National Day of Finland

During the early decades of independence, Finland’s National Day was a very solemn occasion marked by patriotic speeches and special church services. From the 1970s onwards, National Day celebrations took on livelier forms, with shops decorating their windows in blue and white of the Finnish flag and bakeries producing cakes with blue and white icing. Today, rock stars and entertainers have been accepted as worthy interpreters of Finnish patriotism. It is traditional for many Finnish families to light two candles in each window of their home in the evening. This custom dates to the 1920s, but even earlier, candles had been placed in windows on the birthday of poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg as a silent protest against perceived Russian oppression.

Finland, a member of the European Union, is the second largest Nordic country — with a population of more than 5 million people. The country tops continuously the international comparisons of national performance. Finland ranks as the best country in the world in the 2010 Newsweek survey based on health, economic dynamics, education, political environment, and quality of life. Finland has also been ranked the second most stable country in the world and the first in the 2009 Legatum Prosperity rating. In 2010, the World Economic Forum deemed Finland the 7th most competitive country in the world. Celebrate the National Day of Finland.