Traditions and Holidays

Traditions are a way for people to celebrate together and mark important points in the year. In Sweden, many traditions have roots in the Christian religion, or even earlier, while others are based on important events in Swedish history. Traditions contribute to a sense of cultural belonging, but also change as society develops — today, for example, many people celebrate the Christian holidays in new ways that are not connected to the Christian faith. A good number of the year's public holidays, such as Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost (pingst), come from Christian traditions. Many people in Sweden regard such traditions as an important part of a Swedish cultural heritage even if they are not believers themselves, and often celebrate holidays together with others, for example with family. Several of the holidays are helgdagar, days when people get time off work.

New Year's Eve, December 31, is often celebrated with parties and dinners with friends and family, and the arrival of the new year is celebrated at night with fireworks. Easter is a Christian holiday celebrated sometime in March or April, to commemorate Jesus's death on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter Sunday; on Easter Saturday it is common to eat eggs, lamb, salmon, and herring, and children often get candy in Easter eggs.

Valborgsmässoafton (Walpurgis Night), April 30, is celebrated to welcome spring — large bonfires are lit in the evening, traditional spring songs are often sung, and sometimes someone gives a speech to spring. May Day (Första maj), May 1, celebrates International Workers' Day; in Sweden it is also a helgdag when everyone has the day off, and the day is marked by the labor movement, which organizes demonstrations around the country, where people from trade unions, political parties, and other groups give speeches on social and political issues.

June 6 is Sweden's National Day. The day was made a helgdag by a Riksdag decision in 2005. Gustav Vasa was elected Swedish king on June 6, 1523, which has been regarded as the beginning of Swedish state independence, and on June 6, 1809, a new regeringsform was adopted that forced the king to share power with the Riksdag from then on. On this day the flag is raised and speeches are held, and many kommuner arrange special ceremonies to welcome new citizens on National Day. The Midsummer celebration is about welcoming summer and the light. Midsummer's Eve (midsommarafton) is always celebrated on a Friday between June 19 and 25. In Sweden, the Midsummer celebration is an old tradition dating from before Christianity — on Midsummer's Eve, many people hold outdoor parties, weave flower wreaths, and dance, sing, and play games around a maypole (midsommarstång), and common food includes herring, new potatoes, and strawberries.

All Saints' Day (Alla helgons dag) is a Christian helgdag when many people go to the cemetery to light candles on the graves of relatives and friends, to remember and honor those who have died; it is celebrated on a Saturday at the end of October or the beginning of November. Advent covers the four Sundays before Christmas Day, December 25 — advent means "arrival" and was traditionally a period of preparation before Christmas; many people have an Advent calendar at home where children open a door in the calendar every day until Christmas Eve, a lit Advent star often hangs in the window, and an Advent candlestick with four candles stands on the table, with one candle lit each Sunday until Christmas.

The saint Lucia was celebrated during Catholic times, but it was during the 1800s that the Lucia celebration took the form it has today. The celebration, which takes place on December 13, is largely about spreading light at the darkest time of year, and Lucia processions (luciatåg) are held in schools and many other places: one person plays Lucia and wears a crown of candles on her head, while the other participants carry candles in their hands and sing special songs about Lucia and Christmas. On this day, people often serve special saffron buns called lussebullar. Christmas (julen) is traditionally a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus, and Christmas is a major family holiday in Sweden. On Christmas Eve (julafton), December 24, families gather to spend time together, eat special Christmas food, and give each other presents (julklappar) — many people bring a Christmas tree into the house and decorate it with string lights, baubles, and tinsel, and some get up early on the morning of December 25 to attend a church service called julotta. Many people celebrate Christmas as a family holiday even without any religious significance.

When people move to other countries, they often bring traditions with them and adapt them to the new places and the people they meet — new traditions thus become part of Sweden's calendar of holidays. Examples of traditions that have come to Sweden with immigrants include Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that ends the fasting month of Ramadan, as well as the Persian New Year Nowruz and the Kurdish New Year Newroz, both celebrated around the spring equinox on March 21.