Congratulations to all our readers who became Swedish citizens in 2023!

For our Picture of the Week, many readers sent us pictures from the National Day welcome ceremonies for new citizens held in every municipality in the country. We’ve chosen one sent in by Milena Zaremba, who last year became a Polish-Swedish dual citizen.

She sent in a photo from the celebrations in Stockholm’s City Hall, which are held in the same magnificent room as the annual dinner for Nobel prize winners.  

“The ceremony had a truly welcoming atmosphere, with motivating and humorous speeches and great music,” Zaremba told The Local. “Probably the only time in my life when I could hear the music from “Rönja Rövardotter” on 100 years old organs and eat kanelbullar while being surrounded by thousands of 24k gold tiles. The hosts showered us with gifts and I am only sad I could become a citizen once, I’d gladly do that every year with such ceremony.”

Over on the west coast, Julie Williams, who became a British-Swede along with her husband last year, attended the welcoming ceremony arranged by the Mölndal municipality. 

Down in Malmö, Swedish-Welsh couple Nathan Lloyd and Tom Jones attended the welcoming ceremony at the National Day celebrations in the city’s Stortorget Square.  

Up in Uppsala, Michael Ebuka Igbokwe, a Nigerian digital creator who became a Swede last year, sent a picture of himself posing with the citizenship certificate given out on stage by the local municipality. 

In Botkyrka, the municipality south of Stockholm, Laura Wapner from Finland celebrated with a citizenship certificate branded with a municipal motto —  långt ifrån lagom or “far from lagom”, which celebrates the high proportion of people in the municipality with immigrant backgrounds. 

But it wasn’t only new citizens who attended local National Day ceremonies. Hao Shi, from China, send a picture from a rained-out event in Gothenberg’s Slottsparken. 

Aurelia Alvarez and friends from the Philippines met at the Rålambshovsparken to celebrate their lives in Sweden.  

Maria Tonny, from Bangladesh, sent in a photograph of her son posing in front of a Swedish flag during a visit to Sigtuna, the historic town between Stockholm and Uppsala on the banks of Lake Mälaren. 

Sobia Imam went to Stockholm’s Royal Palace to watch the parade. 

Finally, Masood Ali Khakhrani up in Skellefteå photographed a band marching through town as part of the city’s celebrations.