In Sweden, All Saints' Day – alla helgons dag in Swedish – falls each year on a Saturday between October 31st and November 6th. This year, All Saints' Day in Sweden is October 31st.
In stark contrast to Halloween, with which, this year, it shares a date, All Saints' Day is a sober, melancholy (yet beautiful) holiday where Swedes honour the memory of those who have passed on. Across the country, candles are lit in cemeteries at the graves of deceased relatives and other loved ones.
It's a public holiday too, but since it always falls on a Saturday that can be hard to notice – although you won't be able to avoid noticing if you try buying a bottle of wine.
Yes, If you want alcohol at some point over the weekend, you'll need to head to state-owned alcohol monopoly chain Systembolaget even more in advance than the usual 3pm Saturday closure: its stores always shut on public holidays (the so-called "red days"), so it will be closed all day on Saturday October 31st.
There is no legal requirement for most regular stores to close, but smaller shops may be closed – check your local favourites to be sure.
When it comes to supermarkets and grocery shops, the chances are that they will be open as usual, particularly if you live in a city, although possibly with slightly reduced opening hours.
Libraries are also usually closed on red days, so it's worth making other plans if you were planning on catching up with some coursework or taking your kids to the nearest one to keep them occupied.
As far as tourist attractions go, these will probably be open, but it's worth checking to make sure.
In Stockholm, popular tourist attractions such as the Vasa museum and Abba museum will be open as normal.
Skansen will also be open – although doing a special Halloween event from 3-7pm.
SL, the Stockholm public transit authority, will be running extra trains and buses to the city's two most well-known cemeteries: Skogskyrkogården and Norra begravningsplatsen.
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