Every year on April 30th, Sweden comes alive with the glow of bonfires, the sound of singing, and the joyful celebration of spring. This beloved tradition—Valborg, or Walpurgis Night—marks the seasonal shift with festivities that stretch back centuries.

Easter in Sweden is all about family, tradition, and the long-awaited return to the countryside. As spring begins to take hold, many families use the holiday as an opportunity to visit their summerhouses, opening them up after the long winter and preparing for the warmer months ahead.

In Sweden, Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday/ Mardi Gras) has 5 different names and all related to food:

Have you ever thought of the possibility of combining a sauna and a boat trip? Well, the Finns have mastered this and the best part is that you can rent a sauna boat yourself this summer and experience it yourself!

If you find yourself working in Finland this Easter, you might get some little witches knocking on your door the Sunday before Easter. And no, they did not get confused and thought its Halloween ;) There is a Finnish tradition in which Finnish kids do trick or treating during Easter.

The origins of Kräftskiva are linked to the end of the traditional Swedish annual ban on fishing for crustaceans between 1st of November and the first Wednesday in August. This ban was abolished in 1994 but that is not enough reason for the Swedes to cancel a good party, so the celebration goes on.

The Swedes love to celebrate the longest day of the year, known to us as Summer solstice. Midsommer Eve is always celebrated on a Friday between the 19th and the 23rd June and it’s a date to mark in the calendar if you are spending summer in Sweden.

June is just around the corner and with it come many important celebrations in Sweden. The Swedes love to party and June provides plenty of opportunities for it!

Brazil has its carnival, and Ireland has Saint Patrick’s Day. But what does Norway have? On the 17th of May, they celebrate the signing of the constitution in 1814. In Norway, Constitution Day is huge – all over the country.

The Nordics have really got it right. 

Getting up on a working day in Sweden doesn’t feel the same as in other places. In the UK, for example, many vets dread the thought of going to work a 10-12 hour shift before heading home and crashing out, then getting up and repeating this over and over again.

I graduated from Bristol vet school in 2007, and soon after I started my first job in a mixed practice in Somerset before moving to do a masters degree in Wild Animal Health at the Zoological Society of London. During the masters course I worked as a locum to earn some money while studying and I realised I enjoyed the flexibility that Locum work provided.

In Sweden, Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday/ Mardi Gras) has 5 different names and all related to food:

emmeldagen (semlor day),
fläsktisdagen (pork Tuesday),
smörtisdagen (butter Tuesday),
vittisdagen (white Tuesday, because of the use of white flour on pastry making).