In Sweden, the National Day celebrations take place annually on 6 June to commemorate the election of King Gustav Vasa in 1523. The day was previously celebrated as Swedish Flag Day, but the Swedish Parliament, the Riksdag, changed the name to Sveriges nationaldag in 1983.
Although referring to a historical event from more than five centuries ago, 6 June was only celebrated for the first time in 1916 and became an official Swedish public holiday as late as 2005. However, even if the history of the day itself is relatively short, 6 June is considered the day modern Sweden was founded. King Gustav Vasa’s accession to the throne marked the end of the Danish-ruled Kalmar Union and can, therefore, be considered the beginning of Swedish independence.
Traditionally, on Swedish National Day, the King and Queen of Sweden participate in a ceremony at Skansen, an open-air museum in Stockholm. The yellow and blue flag of Sweden is hoisted and children join the celebrations in traditional peasant costumes and carrying bouquets of summer flowers. Another important part of these celebrations is the welcoming of new Swedish citizens all around the country.
You can celebrate Swedish National Day by practising your interpretation skills on the Swedish section of the Speech Repository.