By an ordinance issued by the government of Sweden, a number of days of the calendar year are designated as official flag flying days[1] when the Swedish flag is flown on all public flagpoles and buildings. Hoisting of the Swedish flag on private flagpoles on these days is strongly encouraged but not mandatory.
The time of day at which the flag is raised and lowered is generally dictated by the position of the sun, but there are also guidelines specified by military tradition. The flag is hoisted at 08:00 in the summer and 09:00 in the winter, and it is lowered by sunset but never later than 21:00. In parts of Sweden north of the Arctic Circle, the sun does not rise at all for several weeks during winter. For example, in the northern town of Kiruna, the flag is flown from 09:00 until 11:50.[2]
| Date | English Name | Local Name | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year's Day | Swedish: Nyårsdagen | ||
| 28 January | Name day of the King | Swedish: Konungens namnsdag | King Carl XVI Gustaf | |
| 12 March | Name day of the Crown Princess | Swedish: Kronprinsessans namnsdag | Crown Princess Victoria | |
| First Sunday after the first full moon on or after 21 March | Easter Sunday | Swedish: Påskdagen | ||
| 30 April | King's Birthday | Swedish: Konungens födelsedag | King Carl XVI Gustaf | |
| 1 May | May Day | Swedish: Första maj | ||
| 29 May | Veterans Day | Swedish: Veterandagen | ||
| Seventh Sunday after Easter Sunday | Pentecost | Swedish: Pingstdagen | 50 days after Easter | |
| 6 June | National Day of Sweden and Flag Day | Swedish: Sveriges nationaldag, Swedish: svenska flaggans dag | Flag day since c. 1900, officially observed as national day since 1983, holiday since 2005 | |
| Saturday between 20 and 26 June | Midsummer Day | Swedish: Midsommardagen | ||
| 14 July | Victoria Day | Swedish: Kronprinsessans födelsedag | Crown Princess Victoria | |
| 8 August | Name day of the Queen | Swedish: Drottningens namnsdag | Queen Silvia | |
| Second Sunday of September during election years | Election Day | Swedish: Dag för val i hela riket till riksdagen | Elections held every four years | |
| 24 October | United Nations Day | Swedish: FN-dagen | ||
| 6 November | Gustavus Adolphus Day | Swedish: Gustav Adolfsdagen | Battle of Lützen (1632) | |
| 10 December | Alfred Nobel Day | Swedish: Nobeldagen | The Nobel awards ceremony | |
| 23 December | Queen's Birthday | Swedish: Drottningens födelsedag | Queen Silvia | |
| 25 December | Christmas Day | Swedish: Juldagen |