Sweden’s National Day 6 June

Sweden’s National Day, celebrated annually on June 6^th since 1983, is an official public holiday marking the election of King Gustav Vasa in 1523 and the adoption of the 1809 constitution. Unlike many countries, Swedes celebrate with relatively low-key national pride, focusing instead on outdoor social gatherings, family time, and traditional food.

It’s a relatively new national day which means that most people don’t have the same lengthy traditions associated with other celebrations in Sweden, such as Midsummer or Christmas. Prior to1983, the day was celebrated only as the Swedish Flag Day, which goes some way towards explaining the rather low-key approach.

In 2005, it became an official Swedish public holiday, replacing Whit Monday. This change led to fewer days off from work as 6 June periodically falls on the weekend, like this year, unlike Whit Monday. As Swedes take holidays very seriously, this was not a popular change at the time of initiation.

The most well-known National Day is at the Skansen open-air museum in Stockholm on Djurgården with various family-friendly events throughout the day, including crafts, traditional folk dance and music, and a national day market. At 5:15pm the National Day celebration concert begins on the Solliden stage. The Swedish royals attend, traditionally arriving in a horse-drawn carriage and the King will give a speech. The concert is also broadcast live by public broadcaster SVT at 8pm.

Among newer traditions that have emerged is an invitation from the King to the public to visit large parts of Stockholm Palace all day without the usual entry fees.

Looking for celebrations near you?

The website Famgo has a great list of activities for all the family happening this weekend in Stockholm. See https://www.famgo.se/en/national-day-stockholm

Wishing everyone a very Happy National Day!

Photo Credit: Astrakan/Scandinav/imagebank.sweden.se

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