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The Flag

 

The Finnish flag features a blue cross on a white background. It takes two forms, the national (civil) flag and the state flag.

The flag with "the blue of our lakes and the white snow of our winters", as a poet described these symbolic colours in 1870, was made official in a law enacted on 29th May, 1918, less than six months after Finland had achieved independence. A new law entered into force in 1978.

The national flag     

 

The national flag is rectangular in shape and its dimensions are: height l l and width 18 units of measurement; width of cross 3 units, colour PMS294C; height of fields 4 units, length of fields at the hoist 5 units and of fields at the fly 10 units. Every Finnish citizen enjoys the right to fly the national flag. With certain exceptions, the national flag is flown by Finnish vessels as their national ensign.

The state flag      

 

 

The state flag is either rectangular or threepointed. The coat of arms of Finland is inset in the square formed by the intersecting arms of the cross. The square has a yellow border, the width of which is onefortieth of the width of the cross. State departments and establishments fly the rectangular state flag. The Defence Forces use the threepointed version of the flag, which is one unit of measurement longer than the national flag or the rectangular state flag. The President of the Republic uses a threepointed version of the state flag, in the canton of which a blue and yellow Cross of Freedom is featured.

 

Finnish official flag-raising days in 2007
MondayFebruary 5National Poet Runeberg's Day
tuesdayFebruary 6Saami National Day
WednesdayFebruary 28Kalevala, the Finnish National Epic Day
MondayApril 9Finnish Language Day
FridayApril 27Veterans' Day
TuesdayMay 1Labour Day
SundayMay 15Mothers' Day
SaturdayMay 12Finnish Heritage Day
MondayMay 21Remembrance Day
MondayJune 4Flag Day of Defence Forces
SaturdayJune 23Midsummer Day
FridayJuly 6Summer and Poetry Day
ThursdayAugust 9International Day of the World's Indigenous People
WednesdayOctober 10Finnish Literature Day
WednesdayOctober 24United Nations Day
TuesdayNovember 6Finnish Swedish Heritage Day
SundayNovember 11Fathers' Day
ThursdayDecember 6Independence Day of Finland

Published January 2004 / Updated June 2007

 

 

 

 

 

 

bronze age grave on Meilahti rock in Helsinki

foto: newspaper

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