All Saints' Day in Sweden blends Christian traditions with Swedish remembrance customs. Families honor the departed by lighting candles on graves, making cemeteries glow across the country, and attending church services. It is a public holiday marked by reflection and memory.

When is All Saints' Day?

All Saints' Day in Sweden is observed on the Saturday between October 31 and November 6.

The following is the list of All Saints' Day from 2020 to 2049.

The History of All Saints' Day?

The holiday began in the Catholic Church around the 8th century, when Pope Gregory III dedicated November 1 to honor all saints and martyrs. It spread across Europe and became part of the Christian calendar as a major feast.

In medieval Catholic Sweden, November 1 (All Saints' Day) and November 2 (All Souls' Day) were both observed.

After the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s, Sweden kept the day but shifted its focus less emphasis on canonized saints, and more on remembering the dead and departed loved ones within Lutheran practice.

Until the mid-20th century, All Saints' Day in Sweden was still tied to November 1.

In 1953, the Swedish parliament decided to move it to a movable Saturday between October 31 and November 6, making it a public holiday that always falls on a weekend.

Today, All Saints' Day is one of Sweden's most solemn holidays. The main tradition is lighting candles on graves, which turns cemeteries into glowing seas of light across the country.