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The Southern version of Hygge is just like all things Hygge. It’s comforting, cozy, warm, sweet, and nostalgic. Hygge is a word coined by the Danish that means bringing all those feelings to your home, work, and just…your life in general.
Of course, the South has its own take on…everything. It’s hot in the South. Maybe the heat and humidity just slow things down and create a rich texture of history, charm, and “just how we do things around here.” It only makes sense that the Southern version of Hygge would have its own style and flavor.
If Hygge is about comfort, cozy, warm, sweet, and nostalgic, isn’t that the epitome of Southern living? Some would say the Danish may have coined the word “Hygge,” but the American South has lived it from its very beginning. We came up with five ways the Southern version of Hygge stands in its own glory. See what you think. The 10 Principles Of Hygge That Will Change Your Life
The First Southern Version Of Hygge: Food.
Southern cooking is said to feel like a hug from your Granny. (assuming you like your Grandmother, she was a good cook and gave excellent hugs). The word Hygge comes from the root word hug. So doesn’t that just fit? The Southern version of Hygge is about comfort food fresh from the garden or the vegetable stand down the road. Think fresh red tomatoes and watermelons with just a dash of salt.
It’s rich gravies ladled over buttery mashed potatoes and homemade biscuits. Its fresh berries magically turned into little jars of jam for spreading over hot, oven-fresh sourdough bread. It’s green beans that grew in the backyard, cooked in bacon grease and onion with some new potatoes thrown in the pot…just because you can.
It’s beignets and po’ boy sandwiches out of Louisianna. It’s beans and cornbread from Nashville. It’s thunder and lightning salad(easy recipe: cucumber, onion, vinegar, water, sugar, and salt, all to taste) and peach cobbler from Georgia. It’s shrimp and grits and oysters from Florida. It’s fried catfish and hushpuppies from Mississippi with some Tex-Mex from Texas. Its Alabama crawdad boils with corn on the cob and new potatoes spread over a picnic table covered in brown paper. It’s Americana.
Oh, and the Southern version of Hygge also knows how to fry…anything and…everything. It doesn’t matter if we talk about fried green tomatoes, fried okra, or fried yellow squash. It’s healthy because…well…they are still vegetables. Then there is fried catfish, fried chicken, and fried chicken livers and gizzards (don’t look up what a gizzard is—you don’t want to know).
The Southern version of Hygge also holds comfort and cozy in its drinks and desserts.
Think hot coffee and sweet iced tea-It’s Kentucky Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey. Add some cold banana pudding or homemade ice cream, and you will have a full meal deal. The South can give you a Hygge hug just by inviting you to their table. The 10 Principles Of Hygge That Will Change Your Life
The Second Southern Version Of Hygge: Home Grown.
Now let’s talk about homegrown. The rich soil and southern climate make it easy to grow things in the South. Any little vegetable stand will have homegrown tomatoes, blackberries, corn on the cob, peaches, cucumbers, green beans, and okra.
Then there are “You pick” farms where you can get fresh blueberries and strawberries. Just try not to eat as fast as you pick. You can choose more than just vegetables. The South has beautiful “Pick Your Own Bouquet” farms. Bring your scissors and cut your own Zinnias, Marigolds, Daisies, and Wild Flowers. They will gladly put them in a mason jar for you to take home. In late summer, you can walk through sunflower fields; in December, you can choose and cut your own Christmas tree.
Remember that homegrown in the South isn’t limited to fruits, vegetables, and flowers. The Southern version of Hygge includes warm homegrown humor and the “never met a stranger” friendliness for which the South is famous. The South’s best homegrown commodity is its people.
The Third Southern Version Of Hygge: Homemade.
Along with homegrown comes homemade, and the South is excellent at that, too. Nothing gives a Southern version of a Hygge hug like a homemade quilt that has been in the family since your Momma was a girl. It could be a crocheted afghan on the back of the couch that your Aunt Ida made.
Southern homemade folk art used to be found only in roadside stands and quirky, mom-and-pop gas stations. Now, it is in national museums. Southern Folk art is…folksy and will add Hygge to any home.
Southern folk art often comes from unusual things depicting distinct aspects of Southern culture and history. Artists might work from muted tones of nature in pieces of pottery and tapestry. Sometimes, it might be bright “look over here” pieces, like painted gourds and bottle trees. Picture rich, color, and depth, often depicting years gone by and family traditions. All of it will add the Southern version of Hygge to your world. The 10 Principles Of Hygge That Will Change Your Life
The Fourth Southern Version Of Hygge: Music.
As we speak of Southern art, we must mention the Southern version of Hygge’s soundtrack: Music. So much of America’s musical heritage was born in the South. Like most things from America’s Southern Region, those seedlings of tunes and tones are rich, organic, genuine, and eclectic.
The playlist includes Bluegrass, Country, Southern Gospel, Southern Rock, and Delta Blues. Imagine the sound of Bill Monroe, Hank Williams, The Oak Ridge Boys, Lynard Skynard B.B. King, and Muddy Waters. If those rich and warm sounds don’t give you a Southern Hygge hug, nothing else will.
The Fifth Southern Version Of Hygge: Hospitality.
The Southern version of Hygge is very easy to find among its people. Newcomers to the South are often surprised that strangers still wave from the front porch. An index finger (not that other finger) lifted from the steering wheel with a nod says, “Hey there, how ya doing?” Hospitality is alive and well in the South.
In real life, face-to-face conversation, Southerners still say things like, “How’s Ya Momma Doin?” and “Ya’ll come on in here and get cha something to eat.” As much as TV likes to try to harass Southern charm, everything about it gives you a Southern version of a Hygge hug.
Maybe you’ve never said “Ya’ll” in your entire life. However, warm, comfortable, genuine people live worldwide and have their own way of making visitors feel welcome. So this Southern Version of Hygge is easy to find in your own culture, in your own home, and in your own way. The American South is a mishmash of history, cultures, and countries. Make the Southern Version of Hygge fit your sense of comfy and cozy. The 10 Principles Of Hygge That Will Change Your Life
It’s Easy To Make The Southern Version Of Hygge Your Own.
You can quickly bring the Southern Version of Hygge into your home and your life. It is soooo Southern to give it your very own tweak and flair. All things Hygge are warm, welcoming, comforting, cozy, and nostalgic. Add sweet and thick like molasses, gooey and melted like macaroni and cheese. Add rich and rhythmic elements like “Sweet Home Alabama” and warm and friendly flavors like Southern charm, and you have the Southern version of Hygge.
Pixi-Pebbles For The Southern Version Of Hygge.
Pixi-Pebbles are songs, quotes, videos, interviews, movie references, and books that we each personally pick for you.
We’ve used these little Pixi-Pebbles to move ourselves from a feeling we’re not enjoying very much…to a feeling that helps us discover our vision of intention, awareness, and direction.
They lead us to hope, possibilities, and a fire under our butt to live life by design instead of default.
In our blog, 5 Comfortable Ways To Find The Southern Version Of Hygge, here is a Pixi-Pebble that came to mind…
Just a little inspiration to get you from here to there…
Here’s a little southern version of Hygge in the form of music…one of our favorites…
Click Here To Listen To Bill Monroe’s Song Wayfaring Stranger.
