Flag flying days in Finland
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Flag flying days in Finland are days of the year when the national flag is flown nationwide, either by law or by custom. The flag of Finland is generally flown only on special occasions to celebrate or honour someone or something. On certain days of the year the state officially flies the flag, and recommends all private citizens to do so as well, these are the flag flying days as listed below.[1] Any citizen has a right to fly the flag on their own property if they deem it appropriate,[2][3] for example in celebration of birthdays or weddings in the family. Midsummer's day is additionally celebrated as Flag Day in Finland.
Legal enforcement
[edit]By law, the Finnish flag must be flown from public buildings on the following days.[4] It is recommended that private citizens to also fly the flag on these days.
| Date | English name[3] | Finnish name[2] | Swedish name[5] | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 February | Kalevala Day,
Day of Finnish culture |
Kalevalan päivä or suomalaisen kulttuurin päivä | Kalevaladagen or den finska kulturens dag | On this day in 1835, Elias Lönnrot signed the preface of the first edition of Kalevala. |
| 1 May | Labour Day | vappu | första maj | |
| Second Sunday in May | Mother's Day | äitienpäivä | morsdagen | |
| 4 June | Flag Day of the Finnish Defence Forces | puolustusvoimain lippujuhlan päivä | försvarets fanfest | Birthday of Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, Marshal of Finland |
| Saturday between 20 and 26 June | Midsummer Day | juhannus | midsommardagen | The occasion is also celebrated as the Day of the Finnish Flag. The flag is hoisted on Midsummer's eve at 6 PM and flown through the night until 9 PM the next day. |
| Second Sunday in November | Father's Day | isänpäivä | farsdagen | |
| 6 December | Independence Day | itsenäisyyspäivä | självständighetsdagen | Finnish Declaration of Independence was adopted on December 6 1917. |
| Movable | Days when Finland holds parliamentary, presidential and local elections, elections to the European Parliament, or a referendum | |||
| Movable | The day the President of Finland is inaugurated | presidentin virkaanastumispäivä | den dag då republikens president tillträder sitt ämbete | 1 February or 1 March in every six years |
Customary flag days
[edit]It has become customary to fly the Finnish flag on the following occasions. These dates are also listed in the Finnish State Calendar compiled by the University of Helsinki, and it is recommended that the flag is flown on these occasions.[6]
| Date | English name | Finnish name | Swedish name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 February | Runeberg Day | Runebergin päivä | Runebergsdagen | Birthday of the national poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg |
| 19 March | Minna Canth Day, Day of Equality | Minna Canthin päivä or tasa-arvon päivä | Minna Canth-dagen or jämställdhetsdagen | Birthday of novelist and playwright Minna Canth |
| 9 April | Mikael Agricola Day, Day of the Finnish language | suomen kielen päivä | Mikael Agricoladagen or finska språkets dag | On this day, Mikael Agricola, the founder of the literary Finnish language died, and Elias Lönnrot, a collector of folklore was born. |
| 27 April | National Veterans' Day | kansallinen veteraanipäivä | nationella veterandagen | World War II in Finland ended on 27 April 1945. |
| 9 May | Europe Day | Eurooppa-päivä | Europadagen | It is advised by the Finnish Ministry of the Interior that the European Union flag is flown alongside the Finnish flag on this day.[7] |
| 12 May | Day of Finnish Identity | J.V. Snellmannin päivä or suomalaisuuden päivä | Snellmansdagen or finskhetens dag | Birthday of the statesman Johan Vilhelm Snellman |
| Third Sunday in May | Remembrance Day | kaatuneitten muistopäivä | de stupades dag | A memorial day for everyone who has died in Finnish wars, combat-like duties or peacekeeping operations both during fighting and after they've ceased, including those executed or who have died as a POW. |
| 6 July | Eino Leino Day,
Day of Summer and Poetry |
Eino Leinon päivä or Runon ja suven päivä | Eino Leinodagen or diktens och sommarens dag | Birthday of the poet Eino Leino |
| The last Saturday in August | Finland's Nature Day | Suomen luonnon päivä | den finska naturens dag | |
| 1 October | Miina Sillanpää Day, Day of Civic Participation | Minna Sillanpään päivä or kansalaisvaikuttamisen päivä | Miina Sillanpää-dagen or
medborgarinflytandets dag |
The date commemorates the declaration of universal suffrage in Finland on 1 October 1906.[8] |
| 10 October | Aleksis Kivi Day,
Finnish Literature Day |
Aleksis Kiven päivä or suomalaisen kirjallisuuden päivä | Aleksis Kividagen or
den finska litteraturens dag |
Birthday of the national writer Aleksis Kivi |
| 24 October | United Nations Day | Yhdistyneiden kansakuntien päivä | FN-dagen | United Nations began its operations on 24 October 1945. |
| 6 November | Finnish Swedish Heritage Day | ruotsalaisuuden päivä | svenska dagen | Coincides with Gustavus Adolphus Day in Sweden.[9] |
| 20 November | Day of Children's Rights | lapsen oikeuksien päivä | barnkonventionens dag | Declaration of the Rights of the Child was adopted by the UN on 20 November 1959. |
| 8 December | Jean Sibelius Day, Finnish Music Day | Jean Sibeliuksen päivä or
suomalaisen musiikin päivä |
Jean Sibeliusdagen or den finländska musikens dag | Birthday of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. |
Other recommended flag days in 2025
[edit]| Date[10] | English name | Finnish name | Swedish name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 February | Alvar and Aino Aalto Day, Day of Finnish Architecture and Design | Alvar ja Aino Aallon sekä suomalaisen arkkitehtuurin ja muotoilun päivä | Alvar och Aino Aaltos samt finsk arkitekturs och formgivnings dag | Birthday of the architect Alvar Aalto |
| 6 February | Sámi National Day | saamelaisten kansallispäivä | samernas nationaldag | The first international Sámi congress began on February 6 1917. |
| 8 April | International Romani Day | Romanien kansallispäivä | Romernas nationaldag | In honour of the first major international Romani meeting on 7–12 April 1971 |
| 9 August | Tove Jansson Day, Day of Finnish Art | Tove Janssonin ja suomalaisen taiteen päivä | Tove Janssons samt finska konstens dag | Birthday of the artist Tove Jansson |
See also
[edit]- Public holidays in Finland
- National anthem of Finland
- Finnish national symbols
- Household pennant of Finland
- Flag Day (a list of Flag Day holidays in various countries)
- Flag flying days in Norway
- Flag flying days in Sweden
References
[edit]- ^ "Flag Days and Holidays – Yliopiston almanakkatoimisto". almanakka.helsinki.fi. Archived from the original on 18 June 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
- ^ a b "Liputuspäivät ja liputusajat". Sisäministeriö. Archived from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
- ^ a b "Finnish flag days – Ministry of the Interior". Sisäministeriö. Archived from the original on 22 October 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
- ^ Asetus liputuksesta Suomen lipulla (383/1978) Archived 31 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine. (Decree on flying the Finnish flag), 2§ as changed with decree 187/1996. Retrieved 2 June 2008. (in Finnish)
- ^ "Flaggdagar och tider". Inrikesministeriet (in Swedish). Retrieved 19 January 2025.
- ^ Vakiintuneet liputuspäivät Archived 26 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine (Customary flag days). Finnish ministry of interior affairs. Retrieved 2 June 2008. (in Finnish)
- ^ "Liputus EU-lipulla". Sisäministeriö. Archived from the original on 7 February 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
- ^ "Miina Sillanpään liputuspäivä". Miina Sillanpään Seura. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
- ^ "Svenska dagen". Uppslagsverket Finland. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
- ^ "Liputuspäivät vuonna 2025". Sisäministeriö (in Finnish). Retrieved 3 February 2025.