Mellandagarna in Sweden: dates 2026–2027, traditions and words
| Day | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Mellandagarna | Sunday, 27 December 2026 – Wednesday, 30 December 2026 | Monday, 27 December 2027 – Thursday, 30 December 2027 |
- The date
- The days between annandag jul (26 December) and nyårsafton (31 December).
- Day off?
- Ordinary working days, but many people take them off and offices are quiet.
Mellandagarna, the in-between days, are a little time out of time. Many Swedes take them off as holiday, so offices are half empty and nothing much gets decided until January.
They are also the days of mellandagsrean, the big after-Christmas sales, which usually start on Boxing Day or the day after. It is the time to exchange presents that didn't fit.
What Swedes do
- Sales in shops and online, and queues to exchange presents.
- Leftover Christmas food, long walks, films, board games and visits to relatives you didn't see at Christmas.
- Working a quiet shift, for those who are not off.
Food and drink
| Swedish | English | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| rester | leftovers | Ham sandwiches for days. |
| ris à la Malta | rice cream | Leftover rice pudding with whipped cream and orange or jam. |
| skinkmacka | ham sandwich | With mustard, the classic way to finish the ham. |
Words for Mellandagarna
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 |
|---|---|
| mellandagarna | the days between Christmas and New Year |
| mellandagsrean | the after-Christmas sales |
| en rea | a sale |
| rabatt | discount |
| sänkt pris | reduced price |
| byta | to exchange |
| lämna tillbaka | to return (an item) |
| ett kvitto | a receipt |
| öppet köp | the right to return goods |
| ett presentkort | a gift card |
| öppettider | opening hours |
| ta ledigt | to take time off |
| en semesterdag | a day of annual leave |
| rester | leftovers |
| en promenad | a walk |
| lugnt | quiet, calm |
Phrases you will hear
- Jobbar du i mellandagarna?Are you working between Christmas and New Year?
- Kan jag byta den här? Jag har kvar kvittot.Can I exchange this? I still have the receipt.
- Det är rea på allt.Everything is on sale.
- Det är så lugnt på jobbet.It's so quiet at work.
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.