Alla helgons dag in Sweden: dates 2026–2027, traditions and words
| Day | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Allhelgonaafton | Friday, 30 October 2026 | Friday, 5 November 2027 |
| Alla helgons dagRed day | Saturday, 31 October 2026 | Saturday, 6 November 2027 |
- The date
- The Saturday between 31 October and 6 November. Allhelgonaafton is the Friday before.
- Day off?
- Alla helgons dag is a public holiday, but it is always a Saturday. Allhelgonaafton, the Friday, is a working day, sometimes shorter.
Alla helgons dag is a day to remember the dead. At dusk, families go to cemeteries and light candles (gravljus) on the graves of relatives, or at the memorial grove (minneslunden) if there is no grave. With thousands of small flames in the November dark, cemeteries become one of the most beautiful sights of the Swedish year.
Halloween arrived in Sweden in the 1990s and is now celebrated with costumes and trick-or-treating around the same time, mainly by children and young people. The two are separate: Halloween is for fun, alla helgons dag is quiet.
What Swedes do
- Lighting candles on graves or in the memorial grove, often on the Saturday afternoon or evening.
- Concerts and services in churches, where the names of those who died in the past year may be read out.
- Halloween parties and children going door to door saying Bus eller godis!
- Many schools have their autumn break (höstlov) around the same week.
Food and drink
| Swedish | English | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| pumpasoppa | pumpkin soup | Autumn food, no fixed tradition. |
| godis | sweets | For the Halloween trick-or-treaters. |
Words for Alla helgons dag
Nouns are given with en or ett where you would use them that way. Words in our dictionary are linked, with their forms and pronunciation.
| Swedish | English |
|---|---|
| alla helgons dag | All Saints' Day |
| allhelgonaafton | the eve of All Saints' Day |
| allhelgonahelgen | All Saints' weekend |
| en kyrkogård | a cemetery, churchyard |
| en grav | a grave |
| ett gravljus | a grave candle |
| tända ljus | to light candles |
| en minneslund | a memorial grove |
| minnas | to remember |
| de döda | the dead |
| sorg | grief, mourning |
| en gudstjänst | a church service |
| en kyrka | a church |
| Halloween | Halloween |
| utklädd | dressed up |
| ett spöke | a ghost |
| en pumpa | a pumpkin |
| mörkret | the dark |
Phrases you will hear
- Vi ska tända ett ljus på mormors grav.We're going to light a candle on Grandma's grave.
- Det är så vackert med alla ljusen.All the candles are so beautiful.
- Bus eller godis!Trick or treat!
- Ska du klä ut dig?Are you dressing up?
Learn more Swedish
See every holiday and the full list of red days in the Swedish holiday calendar, and pick up one new word a day with the Swedish word of the day. Dates and weekdays are easier with our guide to days and months in Swedish and the Swedish numbers tool.
Sources
- Lag (1989:253) om allmänna helgdagar, Riksdagen: which days are public holidays.
Dates are calculated from the rules above and were checked against the law and published calendars. Last checked 7 October 2026. Customs vary between regions and families; this page describes the common ones.