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.
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.
