Stop in for a cup of coffee
Good morning!
Today we celebrate our National Day. I actually had to look it up, though. It's not a big thing, really, and it only became a national holiday in 2005.
We celebrate three things, really.
First, Gustav Vasa became king on this day in 1523, breaking up the Kalmar Union. It was a personal union that joined under a single monarch the three kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden (then including Finland), and Norway, together with Norway's overseas dependencies (then including Iceland, Greenland, the Faroe Islands and the Northern Isles). The name comes from the old city of Kalmar where the union was signed.
Second, we celebrate the "constitution" of 1809 which distributed the ruling power between the king and the parliament.
Third, we celebrate the "constitution" of 1974 which (among other things) eliminated all the king's political influence.
Hooray for Sweden!
Good morning!
Today we celebrate our National Day. I actually had to look it up, though. It's not a big thing, really, and it only became a national holiday in 2005.
We celebrate three things, really.
First, Gustav Vasa became king on this day in 1523, breaking up the Kalmar Union. It was a personal union that joined under a single monarch the three kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden (then including Finland), and Norway, together with Norway's overseas dependencies (then including Iceland, Greenland, the Faroe Islands and the Northern Isles). The name comes from the old city of Kalmar where the union was signed.
Second, we celebrate the "constitution" of 1809 which distributed the ruling power between the king and the parliament.
Third, we celebrate the "constitution" of 1974 which (among other things) eliminated all the king's political influence.
Hooray for Sweden!