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Finnish national symbols are natural symbols or Finnish national works and prominent figures that are commonly associated with Finland. [1] The most recognized national symbols include the flag of Finland and the lion featured on the Finnish coat of arms. [2]
| Type | Symbol | Image |
|---|---|---|
| National flag | Finnish flag [2] |  |
| Coat of arms | Finnish coat of Arms [2] |  |
| National epic | Kalevala [3] [4] | |
| National anthem | Maamme [5] [6] | |
| National day | Finnish independence day [7] [8] | |
| National food | Rye bread [9] |  |
| National instrument | Kantele [10] [11] |  |
| National personification | The Maiden of Finland [12] [13] |  |
| National shrine | Turku Cathedral (unofficial) [14] |  |
| National sport | Pesäpallo ("Finnish baseball") [15] |  |
| Type | Symbol | Image |
|---|---|---|
| National animal | Bear [16] [17] [18] |  |
| National horse | Finnhorse [19] |  |
| National insect | Seven-spot ladybird [18] [20] |  |
| National fish | European perch [18] [20] |  |
| Floral emblem | Lily of the valley [18] [20] |  |
| National stone | Granite [18] [21] |  |
| National dog | Finnish Spitz [22] |  |
| National bird | Whooper swan [18] [20] |  |
| National butterfly | Holly blue [23] |  |
| National tree | Silver birch [18] [20] |  |
| Figure | Name | Image |
|---|---|---|
| National saint | Bishop Henry [24] |  |
| National poet | J. L. Runeberg and Eino Leino [25] |   |
| National philosopher | J. V. Snellman [26] |  |
| National writer | Aleksis Kivi [27] |  |
| National composer | Jean Sibelius [28] |  |
| National artist | Akseli Gallen-Kallela [29] |  |
| National architect and designer | Alvar Aalto [30] |  |
The Kalevala is a 19th-century compilation of epic poetry, compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Karelian and Finnish oral folklore and mythology, telling an epic story about the Creation of the Earth, describing the controversies and retaliatory voyages between the peoples of the land of Kalevala called Väinölä and the land of Pohjola and their various protagonists and antagonists, as well as the construction and robbery of the epic mythical wealth-making machine Sampo.
"Maamme", known by its original Swedish title as "Vårt land" and in English as "Our Land", is the de facto national anthem of Finland. The music was composed by the German immigrant Fredrik Pacius, with original Swedish lyrics by Johan Ludvig Runeberg. It was first performed on 13 May 1848. Originally, it was written for the 500th anniversary of Porvoo, and for that occasion it was Runeberg himself who wrote the music.
Johan Ludvig Runeberg was a Finnish priest, lyric and epic poet. He wrote exclusively in Swedish. He is considered a national poet of Finland. He is the author of the lyrics to Vårt land which became the Finnish national anthem. Runeberg was also involved in the modernization of the Finnish Lutheran hymnal and produced many texts for the new edition.
Elias Lönnrot was a Finnish polymath, physician, philosopher, poet, musician, linguist, journalist, philologist and collector of traditional Finnish oral poetry. He is best known for synthesizing the Finnish national epic, Kalevala from short ballads and lyric poems he gathered from Finnish oral tradition during several field expeditions in Finland, Russian Karelia, the Kola Peninsula and Baltic countries. In botany, he is remembered as the author of the 1860 Flora Fennica, the first scientific text written in Finnish rather than in Latin.
The music of Finland can be roughly divided into folk music, classical and contemporary art music, and contemporary popular music.
Kauhajoki is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Southern Ostrobothnia region, 59 kilometres (37 mi) southwest of the city of Seinäjoki. The population of Kauhajoki is 12,524 and the municipality covers an area of 1,298.98 km2 (501.54 sq mi) of which 16.46 km2 (6.36 sq mi) is inland water. The population density is 9.64/km2 (25.0/sq mi). The town is unilingually Finnish.
Kari Peter Conrad von Bagh was a Finnish film historian and director. Von Bagh worked as the head of the Finnish Film Archive, editor-in-chief of Filmihullu magazine and co-founder and director of the Midnight Sun Film Festival. From 2001, he was the artistic director of the film festival Il Cinema Ritrovato in Bologna. Von Bagh was a member of the jury in the competition category of 2004 Cannes Film Festival.
Henry Olavi "Remu" Aaltonen is a Finnish drummer and singer. He is the lead musician of the band Hurriganes, but has also pursued a solo singing career.
Mauno Jokipii was a Finnish professor at the University of Jyväskylä in history specializing in World War II. He was a thorough investigator and a prolific author. Among his works were studies of the local history of Jyväskylä and the university and historical province of Satakunta.
The Kaale are a Romani subgroup who live primarily in Finland but also in Sweden. Their main languages are Finnish, Swedish and Kalo.
Erkki Karu was a Finnish film director, screenwriter and producer. He was one of the pioneers of the Finnish cinema.
Kaisa Korhonen was a Finnish theatre director, actor, singer and dramaturge. She was a central figure in the Finnish leftist music scene of the 1960s and 1970s, appearing both as a solo artist, and with KOM-teatteri. After her singing career, Korhonen became an accomplished director and teacher of theatre directing.
Ulla Kyllikki Katajavuori-Koskimies was a Finnish musician who played the traditional Finnish kantele, performing from the 1930s to the 1990s. One of her recordings is the Karelian folk song Konevitsan kirkonkellot.
The takeover of Vanha was an uprising by a number of students on November 25, 1968, at the Old Student House of the University of Helsinki in Finland. It occurred on the night of the 100th birthday of the university's student union. The rioters took over Vanha during the celebrations, demanding changes to the university's administration and the curriculum.
Pekka Heikki Tapani Gronow is a Finnish ethnomusicologist and historian of the recording industry. He studied at Wesleyan University with David P. McAllester and Robert E. Brown and at the University of Helsinki and received his PhD from the University of Tampere. He was the head of the record library at Yleisradio 1989–2006 and an archiving specialist 2007–2008. Gronow became known in the 1960s for his radio programs on jazz and blues. In 1966 he founded with M. A. Numminen Eteenpäin, a record company which issued Numminen's works and other underground artists.
In Finland, the far right was strongest in 1920–1940 when the Academic Karelia Society, Lapua Movement, Patriotic People's Movement (IKL) and Vientirauha operated in the country and had hundreds of thousands of members. In addition to these dominant far-right and fascist organizations, smaller Nazi parties operated as well.
The Kalevala House was a proposed monumental building in Helsinki, Finland, intended to serve as the headquarters of the Kalevala Society and a center of Finnish culture. The plans included a Finnish cultural research institute, exhibition spaces, artists' workspaces and "research chambers". Additionally, the crypt beneath the foot of the 80-meter-high main tower was to serve as a burial place for notable Finnish figures and Fennomen. The building was to be located at the top of Munkkiniemi, near the present-day Hotel Kalastajatorppa.
Ella Eronen was a Finnish actor and poetic reciter, and one of the country's leading actresses of the 20th century, especially of the 1930s through to 1950s. She was variously known as Diiva, La Ella and Ella Suuri. The noted Finnish theatre and film critic Jukka Kajava called her "possibly Finland's most legendary theatre actor".
Finnish alcohol culture refers to the drinking culture regarding beverages containing ethyl alcohol in Finland and to the manners and habits connected to the drinking culture.
