The National Day of Sweden – 6 June
On 6 June Swedes celebrate their National Day with waving flags and royals.
Normally, the King and Queen of Sweden take part in a ceremony at Skansen, Stockholm’s open-air museum, on the National Day. The yellow and blue Swedish flag is run up the mast, and children in traditional peasant costume present the royal couple with bouquets of summer flowers.
Special ceremonies welcoming new Swedish citizens are also usually held around the country on National Day.
The beginnings
The last time people in general took an active interest in Sweden as a nation-state was at the turn of the century (around 1900, that is) when national-romantic winds were blowing through the country and folklore societies and local history museums were established.
It was then that 6 June first became a day of celebration.
A strawberry cake to celebrate the National Day. Photo: Lieselotte van der Meijs/imagebank.sweden.se
Ceremony for new citizens on the National Day of Sweden in Stockholm City Hall. Photo: Simon Paulin/imagebank.sweden.se
Paragliding in the south of Sweden. Photo: Simon Paulin/imagebank.sweden.se
Where there's a will, there's a grill. Photo: Vilhelm Stokstad/imagebank.sweden.se
Let's celebrate! Photo: Simon Paulin/imagebank.sweden.se
A strawberry cake to celebrate the National Day. Photo: Lieselotte van der Meijs/imagebank.sweden.se
Ceremony for new citizens on the National Day of Sweden in Stockholm City Hall. Photo: Simon Paulin/imagebank.sweden.se
Paragliding in the south of Sweden. Photo: Simon Paulin/imagebank.sweden.se
Where there's a will, there's a grill. Photo: Vilhelm Stokstad/imagebank.sweden.se
Let's celebrate! Photo: Simon Paulin/imagebank.sweden.se
A strawberry cake to celebrate the National Day. Photo: Lieselotte van der Meijs/imagebank.sweden.se
Ceremony for new citizens on the National Day of Sweden in Stockholm City Hall. Photo: Simon Paulin/imagebank.sweden.se
Paragliding in the south of Sweden. Photo: Simon Paulin/imagebank.sweden.se
Where there's a will, there's a grill. Photo: Vilhelm Stokstad/imagebank.sweden.se
Let's celebrate! Photo: Simon Paulin/imagebank.sweden.se
Public holiday since 2005
In 2004, the Swedish parliament voted to make it a public holiday, which may cause people to become more interested in celebrating it. This decision took decades to reach − various proposals had been discussed under a succession of governments. The public holiday was finally implemented in 2005.
There are also groups lobbying for the introduction of an official national pastry, and a national dish, and for the key-fiddle (nyckelharpa) to be made the national instrument. But even for ideas as innocent as these, arriving at a consensus has proved difficult.
Sweden’s National Day – the origins
Since 1983, Sweden has celebrated its National Day on 6 June. It is the date on which Gustav Vasa was elected king in 1523. This laid the foundation of Sweden as an independent state, and on the same date in 1809 a new, important constitution was adopted.
The original idea came from Artur Hazelius, who founded the Skansen open-air museum in Stockholm and held a national day celebration there on 6 June as early as the 1890s.
At the 1893 World Fair in Chicago, Sweden presented Midsummer Day as a form of Swedish national day, so in the 1890s Sweden celebrated the occasion twice a year.
In 1916, 6 June became the Swedish Flag Day, celebrating the fact that Sweden had acquired its own flag following the dissolution of the union with Norway in 1905.
