By Swedish law a number of days of the calendar year are designated as official flag days

Flag Day

A flag day is a flag-related holiday—either a day designated for flying a certain flag , or a day set aside to celebrate a historical event such as a nation's adoption of its flag....

. This means that the Flag of Sweden

Flag of Sweden

The flag of Sweden is a Scandinavian cross that extends to the edges of the flag. This Scandinavian cross represents Christianity. The design and colours of the Swedish flag are believed to have been inspired by the present Coat of arms of Sweden of 1442, which is blue divided quarterly by a cross...

 is flown on all public flag poles and buildings. Hoisting of the Swedish flag on private flag poles on these days is also strongly encouraged, but not mandatory.

Flying of the flag is permissible from sunrise to sunset. In general this means from 8 AM to 8 PM. During winter the time from sunrise to sunset is often less than 12 hours in the whole of Sweden and during this time the actual daylight hours should be observed. In the parts of Sweden north of the polar circle the sun doesn't rise at all for some weeks during December. One example of handling this is the practice of the Infantry Regiment in Kiruna

Kiruna

Kiruna is the northernmost city in Sweden, situated in Lapland province, with 18,154 inhabitants in 2005. It is the seat of Kiruna Municipality Kiruna (Northern Sami: Giron, Finnish: Kiiruna) is the northernmost city in Sweden, situated in Lapland province, with 18,154 inhabitants in 2005. It is...

, which during this period flies the flag for one hour each day starting at noon.

9 May is not an official Swedish flag day. It receives its status from being a European Union

European Union

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

 flag day, and the fact that Sweden is a member country of the European Union. In Sweden this is observed by flying the Swedish flag side by side with the European Union flag on public flag poles and buildings.

Official flag days

Date	English Name	Local Name	Remarks
1 January	New Year's Day New Year's Day New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...	Nyårsdagen
28 January	Namesday Name days in Sweden This is the old Swedish name day calendar, sanctioned by the Swedish Academy in 1901, with official status until 1972. Some days still refer to traditional or religious feasts rather than personal names. Some of the names below are linked to the original saints or martyrs from which they originate... of the King	Konungens namnsdag	HM King Carl XVI Gustaf
12 March	Namesday of the Heiress Apparent	Kronprinsessans namnsdag	HRH Crown Princess Victoria Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland is the heiress-apparent to the Swedish throne. If she ascends to the throne as expected, she will be Sweden's fourth queen regnant .-Early life:...
First Sunday after the first full moon on or after 21 March	Easter Sunday	Påskdagen
30 April	Birthday of the King	Konungens födelsedag	HM King Carl XVI Gustaf
1 May	May Day May Day May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....	Första maj
Seventh Sunday after Easter Sunday	Pentecost Pentecost Pentecost is a prominent feast in the calendar of Ancient Israel celebrating the giving of the Law on Sinai, and also later in the Christian liturgical year commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ after the Resurrection of Jesus...	Pingstdagen	50 days after Easter
6 June	National Day of Sweden National holiday of Sweden National Day of Sweden is a national holiday so observed in Sweden on 6 June every year. The day was renamed and justified as the national day by Riksdagen, the Swedish parliament, in 1983...	Sveriges Nationaldag	Flag day. Official holiday from 2005.
Saturday between 20 June and 26 June	Midsummer Day Midsummer Midsummer may simply refer to the period of time centered upon the summer solstice, but more often refers to specific European celebrations that accompany the actual solstice, or that take place on a day between June 21 and June 24, and the preceding evening. The exact dates vary between different...	Midsommardagen
14 July	Birthday of the Heiress Apparent	Kronprinsessans födelsedag	HRH Crown Princess Victoria Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland is the heiress-apparent to the Swedish throne. If she ascends to the throne as expected, she will be Sweden's fourth queen regnant .-Early life:...
8 August	Namesday of the Queen	Drottningens namnsdag	HM Queen Silvia
Third Sunday of September	Election Day Elections in Sweden Elections in the Kingdom of Sweden are held every four years, and determine the makeup of the legislative bodies on the three levels of administrative division in the country. At the highest level, these elections determine the allocation of seats in the Riksdag, the national legislative body of...	Dag för val till riksdagen	Elections held every four years
24 October	United Nations Day United Nations Day In 1947, the United Nations General Assembly declared 24 October, the anniversary of the Charter of the United Nations, as which "shall be devoted to making known to the peoples of the world the aims and achievements of the United Nations and to gaining their support for" its work.In 1971 the...	FN-dagen
6 November	Gustavus Adolphus Day	Gustav Adolfsdagen Gustav Adolfsdagen Gustav Adolfsdagen is a general flag day, celebrated in Sweden on November 6 in memory of king Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden , who was killed on this day in 1632 at the Battle of Lützen. Gustav Adolfsdagen coincides with the Finnish Swedish Heritage Day.The date has been celebrated since the early...	Battle of Lützen Battle of Lützen (1632) The Battle of Lützen was one of the most decisive battles of the Thirty Years' War. It was a Protestant victory, but cost the life of one of the most important leaders of the Protestant alliance, Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, which caused the Protestant campaign to lose direction.- Prelude to the...  1632
10 December	Alfred Nobel Day Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...	Nobeldagen	The Nobel Awards Ceremony
23 December	Birthday of the Queen	Drottningens födelsedag	HM Queen Silvia
25 December	Christmas Day	Juldagen

See also

• Holidays in Sweden
• Swedish festivities
  Swedish festivities
  -Life of Swedish people:Over 70% of Swedes belong to the Lutheran Church of Sweden, but seldom go to church. Attendance is a bit higher among members of free churches such as Pentecostalists and the Salvation Army. Christenings, weddings and funerals are usually made in church, although civil...
  
  
• Name days in Sweden
  Name days in Sweden
  This is the old Swedish name day calendar, sanctioned by the Swedish Academy in 1901, with official status until 1972. Some days still refer to traditional or religious feasts rather than personal names. Some of the names below are linked to the original saints or martyrs from which they originate...
  
  
• National anthem of Sweden
  Du gamla, Du fria
  "Du gamla, Du fria" is the de facto national anthem of Sweden. It was originally named "Sång till Norden" , and the first words of its lyrics have become adopted as the title in the interim....
  
  

• Flag days in Finland
  Flag days in Finland
  By law, the Finnish flag must be flown from public buildings on the following days:*February 28, day of Kalevala; the occasion is also celebrated as the Day of Finnish culture*May 1, Vappu, the Day of Finnish Labour*Second Sunday in May, Mother's Day...