Sweden Finns' Day

Sweden Finns' Day (Finnish: Ruotsinsuomalaisten päivä, Swedish: Sverigefinnarnas dag) is an anniversary celebrated in Sweden on 24 February. The anniversary of the calendar was approved by the Swedish Academy in 2010 and was celebrated for the first time in 2011.[1] February 24 was chosen as the birthday of Carl Axel Gottlund, a collector of folk poetry and a defender of the status of the Finnish language.[2] The purpose of the day is to celebrate the Sweden Finns and to recognize their history, language and culture as a prominent part of Sweden's cultural heritage.[1][3]

Sweden Finns' Day
Flag of the Sweden Finns
Official name	Finnish: Ruotsinsuomalaisten päivä, Swedish: Sverigefinnarnas dag
Observed by	Sweden
Date	24 February
Next time	24 February 2023 (2023-02-24)
Frequency	annual
Related to	Carl Axel Gottlund

Most of the municipalities that have a significant Finnish-speaking minority raise the Sweden Finnish flag on Sweden Finns' Day.[4] However, this is not an official flag day.[5] The holiday is celebrated all over Sweden, including Stockholm, Eskilstuna, Gothenburg, Västerås and Nykvarn. The day's program has included concerts, dance performances, writer visits, karaoke dances and theater performances for children. For example, in 2017, more than a thousand people attended the celebration at Stockholm City Hall.[6] In 2013 in particular, the celebration was significant in many places, when the day was celebrated with official ceremonies for the first time.[7]

In 2019, the seal was voted by the listeners of SR's Finnish-language channel Sveriges Radio Finska (formerly known as Sisuradio) as the symbolic national animal of the Sweden Finns.[8]