Few Swedes celebrate National Day

Far from the U.S. Fourth of July celebrations and of less importance to many Swedes than Midsummer... 

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  www.skansen.se

• June 6 is the Swedish National Day. But unlike July 4th in the U.S., or Syttende Mai (neighboring Norwegian's National Day) or the French Bastille Day (July 14th), Swedes aren’t really celebrating their day in June that much. Few Swedes know why the day is celebrated (it is celebrated in memory of Gustav Vasa chosen as king on June 6th in 1523, which is also when Sweden became an independent country), and few really care.

• Daily Dagens Nyheter writes about Swedes’ ignorance of the day, and reveals that only 50% celebrate. In all honesty, there are other more important days for Swedes to celebrate; like Midsummer Eve (June 21) and Christmas, both of which are celebrated by 97% of the Swedish population, Easter is celebrated by 79%, and Valborg (Walpurgis Night), Advent, and Lucia by nearly 50%. This according to the ice-cream company GB, who conducted the survey. The National Day is also known as Svenska Flaggans Dag, the Day of the Swedish Flag. In 1809, the Swedish government signed the date, and in the middle of WW1, in 1916, June 6th was established as the Day of the Swedish Flag, but not until 1983, the date received status as National Day.

• (More on June 6, Sweden's National Day: Nationaldagen)