Various celebrations were held in Copenhagen to celebrate the centennial of the Little Mermaid statue.

 

　　Speeches, a children's concert and birthday-song singings have been held in the city for the iconic statue.

 

　　Bodypainted mermaids have also posed in front of some other world-famous backdrops, from the Sydney Opera House to the Eiffel Tower.

 

　　Jan Olsen is the director of Visit Denmark, a leading website introducing tourism in Denmark.

 

　　"It's fantastic and it's because The Little Mermaid is an icon for Denmark and Copenhagen, and she is so well known around the world, that people are interested in celebrating her birthday."

 

　　The bronze statue was created as a tribute to fairytale writer Hans Christian Andersen.

 

　　The author penned a story about a sea king's daughter who fell in love with a prince but had to wait 300 years before she could turn from mermaid into human.

 

　　It draws at least 1 million visitors to the capital of Denmark every year.