Tomorrow is June 6th and it's our turn to have a public holiday in Sweden.
Some years back jealousy got the better of the government and they decided they wanted their own "national day" to be the equivalent of 4th July in the US or 17th May in Norway (or even 5th June in Denmark) and chose, at random, June 6th.
It's rather a damp squib, lacking tradition as it does, but I always justify it in terms of remembering the Normandy invasion, now all of 68 years ago.
Here's to all the heroes - the planners and logisticians, the people who produced the hardware, and the thousands upon thousands of ordinary blokes who pulled it off.
It's already June 6th in Auckland and so my Uncle Tom should be getting ready for his annual reunion....
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The Normandy invasion was supposed to be on June 5th (dictacted by the combination of moon and tide) and was postponed 24 hours because ofinclement weather.
June 6th was "svenska flaggans dag", i.e. the day of the Swedish flag (if you looked in a diary) and also fell in summer, so I think that seemed as good as anything. But I don't think Swedes have the same relationship to their flag as, say, the Danes. "Dannebrog" is the oldest national flag in the world and is said to have fallen to earth in Tallinn whilst they were in the process of losing a battle which they went on to win with the help of the flag. Danes will wave their flag at any and every opportunity. And apparently "Tallinn" translates as "Danish Town"
But as mentioned I prefer to remember D-Day
Why do you still march,old man, With those medals on your chest?
Why do you still grieve old man, for those friends you laid to rest?
Why do your eyes still gleam ,old man, When you hear those bugles blow?
I'll tell you why I march young man, with those medals on my chest.
I'll tell you why I grieve young man for those friends I laid to rest.
Through misty fields of gossamer silk come visions of distant times.
When boys of very tender age marched forth to distant climes.
We buried them in blanket shroud Their young flesh scorched and blackened
A communal grave newly gorged In the bloodstained gorse and bracken
And you ask why I march young man I march to remind you all
but for those apple-blossom youths You'd never have known freedom at all.
June 6, 1809 "Sweden promulgates a new Constitution, which restores political power to the Riksdag of the Estates after 20 years of Enlightened absolutism."
Whatever that means!
Also my wedding anniversary. I always wake up at 6am on 6th of the 6th for some reason :-)