Sweden’s national day was particularly meaningful this year. However, not all traditions seemed appropriate this year.
An exceptionally significant national day was celebrated in Sweden on Tuesday. Today marks exactly 500 years since Kustaa Vaasa was elected king of the country. The national day has been chosen precisely because of that date.
In addition, this year the current king of the country, Karle XVI Kustaa, is celebrated, because he has been in power for 50 years now.
Isak (left) and Noah made Swedish flags. Mother Chantal and father Amme said that Skansen day is a good way to experience traditional and historical Swedish culture, which is not always visible in everyday life. Anni Emilia Alentola
In Stockholm, the festivities were centered on the open-air museum and zoo Skansen. During the day, the park was full of families with children, and in the evening, the royal couple arrived. Some of the revelers were dressed in the national costume, but the more common outfit was the Swedish national team jersey.
Many celebrants said that they are still not quite used to the national day, which became a public holiday in 2005.
– As a child, we put the flag in the locker and ate strawberry cake, but it wasn’t a day off, he says Sara Rosenqvistwho had arrived at Skansen with his daughter Penny’s with.
Sara Rosenqvist (left) and daughter Penny and Madeleine Arnwald (right) and daughter Maj on a picnic at Skansen. The importance of the National Day has grown in recent years, they say. Anni Emilia Alentola
The war changed the meaning of National Day
The celebrations were traditional, but this year one of them seemed uncomfortable to many. When the Swedish Defense Forces’ traditional formation flight of fighters flew low over Skansen, many looked at it with concern. The war in Ukraine made many people wary of fighter jets.
Rosenqvist and Penny were also in the same party Madeleine Arnwald and his daughter Maj. Arnwald said that the national day has started to mean more than before in recent years, for example due to the war in Europe.
– I have started to appreciate more what we have here in Sweden, says Arnwald.
Eva-Lotta Kling von Schmalensée (left) and daughter Ebba (right) are wearing national costumes made by Eva-Lotta’s mother. Eva-Lotta liked the outfit her daughter was wearing as a child herself. In the middle of the picture is Evelina Hahne, who is known as a politician from the Alternativ för Sverige party. Anni Emilia Alentola
Favorite royals
Regarding women, Rosenqvist says he is a royalist, Arnwald says he is somewhere in the middle: the system is not democratic, but he appreciates the work of the royals as representatives of Sweden.
Rosenqvist’s opinion, on the other hand, is clear:
– I love royals. It comes from childhood: it was something magical. Hovi doesn’t get the praise it deserves for the work they do, says Rosenqvist.
His favorite royal is Crown Princess Victoria, whom he describes as a down-to-earth person who does a lot of important work. Arnwald chooses Queen Silvia, among other things, because of her background as an interpreter and her extensive language skills.
The king in the middle of the commotion
Women are less enthusiastic about the king.
– He could need some media training? Maybe it wouldn’t be necessary to always comment on everything, thinks Arnwald.
The king was in the middle of an uproar this year, among other things, after he commented on his thoughts on the order of succession to the crown. The comment could be interpreted to mean that he did not want his daughter Victoria as his successor.
Arnwald remembers how as a child he went with his mother to follow the king’s 50th birthday celebrations.
– Mother somehow arranged for me to get a day off from school, he says.
Eva Evergren (left), Kent Andersson and Solveig Andersson were divided on whether the monarchy should continue. Solveig believes that Victoria’s rise to power would increase the number of royalists. Anni Emilia Alentola
Can the royals do their job?
Solveig and Kent Andersson mixed Eva Evergren spent the day off and had lunch on the wall of the museum’s old house.
– The national day is not very important, but it is a nice public holiday, says Kent Andersson.
He is the only one of the trio who would give up the monarchy. A small, good-spirited argument about which form of government would be the most suitable arose. There are arguments for and against: Solveig says that the royals have been trained for the future task since they were children, so they know what they are doing.
Kent, on the other hand, is suspicious of exactly this. He brings up Princess Madeleine as an example: is she part of the royal family or a private person, because she seems to want to be both.
Ann (left) and daughter Jennifer were dressed in Swedish national costumes. Anni Emilia Alentola
What about when the king dies?
When asked about their favorite royals, Evergren and Solveig Andersson answer at the same time: Victoria. The Crown Princess is repeatedly the country’s most popular royal when surveys have been conducted.
Kent Andersson chooses Prince Daniel if someone has to be chosen. Solveig Andersson also highlights the late king as her favorite, Gustav VI Adolf. He was the grandfather of the current king, but power passed directly to his grandson Kaarle Kustaa after his father died young.
What happens when the current king dies or abdicates?
– I’m sure many are already waiting for it to be Victoria’s turn, Kent thinks.
Solveig adds:
– With Victoria, there will certainly be more royalists, because Victoria is so popular.
Skansen is the world’s oldest open-air museum. Artur Hazelius, the founder of Skansen, started organizing the National Day celebrations himself at the end of the 19th century, even though the National Day had not yet been officially decided. Hazelius hoped to get box office revenue for Skansen. Anni Emilia Alentola
THE FACTS
The founder of Skansen wanted box office revenue, the end result was a national holiday
In Sweden, the national day is celebrated instead of the independence day – after all, the country has always been independent in a way. In addition to the Kalmar Union, there have of course been border changes, such as Finland coming under Russian rule in 1809.
Sweden decided to choose a national day at the end of the 19th century, when it was noticed that the neighboring countries Norway and Denmark had already done the same. June 6 was chosen as the day. On that date in 1523, the Swedish Parliament elected Kustaa Vaasa as the king of the country. Instead, the coronation was celebrated only four years later.
New day off
National Day is also the date of the adoption of Sweden’s (now former) form of government from 1809. The form of government is one of Sweden’s four constitutions and the newest form of government is from the 1970s.
The national day has gone by different names over time, for example the day of the Swedish flag. Since 1983 it has been an official national day and since 2005 a public holiday, so it is a day off for a large part of Swedes.
Skansen must become popular
Skansen has been the main venue for the National Day celebrations – even before the National Day was officially agreed upon, which happened in 1893. By the founder of the world’s oldest open-air museum At Artur Hazelius was hoping to make his new museum popular. Skansen was opened in 1891.
When the national day was agreed upon, there were other options on display. The founder of Skansen himself thought the sixth of June was the best. The other proposals were related to the deaths of previous kings, but the memory of Kustaa Vaasa would be a happy holiday. So Hazelius started to organize national celebrations in his museum on his own initiative and eventually the day became an official holiday.
The name Skansen translates to Finnish defense station or fortress. The designation was already in use in the area before the opening of the museum.
Sources: SO rooms, Nordic Museumsthe Swedish Parliament, Skansen, Historical times, Campsite: Skansen
A single balloon escaped at the gates of Skansen. Many guests brought a small Swedish flag, a national team shirt or blue and yellow balloons. Anni Emilia Alentola