page_title: Swedish festivities
section_title: Summer
hierarchical_section_title: Swedish festivities / The year in Sweden / Summer
caption_attribution_description: English: Surströmming – a fish speciality from north Sweden Deutsch: Surströmming – eine Fischspezialität aus Nordschweden Svenska: Surströmming – ett fiskspecialitet från Norrsverige
context_page_description: Over 70% of Swedish people 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 weddings are generally accepted - especially for subsequent marriages. Around half of Swedes are confirmed, usually at the age of fifteen. Other celebrations are studenten - the graduation from secondary school, and decennial birthdays.
context_section_description: The Swedish National Day on June 6 is a public holiday as of 2005, but so far there are few established traditions for this day. The celebration of this day begun as the Day of the Swedish Flag, ca 1900, and the day is chosen in commemoration of the election of Gustav Vasa as King of Sweden on this date in 1523.
  The second most important festivity in the Swedish calendar, or perhaps for many the most important, is Midsummer, midsommar. Midsummer's Eve is celebrated on the eve of the Friday between the 20 and 26 June. Most Swedes try upon this day to get to a place in the countryside where they can eat pickled herring, boiled potatoes and sour cream as well as strawberries and brännvin. A maypole is often erected around which, at least if there are children present at the celebration, dancing is performed. Houses are often decorated in birch twigs.
  The minimum vacation each year is five weeks, and most Swedes take all of July off - the "industrial vacation".
  In early August, there is the kräftpremiär (crayfish première). It used to follow the crayfish fishing season, but as most crayfish are imported, the exact dates of crayfish parties have become more flexible.
  A few weeks later comes the surströmmingspremiär sporting the most exotic food in the Swedish cuisine.
caption: Some Swedes eat surströmming, fermented Baltic herring, in late August. The rest keep distance.
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