Celebrating the Nation: Finisch Independance Day

After witnessing independence Day celebrations in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia and writing about them on this blog, I will continue this little series with writing about the celebration here in Finland. Nations are imagined communities, so tells us Benedict Anderson.

So I bought some supplies like Fazer Finland colored stuff and a cookie cutter from in the shape of Finland.

Turku students celebrate it with a torch parade. Actually this year the torch parade lacked torches, because it was really rainy.

The parade with the flags of all the student organization went from the University Student building, to Abo Akademie, to the Graveyard where short speeches were given in Swedish and Finish. Thanking the people who fought for the freedom of Finland. Then wraths were laid. Some somber music was played. After that we took the bus back to the student building and then had some glögi.

And of course I’m a big fan of the Finland Emoji set:

There is also a military parade, held every year in another town, this year it was Jyväskylä and Finland is so politcal correct, that one of its soldiers featured in TV was an immigrant:

IMG_0353

Apparently in TV they re-screen every year a bloody war movie, called „The Unknown Soldier„.

Of course playing and listening to patriotic (or militarist) music, is a great part, as in this march from the 30-years war:

The snowy north is our fatherland,
there our hearth crackles on the stormy beach.
There our sinewy arm grew by the sword,
there our chest burned with faith and honour.

We watered our snorting horse in the Neva’s bath;
he swam across the Vistula as happy as to a feast,
he carried our avenging steel over the Rhine,
he drank the emperor’s toast from the Danube.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54YSkW4sJU4

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