Chapter 13 of 13 in Sverige i fokus

Swedish holidays and traditions: from New Year to Christmas

Quick answers

When is Midsummer (midsommar) celebrated?

Midsummer's Eve is always a Friday between 19 and 25 June. People dance around a maypole and eat herring, new potatoes and strawberries.

When is Lucia celebrated?

On 13 December. Lucia processions are held in schools and many other places, and people are served saffron buns (lussebullar).

When is Sweden's National Day (nationaldagen)?

On 6 June. The day became a public holiday through a parliamentary decision in 2005. Gustav Vasa was elected king on 6 June 1523.

What is celebrated on Walpurgis Night (valborg)?

The arrival of spring. On Walpurgis Night, 30 April, large bonfires are lit and people sing spring songs.

The citizenship test is written in Swedish, so the key Swedish terms are given in brackets the first time they appear. This chapter is also available in Swedish: Traditioner och högtider.

Chapter 13 of Sverige i fokus is about traditions (traditioner) and holidays (högtider) in Sweden. Traditions are a way of celebrating together and marking important points in the year. Many of them have Christian roots or are even older, and others are based on events in Sweden’s history. Here we go through the holidays in the order they come during the year, with dates and what people usually do.

What are the Swedish holidays during the year?

Here are the holidays the chapter covers, with dates:

• New Year’s Eve (nyårsafton): 31 December
• Easter (påsk): March or April
• Walpurgis Night (valborgsmässoafton): 30 April
• May Day (första maj): 1 May
• National Day (nationaldagen): 6 June
• Midsummer’s Eve (midsommarafton): a Friday between 19 and 25 June
• All Saints’ Day (alla helgons dag): a Saturday at the end of October or the beginning of November
• Advent (advent): the four Sundays before Christmas Day
• Lucia (lucia): 13 December
• Christmas Eve (julafton): 24 December

Many people in Sweden see these traditions as an important part of a Swedish cultural heritage (kulturarv), even if they are not believers. People often celebrate with their family. Several of the holidays are public holidays (helgdagar) when people are off work.

New Year, Easter and Walpurgis Night

New Year’s Eve on 31 December is often celebrated with parties and dinners with friends and family. At midnight the new year is welcomed with fireworks, just as in many other countries.

Easter is a Christian holiday. It is celebrated in March or April to remember the death of Jesus on Good Friday (långfredagen) and his resurrection on Easter Sunday (påskdagen). On Easter Eve (påskafton) it is common to eat eggs, lamb, salmon and herring. Children often get sweets in Easter eggs. Sometimes children dress up as Easter witches (påskkärringar).

Walpurgis Night on 30 April is celebrated to welcome spring. In the evening large bonfires (brasor) are lit. At the bonfire people sing traditional spring songs, and sometimes someone gives a speech to spring. Walpurgis (valborg) is an old tradition.

May Day and National Day on 6 June

May Day is workers’ day and is celebrated internationally. In Sweden it is a public holiday when everyone is off work. The labour movement organises demonstrations around the country. People from trade unions, political parties and other groups give speeches on social and political issues.

Sweden’s National Day is 6 June. The day became a public holiday through a parliamentary decision in 2005. The date has two historical explanations. Gustav Vasa was elected king of Sweden on 6 June 1523. This is seen as the beginning of the Swedish state’s independence. On 6 June 1809 a new constitution (regeringsform) was also adopted. It forced the king to share power with the parliament.

On National Day the flag is raised and speeches are given. Many municipalities hold ceremonies to welcome new citizens on this particular day.

Midsummer: when and how is it celebrated?

Midsummer (midsommar) is about welcoming the summer and the light. Midsummer’s Eve is always celebrated on a Friday between 19 and 25 June. The tradition is old and comes from the time before Christianity.

On Midsummer’s Eve many people hold parties outdoors. People make flower wreaths and dance, sing and play games around a maypole (midsommarstång). Typical Midsummer food is herring, new potatoes and strawberries.

All Saints’ Day, Advent and Lucia

All Saints’ Day is a Christian public holiday. It is celebrated on a Saturday at the end of October or the beginning of November. Many people go to the cemetery and light candles on the graves of relatives and friends. It is a way of remembering and honouring those who have died.

Advent falls on the four Sundays before Christmas Day on 25 December. The word advent means arrival. Advent was traditionally a time to prepare for Christmas. Many have an advent calendar (adventskalender) where children open a door every day until Christmas Eve. In most homes an advent star (adventsstjärna) hangs in the window. On the table stands an advent candle holder (adventsljusstake) with four candles, and one candle is lit each Sunday until Christmas.

Lucia is celebrated on 13 December. In Catholic times the saint Lucia was celebrated on that day. In the 1800s the Lucia celebration took the form it has today. The celebration is about spreading light at the darkest time of the year. Lucia processions (luciatåg) are held in schools and many other places. One person is Lucia and wears a crown of candles on her head. The others in the procession carry candles in their hands and sing songs about Lucia and Christmas. On this day people are served saffron buns (lussebullar).

Christmas: Sweden’s biggest family holiday

Christmas (jul) is traditionally a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus. In Sweden, Christmas is a major family holiday. On Christmas Eve, 24 December, families gather to spend time together, eat Christmas food and give each other Christmas presents (julklappar). Many bring in a tree and decorate it with lights, baubles and tinsel.

Some people get up early in the morning on 25 December to go to julotta. Julotta is a church service (gudstjänst) on the morning of Christmas Day. But many celebrate Christmas as a family holiday without religious meaning.

New traditions in Sweden

When people move to another country they bring their traditions with them. They adapt them to the new place and the people they meet. Sverige i fokus mentions some traditions that have come to Sweden with immigrants:

• Eid al-Fitr (id al-fitr): the holiday that ends the fasting month of Ramadan.
• Nowruz (nouruz): the Persian new year, celebrated at the spring equinox (vårdagjämningen) on 21 March.
• Newroz (newroz): the Kurdish new year, also celebrated at the spring equinox.

So traditions change as society changes. Today many people celebrate the Christian holidays in new ways that are not connected to faith.

What the test usually asks about

UHR has only published a few sample questions. This list is based on what the chapter emphasises, not on real test questions.

• The dates of National Day, Walpurgis Night, Lucia, Christmas Eve and May Day.
• Why 6 June is National Day and when it became a public holiday.
• When Midsummer’s Eve is celebrated and what typical Midsummer food is.
• What people do on All Saints’ Day.
• What advent means and how the advent candle holder is used.
• How Lucia is celebrated and what is served.
• Which holidays have Christian origins and which are older.
• Which new traditions are mentioned and when Nowruz and Newroz are celebrated.

Practise the questions for chapter 13. The questions are our own, not UHR’s. You can also try the practice test.

Difficult words in this chapter

högtid

holiday or festival: a special day that is celebrated, often with family and traditions

helgdag

public holiday: a day when most people are off work

tradition

tradition: something people do in the same way year after year

kulturarv

cultural heritage: traditions, buildings and customs a country has received from earlier generations

brasa

bonfire: a large fire outdoors

vårdagjämning

spring equinox: the day in March when day and night are equally long

gudstjänst

church service: a religious gathering in a church with prayer and singing

midsommarstång

maypole: a tall pole decorated with leaves and flowers that people dance around on Midsummer's Eve

adventsljusstake

advent candle holder: a candle holder with four candles; one candle is lit each Sunday before Christmas

The course

The full course, all 13 chapters

MonthYear

99SEK per month

or 499 SEK for a full year

• Lessons for every chapter of Sverige i fokus
• Practice questions with explanations and page references
• A mock test in the same form as the August test
• Difficult words explained in plain Swedish

Coming soon

Want an email when the course opens? Write to us.

Sources

• Sverige i fokus, UHR (2026): s. 45–48 (kapitel 13)