Date: Tuesday, December 6, 2022
Celebrations: Concerts, Balls
Significance: The day the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Parliament of Finland
Finland’s Independence Day (Finnish: itsenäisyyspäivä, Swedish: självständighetsdagen) is a national public holiday, and a flag-flying day, held on 6 December to celebrate Finland’s declaration of independence from the Russian Empire when the Bolsheviks took power in late 1917.
On December 6, 1917, Finland declared independence and became a sovereign state. The official languages are Finnish and Swedish. Therefore, December 6th is designated as Finland’s Independence Day.
Derived from Independence Day
Finland has historically been ruled by its neighbors. From 1155 to 1809, Finland was ruled by Sweden for 6 centuries. During the Swedish rule, Finland was just a collection of provinces and cities, not a national entity, under the direct jurisdiction of Stockholm, Sweden, with the capital in Turku in the west. Therefore, Finland is deeply influenced by Sweden in terms of culture, customs and social system.
In the Russo-Swiss War of 1808-1809, Sweden was defeated and ceded Finland to Russia, and Finland became an autonomous Grand Duchy of Tsarist Russia. Since 1812, Helsinki has been the capital of Finland. The Russian October Revolution broke out in 1917, and Tsarist Russia collapsed. The Finns fought bravely with the Russian army under the leadership of General Mannerheim (CGE Mannerheim), and drove the Russian army out of Finland, announcing the end of the era of Russian rule over Finland. On December 6, 1917, Finland declared independence and became a sovereign state. The official languages are Finnish and Swedish.
Related customs
To celebrate Independence Day, not only the school will organize a parade, but also a banquet will be held at the Finnish Presidential Palace – this Independence Day banquet is called Linnan Juhlat, which is like our National Day ceremony, which will be broadcast live on TV. Students in the city center will walk on the street holding torches. The pre-planned route must pass through the Presidential Palace, where Finnish President Tarja Halonen and her husband will welcome the parade students.
The biggest highlight of Finnish Independence Day every year is the official celebratory banquet held at the Presidential Palace of Finland. It is said that the president will invite people who have made outstanding contributions to Finnish society to attend the banquet. On TV, you can see the guests line up to shake hands with the president and his wife.
Population ethnicity
Population
The total population of Finland is 5.401 million (as of the end of 2011), and most of the population lives in the south with a relatively mild climate. The Helsinki Region is the main densely populated area with a population of about 1.4 million. Other densely populated cities include Tampere (220,000), Turku (180,000), and Oulu (140,000). According to statistics from the Statistics Center of Finland, as of the end of 2011, the total number of local Chinese was 6,159, mainly distributed in Helsinki, Tampere, Turku and other cities.
About 12% of the population needed to be resettled after the Winter War. War reparations, unemployment and uncertainty about Finland’s prospects for maintaining independence led to large numbers of immigrants leaving Finland in the 1970s. After the dissolution of the “Warsaw Pact” in the 1990s, the great changes in Eastern Europe and the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Finland began to receive a large number of refugees and immigrants.
Nationality
Most of the Finns are Finnish, of which 90.9% are Finnish, 5.4% are Swedish, and there are a small number of Sami (formerly known as Lapps).
Five Finnish Independence Day Traditions
1. Candles. – We have special white-and-blue candles for the Independence Day celebration. We place candles, usually two, by the window. This tradition dates back to the 19th century as then, two candles were the mark of Finnish nationalism.
2. War graves. – Many Finns visit the cemetery and light candles so the whole area twinkles beautifully. In all towns big and small, war graves and memorial stones are visited by town officials and sometimes a candle parade of students or kids, paying our respects.
3. The Unknown Soldier – movie. YLE, the Finnish national broadcaster, shows the movie of the Unknown Soldier (Tuntematon Sotilas, a novel by Väinö Linna) which describes the Second World War in Finland.
4. Blue and White. – Obviously, those are the theme colors of this celebration as they are our national colors. It’s quite an accurate portrait of Finland, don’t you think? Independence Day has no special dishes, but most people have a fancier dinner. Many bake gingerbread cookies or puffy plum tarts which are particular season treats before Christmas.
5. Presidential Independence Day Reception. – The most anticipated time of the day is at 7 pm! That is when the official Independence Day Gala called ‘Linnan juhlat‘ (the Castle Ball) starts in the presidential castle in Helsinki. It is the reason why every Finn is watching TV.
