The Swedish holiday calendar in English

The months of May and June offer a host of occasions to celebrate and lots of public holidays.  But what is “Kristi Himmelfärdsdag” in English and what are the big occasions called? Here’s a useful overview of all the standard Swedish holidays in English. 

Jan 1      New Year’s Day 
Jan 5      Twelfth Night (Trettondagsafton) 
Jan 6      Epiphany (Trettondedag jul) 
Apr 19    Good Friday 
Apr 20    Holy Saturday 
Apr 21    Easter Sunday
Apr 22    Easter Monday 
Apr 30    Walpurgis Night (Valborgsmässoafton) 
May 1     May Day/Early May Bank Holiday 
May 26   Mother’s Day
May 30   Ascension Day/Ascension Thursday (Kristi Himmelfärdsdag) 
June 6    Swedish National Day 
June 9    Pentecost Eve 
June 10  Whit Sunday /Pentecost Sunday (Pingstdagen) 
June 21  Midsummer Eve 
June 22  Midsummer Day 
Nov 2     All Saints’ Day 
Nov 10   Father’s Day 
Dec 24   Christmas Eve 
Dec 25   Christmas Day 
Dec 26   Boxing Day 
Dec 31   New Year’s Eve 

What’s a bank holiday? 
A bank holiday is the British equivalent of a “röd dag” in Swedish 

Where does the term bank holiday come from? 
A bank holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom, some Commonwealth countries and other European countries such as Switzerland. There is no automatic right to time off on these days, although banks close and the majority of the working population is granted time off work or extra pay for working on these days, depending on their contract. 

What’s the difference between a public holiday and a bank holiday? 
In England and Wales, a bank holiday tends automatically to be a public holiday and the day is generally observed as a holiday. In Scotland this may not always be the case. 

Mondays rule 
With few exceptions, Bank holidays are on Mondays. If a bank holiday is on a weekend, a ‘substitute’ weekday becomes a bank holiday, normally the following Monday. 

UK Bank Holidays 2017 
Please note that there are quite a number of differences between British and Swedish public holidays. If you are planning a trip or an important meeting with British colleagues or customers, it’s a good idea to check the UK holiday calendar first. 

The London School of English offers high quality English language training for motivated adults from all professional backgrounds. We give you the tools and skills you need to communicate successfully in your field of expertise and to expand your business and career opportunities. Call us on +46 8 5999 4000 or email us at [email protected] for more information about our tailored tuition or simply take our online test to check your English level.