to some extent, but it’s common throughout Scandinavia, as well as a good bit of the United Kingdom.
In the truest expression of hygge, the warm glow should come from a candle.
“No recipe for hygge is complete without candles. When Danes are asked what they most associate with hygge, an overwhelming 85 percent mention candles,” says Wiking, who also heads Copenhagen’s Happiness Research Institute, a think tank studying societal satisfaction. And forget scented candles, he says.