National Day of Sweden

National Day of Sweden
National Day celebrations at Kungsträdgården in Stockholm, 2008
Official nameSveriges nationaldag
Observed bySweden
TypeNational Day
Date6 June
Next time6 June 2025 (2025-06-06)
Frequencyannual

National Day of Sweden (Swedish: Sveriges nationaldag [ˈsvæ̌rjɛs natɧʊˈnɑ̂ːldɑːɡ] ⓘ) is the National Day of Sweden, observed annually as a public holiday on 6 June. Prior to 1983, the day was celebrated only as the Swedish Flag Day (Swedish: Svenska flaggans dag). It was officially named the Swedish National Day by the parliament of Sweden in 1983, and became a public holiday in 2005.[1] The day is celebrated in honor of the election of Gustav Vasa as King of Sweden in 1523 and of the adoption of the constitutions of 1809 and 1974.

History

King Carl XVI Gustav and Queen Silvia at Skansen in 2009

The tradition of celebrating this date began in 1916 at the Stockholm Olympic Stadium, in honor of the election of King Gustav Vasa on 6 June 1523 (according to the Julian calendar), as this was considered the foundation of modern Sweden. Some question the validity of this as a national holiday, as the event occurred so long ago that it does not have a strong a presence in the social consciousness as, for example, the Norwegian Constitution Day, Syttende mai.[2]

In 2005, it became an official Swedish public holiday, replacing Whit Monday. This change led to fewer days off from work (more working-days) as 6 June will periodically fall on the weekend, unlike Whit Monday, which was always celebrated on a Monday. Among newer traditions that have emerged since National Day turned red day is an invitation from the King to the public to visit large parts of Stockholm Palace all day without the usual entry fees.[3]

  • National Day Celebration at Stockholm Palace 2009
    National Day Celebration at Stockholm Palace
    2009
  • Entrance to Stockholm Palace 2013
    Entrance to Stockholm Palace
    2013
  • Swedish UN soldiers awarded medals at on National Day 2012.
    Swedish UN soldiers awarded medals at on National Day
    2012.
  • National Day Celebration at Stockholm Palace outer court 2013
    National Day Celebration at Stockholm Palace outer court
    2013

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to National Day of Sweden.
  1. ^ "Sveriges nationaldag". nordiskamuseet.se. 26 February 2013. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  2. ^ Klara Bové, Henrik Ekengren Oscarsson. "Fler firar den svenska nationaldagen" (PDF). SOM-institutet. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  3. ^ Bové, Klara and Ekengren Oscarsson, Henrik, "Fler firar den svenska nationaldagen" in Larmar och gör sig till : SOM-undersökningen 2016 (PDF). SOM-institutet. 28 June 2017. ISBN 978-91-89673-39-7. Retrieved 15 December 2017. "Mellan 2011 och 2016 ökade andelen som firar nationaldagen från 25 till 31 procent."