Swedish celebrations you should not miss in 2023

Hello everyone!

The year 2023 is starting and in this post, I bring you the list of Swedish events and holidays for you to write them down in your calendar and not skip them.

First of all, we have one of the days of the year that I look forward to the most, Fettisdagen, or Fat Tuesday, which this year will be the 25^th of February. On this day it is traditional to eat Semla sweets. These sweets are a bun filled with almond paste and whipped cream and are perfect to accompany your Fika.

From the 7th to the 10th of April this year, we have Easter. Although this celebration has a religious connotation, it is left a little aside and it is a celebration to get together with the family and on many occasions, it is celebrated in the countryside. The children collect the chocolate Easter eggs hidden in the woods or the garden. During the easter meal at the table, the traditional Smörgåsbord is prepared which is a table full of different traditional dishes served as a buffet. Last year around the university as well as in Ryd, there was a hunt for candy-filled eggs!

On 30 April we have Valborg. This festival is celebrated to welcome spring and people gather in parks or outdoor places around big bonfires.

In June we have 2 festivities. The first is on 6 June, Sweden’s national day. On this holiday you will find many events around the city. In Gamla Linköping, people gather and listen to traditional music. You will find many people wearing Swedish flags as well as T-shirts or hats.

Secondly, there is Midsummer. This year it will be held on the 24th of June and is the celebration of the summer solstice. I think this is one of the most beautiful celebrations. Everything is decorated with flowers, people wear crowns of flowers and dance and sing around a triangular-shaped pole at the highest point.

Finally, I would like to mention the day of Saint Lucia, the 13th of December. On this traditional day, there are processions where children wear a white dress and a crown of candles. On this date, there are several events of this celebration in churches and it is typical to eat saffron buns.

Sweden celebrates Christmas on 24 and 25 December and New Year’s Day like most other European countries.

Finally, I would like to mention next year’s public holidays, which will be on 1 and 6 January, Easter, 1 May for Labour Day, 6 and 21 June, 1 November for All Saints’ Day, 24, 25, and 26 December for Christmas and 31 December.