Swedish National Day
.jpg)
The Swedish national holiday is celebrated on June 6th . It was officially introduced as the Swedish Flag Day with the constitutional reform in 1974 . It was only granted the status of a national holiday by ordinance in 1983 ; In 2005 it became a public holiday in Sweden .
Historical background
During the 19th century, June 6th became a national day of remembrance in Sweden . The coronation of Gustav Vasa on June 6, 1523 and the associated dissolution of the union with Denmark were celebrated , which made Sweden an independent state. The unification of the country, which had already begun in the Middle Ages , was continued under Gustav Wasa. From 1916 June 6th was celebrated as "Swedish Flag Day".
The political decision on the holiday
In 2004 a proposal was submitted to the Swedish Parliament based on giving the national holiday a larger dimension than it was at the time. Among other things, the surprise of immigrants that Sweden's national day is not a public holiday was given as the reason for the proposed change. These should be given the opportunity to celebrate their new citizenship. Initially, it was intended to increase the number of public holidays, but after critical objections from the Swedish employers' organization, which feared a decline in Sweden's economic performance, it was decided to cancel a previous public holiday as compensation.
For example, Ascension Day was suggested , but in the end the decision was made for Whit Monday . This in turn provoked critical voices from the unions , who pointed out that June 6th does not always fall on a weekday, reducing the number of days off.
Critical voices
Some critics note that Sweden still followed the Julian calendar in 1523 and only switched to the Gregorian calendar in 1753 , which means that June 6th does not correspond to today's. In addition, the celebrated event is Wasa's entry into Stockholm , the election of the king had already taken place before, and he was not crowned until 1528.
Oddities
Artur Hazelius , the founder of the Nordic Museum and the Skansen Open Air Museum in Stockholm, arranged some festivities on various cultural occasions in the 19th century. In mid-June 1893, he ordered celebrations in the patriotic spirit. Unconfirmed sources said it rained every day except June 6, making that day the most visitors. Hazelius later wrote in Skansen's yearbook: “As a holiday dedicated to the patriotic commemoration, June 6th was introduced in Skansen, Gustav's Day, which was celebrated here and will be celebrated in the future as Swedish National Day” .
See also
Web links
- Nordiaska museet: Sveriges nationaldag (Swedish)