Swedish customs, food, music and national symbols
Prepare for the Swedish citizenship civic test with practice questions and explanations about Traditions, holidays and culture.
Start practicingJune 6
Sweden's national day is June 6. The date has double historical significance: Gustav Vasa was elected king on June 6, 1523, and a new constitution was adopted on June 6, 1809.
2005
June 6 became an official red day in 2005. Before that, it was called "Swedish flag day" and was a regular working day.
Gustav Vasa was elected king and Sweden was freed from the Kalmar Union
On June 6, 1523, Gustav Vasa was elected king, which marked the end of the Kalmar Union and the beginning of Sweden as an independent state.
A Friday between 19 and 25 June
Midsummer Eve is celebrated on a Friday between 19 and 25 June. Midsummer Day, the following Saturday, is a public holiday, and the celebration is one of Sweden's most popular traditions.
December 13
Lucia is celebrated on December 13. It is a light festival with Lucia singing, lussebullar (saffron buns) and bridesmaids and star boys with candles.
December 24
In Sweden, Christmas is celebrated on Christmas Eve, December 24 - not on Christmas Day, the 25th, as in many other countries. It is the most important family day during Christmas.
Donald Duck's Christmas Eve (Disney)
Donald Duck's Christmas Eve - a Disney program - is broadcast on SVT at 15:00 every Christmas Eve since 1960. It is one of Sweden's most watched television programs with millions of viewers.
Coffee
Fika is a deep-rooted Swedish social institution – a break with coffee or tea and something sweet (e.g. cinnamon roll). It can happen alone but is often social and occurs in working life and social contexts.
Third Thursday in August
The surströmming season traditionally opens on the third Thursday in August. Surströmming (fermented strömming) has an extremely strong smell and is a cultural tradition in northern Sweden.
Christmas ham, meatballs and Jansson's temptation
Traditional Swedish Christmas food includes Christmas ham, meatballs, ribs, Jansson's frestelse (gratin with anchovies and potatoes), beetroot salad, salmon and rice porridge.
Welcoming spring with big fires and singing
Walpurgis fair evening on April 30 is a tradition to welcome spring. Great fires are lit and choirs sing. The celebration is especially big in student cities such as Uppsala and Lund.
Third largest
Sweden is the third largest music exporting country in the world after the USA and Great Britain. ABBA, Avicii, Swedish House Mafia and Robyn are among the most famous.
ABBA
ABBA won Eurovision in 1974 with "Waterloo". It was the start of an outstanding career and ABBA is still one of the world's most famous music groups.
December 10
The Nobel Prize is awarded on December 10 each year - Alfred Nobel's death anniversary. The ceremonies are held in Stockholm (five prizes) and in Oslo (the peace prize).
Astrid Lindgren
Astrid Lindgren (1907–2002) created Pippi Longstocking, Emil in Lönneberga, Ronja Rövardotter and many other beloved characters. She is one of the world's most read children's book authors.
Easter bunny
Paskkerring is a tradition where children dress up as Easter witches with a skirt, apron and basket. They knock on doors and give letters in exchange for candy, similar to Halloween.
IKEA, Volvo and Spotify
IKEA (furniture), Volvo (cars and trucks) and Spotify (music streaming) are three of the best-known Swedish brands globally. LEGO is Danish and Nokia is Finnish.