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] This means that the Flag of Sweden is flown on all public flag poles and buildings. Hoisting of the Swedish flag on private flagpoles on these days is also strongly encouraged, but not mandatory.
Flying of the flag is in general governed by the sun, but there are guidelines specified by military tradition. The flag is hoisted at 8 AM in the summer and 9 AM in the winter, and is lowered by sunset but never later than 9 PM. In parts of Sweden north of the Arctic Circle, the sun does not rise at all for some weeks during winter. One example of handling this is the practice of the Infantry Regiment in Kiruna, which during this period flies the flag from 9 AM to 11.50 AM.[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 |