Festivals & celebrations
What happens, what we eat, what to make, and words to learn. Sorted by what's coming up next!
Fars dag
Father's Day
📅 Second Sunday in November
A day to say thank you to dad (and grandpa!).
Mårtensafton
St Martin's Eve
📅 10 November
Especially in Skåne in the south of Sweden, families have a big goose dinner on Mårtensafton.
ਗੁਰਪੁਰਬ Guru Nanak Dev Ji
Guru Nanak's birthday
📅 November full moon (Kartik Puranmashi)
The birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the first Sikh Guru, born in 1469. He taught that everyone is equal.
Första advent
First Sunday of Advent
📅 The fourth Sunday before Christmas
Advent means "arrival". It is the countdown to Christmas: we light one more candle every Sunday.
Lucia
Saint Lucy's Day
📅 13 December
In the darkest time of the year, Lucia brings light! Early in the morning a girl dressed in white with a crown of candles walks in a procession, singing, followed by her friends.
Julafton
Christmas Eve
📅 24 December
In Sweden the big Christmas day is the 24th, on Christmas Eve! Families decorate the tree, eat a big julbord and Tomten comes with presents.
Nyårsafton
New Year's Eve
📅 31 December
We say goodbye to the old year and hello to the new one with a party, fireworks and a countdown at midnight.
Tjugondag Knut
The end of Christmas
📅 13 January
20 days after Christmas, Christmas is officially over. Many families "plunder" the tree. It is called julgransplundring!
ਲੋਹੜੀ Lohri
Punjabi winter festival
📅 13 January
Lohri marks the end of the coldest winter days in Punjab. Families gather around a bonfire, sing and share sweets.
Fettisdagen
Semla Day (Shrove Tuesday)
📅 A Tuesday in February or March (47 days before Easter)
The day to eat semlor! A semla is a soft cardamom bun filled with almond paste and whipped cream.
Alla hjärtans dag
Valentine's Day
📅 14 February
"Every heart's day": a day to show friends and family that you care about them.
Våffeldagen
Waffle Day
📅 25 March
Swedes eat waffles on 25 March! The old name "Vårfrudagen" sounds like "Våffeldagen" when you say it fast, so it became waffle day.
Påsk
Easter
📅 March or April (Påskafton is the Saturday)
Easter in Sweden has witches! On Skärtorsdagen kids dress up as påskkärringar (Easter witches) and go door to door.
ਵਿਸਾਖੀ Vaisakhi
Harvest festival & birth of the Khalsa
📅 13 or 14 April
Vaisakhi is the harvest festival of Punjab and the day in 1699 when Guru Gobind Singh Ji founded the Khalsa at Anandpur Sahib.
Valborgsmässoafton
Walpurgis Night
📅 30 April
Goodbye winter, hello spring! People gather around big bonfires and sing songs to welcome the spring.
Mors dag
Mother's Day
📅 Last Sunday in May
A day to say thank you to mum (and grandma!).
Sveriges nationaldag
National Day of Sweden
📅 6 June
Sweden's birthday! On 6 June 1523 Gustav Vasa was chosen as king. Flags fly everywhere.
Midsommarafton
Midsummer Eve
📅 A Friday between 19 and 25 June
The lightest night of the year! Swedes dance around a flower-covered pole and it hardly gets dark at all.
Kräftskiva
Crayfish party
📅 August
In late summer Swedes have parties outdoors with red crayfish, silly paper hats and moon-shaped lanterns.
Kanelbullens dag
Cinnamon Bun Day
📅 4 October
A whole day for cinnamon buns! It started in 1999 and now all of Sweden bakes and eats kanelbullar.
Halloween & Alla helgons dag
Halloween & All Saints' Day
📅 31 October (Alla helgons dag: the Saturday after)
Kids dress up and go "bus eller godis" (trick or treat). A few days later, on Alla helgons dag, people light candles at graves to remember loved ones, cemeteries glow beautifully.
ਬੰਦੀ ਛੋੜ ਦਿਵਸ & Diwali
Festival of lights
📅 October or November (follows the moon)
Sikhs celebrate Bandi Chhor Divas, the day Guru Hargobind Ji was freed from Gwalior Fort and helped 52 kings go free too. It happens at the same time as Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.