What makes sweden special

Swedes have five weeks paid summer holidays — the longest in Europe. That can occasionally mean living with only primitive plumbing. The idea is to go back to simpler living, spending time in nature with family. Sweden is famous for having crawfish parties — seriously! The tradition of eating crawfish at the end of summer in Sweden started in the s. Back then, it was reserved for the aristocracy and monks. The crawfish party as Swedes today know it started in the s. The joke is that by the end of the meal the songs get less and less coherent as grandpa falls asleep still wearing his party hat.

Marrying a Swede? Sweden is famous for its hilarious and slightly unorthodox wedding traditions. Most countries have a hens or bucks night to celebrate getting married. Swedish bride and grooms to be have no idea when it is until they are kidnapped by their friends — seriously. Brides traditionally put a gold coin in their right shoe, given by their mother, and a silver coin in the left, from their father.

Anyone can give a speech at a Swedish wedding, and the more alcohol there is the more courage people seem to get. For this reason, Swedish weddings can go on for hours.

Sweden is known for being the country with the second biggest coffee consumption per capita in the world. On average, Swedes drink 3. When Sweden was a poor country, coffee was all that people could offer any visitors. Sweden is famous for being extremely family-friendly. In , Sweden became the first country to introduce shared parental leave. In the same year, they also became first to prohibit hitting children. Swedish parents have a maximum of days of paid parental leave, which they can divide between them as they please.

Dads with strollers, carrying babies in a papoose, or chilling out in cafes with the other dads is the norm in Sweden. They also get a bonus of SEK a week if the father takes more than three months paternity leave to help moms get back to work. Sweden is famous for being the first country in the world to legislate freedom of the press, resulting in the first freedom of speech laws. As early as , Swedes had the right to write whatever they wanted. The law actually came about around the time the Swedish parliament began to take precedence over the monarchy.

People wanted full transparency about what laws were being made and where taxes were going. Names, phone numbers and the like are also in the public domain. Like everyone else, Swedes love to use idioms. Sweden is known for having some very funny expressions — here are a few of my favorites! It comes from the time where bathrooms were located outside the home, and if you forgot to lock the door while using it someone could easily open it and…you get the idea.

Sweden is famous for being an incredibly organized country and falls victim to a lot of bureaucracy. Spotify has grown into a household name since it was founded in by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon in Stockholm as a response to piracy in the music industry.

In , Spotify began to branch out into live music in the United States by hiring producers to launch Latin and urban concerts, events, and performances after success in the UK. Swedish design is part of the broader Scandinavian design trend that started in the early 20th century. In Sweden, design often incorporates traditional crafts like Sami craftsmanship.

In the Nordic country, walls are typically white and furniture is functional and innovative but simple in appearance. In , half of the top songs on the Billboard Hot were produced or written by a Swede and their domination of the radio continues. The reasons for their success in music? Swedes speak English very, very well, they stay on top of trends, and Swedes put melody above all else, whereas Americans tend to place lyrics first followed by production.

Nothing says Sweden quite like tasty Swedish meatballs, a culinary hit in the Nordic nation. Sweden is a pretty big exporter of music, and it is famous for many of its bands. Roxette is one of those — the famous rock duo was formed in the 80s, and has continued to enjoy fame and success since.

The rock duo consists of Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle. They met in the 70s in Halmstad, and at the time both were already established artists in Sweden.

Fredriksson had released several solo albums, while Gessle was the lead singer in Gyllene Tider — another Swedish pop group with several No. Roxette remains active today, but without Fredriksson. The lead singer announced she would stop touring due to health issues, back in Volvo Group is a multinational company with headquarters in Gothenburg. Their main focus is the production and distribution of trucks, busses and construction equipment.

In fact, in , AB Volvo was the second largest manufacturer of heavy duty trucks in the world. Saab Automobile is another car manufacturing company that was founded in Sweden. They are famous for the safety of their cars, which is one of the main priorities of the design. And Saab is pretty popular for the endurance of their cars — there are several notable examples of this, but the most famous one is the man who donated his Saab to an automotive museum.

What made his car special is that it has more than 1,, miles on the original factory engine! The popular fashion giant is one more brand that Sweden is known for worldwide. And for their affordable prices. In the last few years, there were several controversies surrounding the Swedish giant. Sweden is famous for being a monarchy and for its royal family. Further south, for example around Stockholm or Gothenburg, this creates "white nights".

This is when the sun goes under the horizon but only enough so that it's not completely dark at night or not dark for very long. But comes wintertime, the days grow darker. And how many hours of darkness you experience depends on how far north you go.

Of course, it's not all bad: the long nighttime darkness creates ideal conditions for hunting the northern lights. Of all the things Sweden is known for, this is one for those who are living or studying in Sweden.

The Church of Sweden is Evangelical Lutheran but it has been separated from the state since the turn of the millennium. Islam is a growing religion and there is a large Jewish community.

Yiddish is, in fact, one of the five recognised minority languages in Sweden. Have we convinced you that Sweden is a must on a travel bucket list?

This Scandinavian gem is an amazing, diverse and culturally rich country. Come see for yourself! They are based right here in Stockholm and will put their insider knowledge to good use for you. Your itinerary can be tailored to your personal preferences so you can make the best of your time in Sweden.

When not writing about Northern European tourist attractions, Jessica Bowe is busy daydreaming about her next trip or scouring Instagram for travel inspiration. Originally from Wisconsin USA , she's lived in Iceland since and has since become fully immersed in Eurovision mania and Scandinavian coffee culture. Find Jessica on LinkedIn. We'd love to give you the same amazing travel experiences as you read about in our blog!

To visit the destinations and attractions mentioned in this post - and to discover a few new highlights along the way - check out these recommended Nordic Visitor tours. Search Packages. Change destination. Meet AnSoFi: Norwegian songwriter, composer, and producer. Finnish metal bands: The best Finnish metal bands of all time. Danish metal bands: The best Danish metal bands. Everything you need to know about travelling in Scandinavia.

Urbanears Jakan earphones review: Easy wireless listening. Urbanears Luma review: Modern wireless earbuds. Reading What is Sweden known for? Interesting facts about Sweden. Share Tweet. Studying in Sweden: College in Sweden for international students. Articles Sweden. What is Sweden known for? But what exactly is it that sets Sweden apart from the crowd? Nowhere is there a greater example of this, than with ABBA. Gorgeous greenery Scandinavia is packed full of beautiful landscapes to see and explore.

Drottningholm Palace What is Sweden known for? Spotify What is Sweden known for? Digital innovation A lot of the most interesting facts about Sweden are connected with the history and heritage of the country. Bruksvallarna, Sweden What is Sweden known for? See also.