National Day – 6 June
Sweden's National Day is celebrated on June 6. The date has double historical significance: on June 6, 1523, Gustav Vasa was elected king and freed Sweden from the Kalmar Union, and on June 6, 1809, a new form of government was adopted that laid the foundation for modern Sweden.
June 6 was long known as Swedish Flag Day. Not until 2005 did it become an official red day (holiday). The day is celebrated with flag ceremonies, speeches and celebrations around the country. The royal family participates in ceremonies at Skansen in Stockholm.
Midsummer – the most popular party of the year
Midsummer is perhaps the most beloved Swedish tradition. It is celebrated on the Friday that falls between 19 and 25 June – always a Friday since 1953. Midsummer Eve is a red day and the whole country stops.
- Midsummer pole: a large pole dressed with greenery and flowers is erected; you dance around it
- Traditional dances: "Små grodorna", "I know a lovely pink" and others.
- Food: pickled herring, freshly boiled potatoes with dill and sour cream, strawberries with cream
- Drink: schnapps (aquavit) with schnapps; beer and soda
- Flower wreath: traditionally you pick flowers and make a wreath for your hair
Christmas – Christmas Eve 24 December
Christmas is the most important holiday in Sweden and is celebrated on Christmas Eve, December 24 - not on Christmas Day, the 25th, as in many other countries. Families gather for Christmas dinners, presents and traditions.
- Christmas Eve December 24: the main day of celebration
- Donald Duck's Christmas Eve (Disney programme): broadcast on SVT at 15:00 since 1960 - one of Sweden's most watched television broadcasts
- Santa: a small elderly man with a red hat who distributes Christmas presents
- Christmas tree: decorated with balls, candles and Christmas ornaments
- Christmas table: dip in the pot, Christmas ham, ribs, meatballs, Jansson's temptation, beetroot salad, salmon, lute fish
- Glögg: warm spiced wine; advent tradition
- Rice porridge: traditional Christmas Eve meal with an almond hidden in the porridge - whoever finds it gets married
Lucia – December 13
Lucia Day is celebrated on December 13 and is one of the most beloved Swedish traditions. Lucia is a light bearer who symbolizes light in times of darkness. The celebration is characterized by white clothing, chandeliers and candle-carrying bridesmaids and star boys.
- Lucia wears a wreath of candles on her head
- Mermaids and starlings carry candles
- Lucia train sings the Lucia song and other Christmas carols in churches, schools and workplaces
- Lussebullar (lussecats): saffron buns with raisins; eat for Lucia
- The tradition has roots in Italian saint worship (Saint Lucia) and Nordic midwinter tradition
Easter
Easter is celebrated in March or April and includes several red days. In Sweden, Easter has partly unique traditions.
- Easter witch: children dress up as witches with a skirt, apron and basket; gives letters in exchange for candy
- Easter Christmas: birch branches with colored feathers as decoration
- Painted Easter eggs: eggs are decorated in bright spring colors
- Easter food: herring, eggs, salmon, lamb and a mighty Easter lunch
- Red days: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday
Valborg and May Day
Valborg Fair Eve (April 30) is an old tradition to welcome spring. Big fires are lit and the choirs sing. The celebration is biggest in student cities such as Uppsala and Lund.
May Day (May 1) is an international worker's day and has long been a public holiday in Sweden. The Social Democrats and trade unions organize marches and speeches around the country.
Cancer disk – an August party
Kräftfesten (crab slice) is a typical Swedish August tradition. People eat boiled crayfish with dill, drink schnapps, sing schnapps songs and wear paper hats and bibs. The crayfish season traditionally opens on the second Wednesday in August.
- Crayfish with dill, bread and strong cheeses
- Snaps (aquavit) and snaps view
- Paper hats and moon decorations
- The celebration is held outdoors if possible, often on the pier
Swedish food and coffee
Fika is a deeply rooted Swedish social institution. It means taking a break from work or social life and drinking coffee or tea with something sweet. Coffee can take place alone, but is often social and occurs at workplaces, with friends and in the family.
- Kanelbunle: the most iconic Swedish coffee bread
- Semla: a cardamom bun filled with almond pulp and cream; eaten in February/March
- Meatballs: perhaps the most famous Swedish dish; served with lingonberry jam and mashed potatoes
- Gravlax: raw marinated salmon with dill, served with maestro sauce
- Sandwich table: buffet style with cold and hot dishes; origin in Sweden
- Crispbread: hard bread made from rye; one of Sweden's oldest dishes
- Princess cake: green marzipan cake with cream and raspberries; typical party cake
- Sour strømming: fermented strømming with an extremely strong smell; typical northern Swedish tradition; opens on the third Thursday in August
Music and culture
Sweden is a world-class music exporting country. Despite its small population, Sweden is the third largest music exporting country in the world after the United States and Great Britain.
- ABBA: the most famous Swedish band; won Eurovision 1974 with "Waterloo"; "Mamma Mia", "Dancing Queen"
- Roxette: Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson; hits like "It Must Have Been Love"
- Avicii (Tim Bergling): DJ and producer; "Wake Me Up"; passed away in 2018
- Swedish House Mafia: electronic dance music producers
- Robyn: pop; "Call Your Girlfriend"
- Ace of Base: "All That She Wants"
- Melodifestivalen: the Swedish selection competition for Eurovision; one of Sweden's most watched television programs
The Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prize is one of the world's most prestigious prizes and shares its history with Sweden. Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist and inventor who invented dynamite. In his will in 1895, he donated his fortune to a prize for those who "during the previous year have done the greatest good to mankind".
- Nobel awards five prizes: physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, peace
- Ceremony: 10 December each year (Alfred Nobel's death anniversary) in Stockholm; the Peace Prize in Oslo
- The Nobel Banquet: gala meal for the laureates in Stockholm City Hall
- The Peace Prize: awarded in Oslo by the Norwegian Nobel Committee; Nobel's will
Swedish trademarks and inventions
Sweden has produced several world-renowned brands and inventions that have spread globally.
- IKEA: furniture chain founded by Ingvar Kamprad; the world's largest furniture company
- Volvo: car and truck manufacturer; founded in Gothenburg in 1927
- H&M: fashion chain; founded 1947; global fashion at low prices
- Ericsson: telecommunications company; pioneer in mobile telephony
- Spotify: music streaming service; founded in 2006 in Stockholm by Daniel Ek
- Electrolux: household appliances
- Dynamite: invention of Alfred Nobel – laid the foundation for the Nobel Prize
- Zipper: invented by Gideon Sundbäck, a Swedish-American
Literature and art
Sweden has a rich literary tradition with several world-renowned authors and artists.
- August Strindberg (1849–1912): playwright and author; "The Red Room", "Miss Julie"; one of the giants of world literature
- Astrid Lindgren (1907–2002): children's book author; "Pippi Longstocking", "Emil in Lönneberga", "Ronja Rövardotter"; loved worldwide
- Selma Lagerlöf: first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature (1909); "Gösta Berling's saga"
- Stieg Larsson: detective stories; "The Millennium Trilogy" (Men Who Hate Women); global bestseller
- Carl Larsson: artist; kanda for his idyllic watercolors of family life at Sundborn
Sports
Sport plays a large role in Swedish social life. Sweden has produced world stars in several sports.
- Ice hockey: the most popular sport in Sweden; Swedish Hockey League (SHL); Sweden has won the WC several times
- Football: great popular sport; Zlatan Ibrahimović – Sweden's most famous soccer player; played for Juventus, Barcelona, PSG, LA Galaxy, etc.
- Tennis: Björn Borg won Wimbledon five times in a row (1976–1980)
- Athletics: Carolina Klüft (heptathlon), Stefan Holm (high jump)
- Orienteering: Sweden is one of the world's best orienteering nations
- Cross-country skiing: strong tradition in northern Sweden; Vasaloppet – 90 km and the world's oldest and longest ski race