Flag flying days in Sweden

By an ordinance issued by the government of Sweden, a number of days of the calendar year are designated as official flag flying days^[1] when the Swedish flag is flown on all public flagpoles and buildings. Hoisting of the Swedish flag on private flagpoles on these days is strongly encouraged but not mandatory.

The time of day at which the flag is raised and lowered is generally dictated by the position of the sun, but there are also guidelines specified by military tradition. The flag is hoisted at 08:00 in the summer and 09:00 in the winter, and it is lowered by sunset but never later than 21:00. In parts of Sweden north of the Arctic Circle, the sun does not rise at all for several weeks during winter. For example, in the northern town of Kiruna, the flag is flown from 09:00 until 11:50.^[2]