An occasional song is a

novelty song A novelty song is a type of song built upon some form of novel concept, such as a gimmick, a piece of humor, or a sample of popular culture. Novelty songs partially overlap with comedy songs, which are more explicitly based on humor, and w ...

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

written and sung for a special occasion. Occasional songs were a cultural tradition throughout Europe and were often important in immigrant communities. In

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

the tradition of the lejlighedssang has remained strong. Occasional songs were once customary in many European cultures, and remained traditional in immigrant communities, for example those of

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

s in America. The Danish lejlighedssang remains a strong tradition, part of family celebrations, particularly during confirmation, wedding and anniversary parties. Participants write lyrics for the specific occasion composed upon a popular tune. Copies of the lyrics are written on decorative pages and distributed among the celebrants to be read and sung ''

en masse Many words in the English vocabulary are of French origin, most coming from the Anglo-Norman spoken by the upper classes in England for several hundred years after the Norman Conquest, before the language settled into what became Modern Engli ...

''. The tradition in Denmark dates back to the street ballads and political club songs of the late 1700s. Group singing became further integrated across Danish society by the influence of

N. F. S. Grundtvig Nikolaj Frederik Severin Grundtvig (; 8 September 1783 – 2 September 1872), most often referred to as N. F. S. Grundtvig, was a Danish pastor, author, poet, philosopher, historian, teacher and politician. He was one of the most influential pe ...

's national consciousness and public school movements in the mid-1800s. By post-World War II, the singing of lejlighedssange at celebrations was typical. According to Danish historians, the lejlighedssang persists in modern Danish culture as an important form of group bonding or ''fælleskab'' (togetherness).

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Further reading