The Swedish flag The Swedish flag is one of the oldest national flags in the world. Only the Danish national flag is older. The Swedish flag has a blue background with a yellow cross, and has the same design as the other Nordic countries. The theories about the Swedish flag are many and the model is probably inspired by Denmark’s’ “Dannebrogen”. The colour of our flag presumably came from the Swedish national coat of arms three crowns on a blue field, divided in four parts by a golden cross.

History Different people tell different stories about the origins of the Swedish flag. But one of the most famous and believable stories is that the flag was invented as a flag of resistance to the Danish union in the middle of the 15th century, i.e. the colour of the cross flag that the Danes have had since 1219 was re-coloured.

In the 17th century, the Swedish flag was shown for the first time around the world. It started when the merchant fleet and the navy used the flag on their trips around the world. The merchant fleet used a straight cut flag and the navy used a three tongued flag. Today the three tongued flag is still used by the navy but also by the royal family. In the country a straight cut flag is used.

The Day of the Flag In 1893, to honour the flag, ”the Day of the Flag” was instituted. This day was, however, only celebrated in the capital, and it was not celebrated in the whole country until June 6th 1916 when the company Åhlén och Holm (today Åhléns) sent out 8000 free flags to the people over the country.

It is in the Nordic countries and in the USA that private citizens have their own flagstaffs. In all the other countries the flag is something associate with the government and the nation and it is only used by the people on special occasions, e.g. sports events. Today in Sweden the flag is no one person’s property, and can be flown on many occasions. People fly it from their boats, at their weekend cottages and on birthdays. The flag can show grief, but it is as a symbol of tradition, happiness, solidarity and wellbeing that has made the flag so important. The flagstaff Malin Ljung, SP2b

According to the story, it was the instigator of rebellion, Karl Knutsson Bonde, who was behind our Coat of Arms. In 1448, he created the big national Coat of Arms. It was a combination of a former King’s and a noble families Coat of Arms. The national Coat of Arms’ has four blue fields separated by a yellow cross, and that could have been the origin of the Swedish flag. Nowadays Sweden has two Coat of Arms a big and a small one. Swedish National Coat of Arms’

Flag Laws - The first flag law came in 1906 and then it was decided what colour the flag should have and also what size the golden cross should have. - In the year 1982, a new law came that said that you no longer could be punished for hoisting the flag at the wrong time or forgetting to take it down. Neither could you be punished for desecrate someone’s national flag. In 1982 “the Day of the Flag” also became the Swedish national day.