Easter is one of the most celebrated holidays in Sweden. People look forward to the long Easter weekend as an opportunity for family reunions or time to go on picnics and vacations.

On Påskafton, the Eve of Easter Day, there is merriment all around the air. Families sit down to have the traditional Easter brunch on a smöFrgåsbord (a buffet styled feast), with different varieties of pickled herring, cured salmon and Jansson's Temptation (potato, onion and pickled sprats baked in cream).

A unique Easter tradition in Sweden, children dress up as Easter witches with long skirts, colourful headscarves, shawls and painted red cheeks. They go knocking from house to house with a copper kettle and present home owners with home-made Easter cards in exchange for treats.

Decorating eggs are also popular on Easter Day. Eggs are decorated as elaborately as possible with common colours such as red and yellow to represent the sunrise and sunset.

The Swedes celebrated their very first Swedish Flag Day on June 6 in 1916, in memory of King Gustav Vasa, the founder of modern Sweden who was elected on the same day in 1523. The date was also chosen as it marked Sweden’s independence and freedom from Denmark’s rule. It was officially renamed as Sweden’s National Day in 1983.

The custom of celebrating National Day has grown stronger and today, almost every town has its own display of festivities. The biggest celebration of all takes place at Skansen, Stockholm’s open-air museum. People can get to see stilt walking, sack races, folk dances, parades and speeches by distinguished speakers. The whole occasion is topped off with the appearance of the King and Queen. Children in traditional peasant costumes will also present the royal couple with bouquets of summer flowers.

Swedes love holidays and festivals, and Midsommar is a HUGE celebration in Sweden. Rain, shine, snow or full blown blizzard, nothing gets in the way of a Midsommar celebration.

The observance of Midsommar, a celebration of the sun, is something the ancient Vikings worshipped as a god. Midsommar celebrations are usually held on the Friday of the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. Everyone would stay outside all day long to sing and dance. Young girls would also wear handmade wreaths made of wild flowers.

The main activity during Midsommar is dancing around the Maypole (midsommarstång or maistang), while singing about small frogs (Små Grodorna) along to the accordion and violins. The pole is usually a huge wooden cross covered with birch leaves and decorated with flower garlands and long ribbons, including two flowered rings hanging on each side. Placed in the centre of an open field, people of all ages would hold the ribbons and dance around the pole in opposite directions.

And let's not forget about the Midsummer feast! It traditionally consists of new potatoes with dill, sour cream and pickled herring, with the season's first strawberries and whipped cream to follow.

To plocka svamp (pick mushrooms) is a happy activity undertaken by most Swedes in autumn. At this time of year it is a common sight to see a Swedish family disappearing into the forest carrying a baskets or bags on the hunt for mushrooms and berries.

There are many delicious varieties to be found, one of the most popular being the elusive and prized golden Kantarell (chanterelle). They are delicious lightly fried and served on toast. Or you could make an omelette with them too. There’s also a popular soup made from them!

Not only do the Swedes like foraging around in the woods for mushrooms, but they take just as much pleasure in going berry picking. Favourite berries to gather are lingonberries, cloudberries and blueberries. The berries can be eaten fresh, but are most often made into jam(for the popular meatballs dish).

August is time for the traditional celebration of the crayfish harvest.

Swedes will decorate their balconies with pretty moon-faced lanterns, wear paper hats and silly bibs, eat cold, bring red crayfish boiled in dill and brine or salt water, and skål (meaning toast or cheers to schnapps or aquavit - an alcoholic drink).

This outdoor party is usually just for adults, with lots of eating with hands, drinking and singing of Helan Går (loosely translated as “here comes the first one”). Eating the crayfish is a lot of hard work for very little food but fun! And sucking noisily to extract juices of the crayfish is perfectly acceptable behaviour.

In Sweden, October is apple month. This is when apples ripen in the gardens and orchards, and it is time to enjoy them. During this season, Swedes bake a special apple cake, served with vanilla sauce.

4 October is Sweden’s National Cinnamon Day. Also known as kanelbullar in Swedish, the cinnamon bun is very symbolic of Swedish home baking. Even though the tradition only started in 1999 by Sweden’s Hembakningsrådet (Home Baking Council), topped with a sprinkling of cinnamon and nib sugar, the bun initially appeared in many shapes and sizes, but over the years, the basic swirl became the choice shape for the masses.

Halloween has always been associated with costume parties. In Sweden, kids dress up as witches and go around for treats during Easter instead of Halloween. Halloween is not a Swedish tradition, but something retail businesses has introduced to the country.

All Saint's Day or "Alla helgons dag" was originally held on the 1st of November in memory of the saints of the church. Today, it is an occasion in Sweden to remember loved ones that passed away. On this day, families light candles and lanterns on the graves of the deceased and decorate them with flower and wreaths.

Swedes celebrate St Martin's Day on 11 November. This day is also commonly known as the celebration of the goose and is particularly popular in southern Sweden.

History has it that this tradition was celebrated in remembrance of St Martin of Tours. To avoid being a bishop, he hid in a goose pen but was betrayed by the crackling of the geese.

Goose feasts are served in both homes and restaurants. It is a very filling dinner in which all parts of the goose will be used. One special dish served is the traditional "svartsoppa" (black soup), which is made from goose blood, broth and richly seasoned with mashed up fruits and spices.

St Lucia Day is celebrated on 13 December in memory of a kind girl called Lucia who brought food to persecuted Christians in Rome.

Today, St Lucia is represented by a girl wearing a white dress with a red sash and a crown of candles on her head. She leads a procession called "Lussetåg" and goes around singing Lucia songs. In homes, often the eldest daughter often plays St Lucia for her family and brings them Lussekatts (saffron buns) and hot coffee.

Click here to view photos of how IKEA celebrates St Lucia Day.

Advent marks the beginning of Christmas activities in Sweden. It takes place 4 Sundays before Christmas and is widely anticipated by eveyone. At home, Swedes light four candles, one for each Sunday leading up to Christmas.

What children really like best about Advent is the special Advent Calendar. The calendar contains 24 "windows" and they get to open one window a day for each day leading to Christmas. Behind each window is a surprise in store-there are toys, poems, candy and much more!

On Christmas Eve, families start the day by bringing home a live Christmas tree and decorating it with candles, straw ornaments, bright lights, apples, sweets, glass bulbs, paper flags and a huge gold star. Come dinnertime, a sumptuous meal is served on a “Julbord” or Christmas table where the star dish is the Julskinka (Christmas ham).

After the feast, it’s time to greet Yule Tomten! Tomten (Swedish Santa Claus) is in fact a small Christmas gnome who has a long white beard and wears red robes. He rides a Julbock (straw goat) and carries a sack of wonderful gifts for kids.

Christmas Day in Sweden is a quiet day. Some people attend church service while others spend the day with family and close friends. Of course, they also go around wishing each other “God Jul!”