National Anthem of Sweden | Du Gamla Du Fria

National Anthem of The Kingdom of Sweden. Subscribe for more. “Du gamla, du fria“ (“Thou ancient, Thou free“) is the de facto national anthem of Sweden. It was originally named “Sång till Norden“ (“Song to the North“), but the incipit has since been adopted as the title. Although the Swedish constitution makes no mention of a national anthem, “Du gamla, du fria“ enjoys universal recognition and is used, for example, at government ceremonies as well as sporting events. It first began to win recognition as a patriotic song in the 1890s, and the issue of its status was debated back and forth up until the 1930s. In 1938, the Swedish public service radio company Sveriges Radio started playing it in the evenings at the end of transmission, which marked the beginning of the de facto status as national anthem the song has had since. Swedish Lyrics Du gamla, Du fria, Du fjällhöga nord Du tysta, Du glädjerika sköna