Swedes celebrate their National Day on 6 June in honor of two historical events: Gustav Vasa being elected king (6 June 1523) and the adoption of a new constitution (6 June 1809). This day normally offers a rare chance to see Swedes waving the flag.

Celebration with the Royal Family

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 costumes 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. See what it can look like in Stockholm the video below.

As with everything else, the National Day 2020 will be celebrated with the recommended social distancing in mind.

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.

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. The final decision took decades to reach − various proposals had been discussed under a succession of governments.

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.