- 1). Head to Skansen or the Royal Castle in Stockholm where the center of the festivities will be taking place. This is where the king and queen of Sweden will also be taking part in the celebration. Here you can rejoice with the crowd in appreciation of the day Gustav Vasa was crowned king of Sweden in 1523, marking the end of a union with Denmark.
- 2). Go out to venues or parties in your local area if you cannot make it to Stockholm. Celebrate the holiday by partaking in eating, drinking, singing and dancing.
- 3). Spend time outdoors throughout the day. Remember that the day is held in early June and there are few opportunities a year to celebrate a national holiday while the weather is hot. You will appreciate this even more when June 6 will be on a weekday, as it will be a nice break from usually being stuck indoors working. Even if you do not want to join in the festivities, take the family or meet friends and have a picnic.
- 4). Cook a classic Swedish meal with friends or family. Herring, potatoes and strawberries are foods that are traditionally enjoyed by the Swedes. A suggestion for a three-course meal is to cook toast skagen for starters, biff a la Lindstrom for the main dish and hjortronparfait for dessert. The recipes can be found in the "Resources" section.
- 5). Take part in local ceremonies if you have received Swedish citizenship in the 12 months since the last Flag Day. You should receive an invitation asking you to join the program, which includes speeches, dancing, choir singing, food and usually free alcohol. It will give you a chance to embrace your new culture.
previous post
next post