Sámi National Day

Sámi National Day, Samefolkets dag, is observed on February 6 across Norway and the wider Sámi homeland of Sápmi. The date recalls the first Sámi national assembly, held in Trondheim in 1917, where Sámi participants met across state borders to discuss shared concerns. The day was first marked across Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia in 1993, and Norway made it an official flag day in 2004.

Its place on the calendar matters because Sámi culture is not a regional curiosity but an Indigenous part of Norway’s past and present. Schools, municipalities, cultural institutions and Sámi organisations use the day for language, music, food, history and conversation. It is not a statutory public holiday, so normal working arrangements usually apply, but public visibility is strong throughout the country.

The observance’s modern form also reflects a longer history of state Norwegianisation that weakened Sámi languages and institutions. Public programmes therefore combine celebration with education about Indigenous rights, truth and reconciliation, and the diversity of Northern, Lule, Southern and other Sámi communities. February 6 is included among Norway’s official flag-flying dates, but neither that recognition nor the word ‘national’ converts it into a statutory non-working day. Employers, schools and municipalities decide locally how participation fits the normal weekday schedule.