- National holiday of Sweden
Infobox Holiday
holiday_name = National Day (Sweden)
caption = Celebrations atKungsträdgården ,Stockholm
official_name = "Sveriges nationaldag" (Swedish national day)
nickname = "Svenska flaggans dag" (Swedish flag day)
observedby =Sweden
date =6 June
type = NationalNational Day of Sweden, or the Swedish Flag's Day ("Sveriges nationaldag" or "svenska flaggans dag") is observed in
Sweden onJune 6 every year. The day was made into a national day by theRiksdag (Swedish parliament) in1983 , before which it was just honored as "the Swedish flag day".History
The tradition of celebrating this date began in the
1910s at the Stockholm Olympic Stadium, in honour of the election of KingGustav Vasa in1523 , as this was considered the foundation of modern Sweden.Some question the validity of this as a national holiday, as it was not observed as a holiday until decades later. However this event does signify the end of the Danish-ruled Kalmar Union, so in a sense it is a marking of Swedish independence, though the event occurred so long ago that it does not have as strong of a presence in the social consciousness as does, for example,
Norway 's "Syttende Mai ".In 2005 it became an official Swedish
public holiday , taking that honour fromWhit Monday . This change led to fewer days off from work (more working-days) as the 6th of June will periodically fall on the weekend, unlike Whit Monday, which was always celebrated on a Monday. This has in turn led to complaints from some Swedish unions.This problem has since been solved by giving each worker an extra eight hours of time-off to use when they so choose.
Related events
*
1523 -Gustav Vasa is elected King ofSweden , marking the end of theKalmar Union .
*1654 -Charles X of Sweden succeeds his cousin Christina to the Swedish throne after her abdication.
*1809 -Sweden promulgates a new Instrument of Government, which restores political power to theRiksdag of the Estates .
*1857 -Sophia of Nassau marries the future King Oscar II ofSweden-Norway .
*1974 - A new Instrument of Government is promulgated, makingSweden aConstitutional Monarchy , withparliamentarism inscribed into the Constitution.The events of
1523 and1809 are generally regarded as the most important; the first reestablishingSweden as an independent country after theKalmar union , the other establishing anInstrument of Government that was used until the1970s .See also
*"
Du gamla, Du fria " ("Thou Ancient, Thou Free"), the national anthem of Sweden
*Three Crowns , the national emblem of Sweden
*Mother Svea Gallery
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