When is Sámi National Day?
In 2026, Sámi National Day falls on Friday, February 6, 2026. It is an observance rather than a federal holiday, so federal offices and most businesses follow their normal schedules.
History of Sámi National Day
Sámi National Day, Samefolkets dag, is celebrated on February 6 throughout Sápmi—the Indigenous Sámi homeland spanning Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia. The date honours the first Sámi national meeting, held in Trondheim in 1917, when Sámi participants crossed state borders to discuss issues affecting their communities. Elsa Laula Renberg was among the leading initiators of that landmark gathering.
The first modern celebration took place in 1993. In Sweden, schools, municipalities, cultural institutions and Sámi organisations use the day for language, music, duodji handicraft, food and history. The Sámi flag and the anthem Sámi soga lávlla make its shared Nordic identity visible. It is not a general public holiday, but that distinction should not obscure its significance as a day of Indigenous pride and public recognition.
The Sámi flag was adopted by the Sámi Conference in Åre in 1986, and February 6 was selected as the common national day at the Helsinki Sámi Conference in 1992 before the first celebration in 1993. These are Sámi institutions and symbols shared across national borders, not creations of Sweden’s public-holiday statute. Sweden’s government recognises the date’s importance and many authorities or municipalities raise the Sámi flag voluntarily, but a 2022 government proposal explicitly did not add it to Sweden’s list of general flag-flying days.
How Sámi National Day is observed
An official Sámi flag day and major Indigenous observance, but not a Swedish public holiday or general Swedish flag day. Work and school normally continue. Employers and schools do not receive a statutory closure requirement, although local institutions may provide programmes or facilitate participation by agreement.
Traditions of Sámi National Day
Sámi flags
The Sámi flag is raised at institutions and in communities, often alongside the Swedish flag. The flag, joik, duodji and Sámi languages express a cross-border Indigenous identity extending beyond the Swedish state.
Language and culture
Schools and cultural venues present Sámi languages, joik, literature, food and duodji craft traditions. The flag, joik, duodji and Sámi languages express a cross-border Indigenous identity extending beyond the Swedish state.
Community gatherings
Concerts, talks and meals bring together Sámi communities and the wider public across Sápmi. The flag, joik, duodji and Sámi languages express a cross-border Indigenous identity extending beyond the Swedish state.
Dates and observance rules are checked against the official Swedish government and labour-law guidance. Employer, school and local-service schedules can differ from the statutory public-holiday calendar.
History sources: Samer.se: Sámi National Day, 6 February, Sámi Council: national symbols, Government of Sweden: Sámi National Day.
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