Finland is Not a Town in Sweden

Giving my entire support

(poll at the end)

Haikea (Finnish)

[ˈhɑi̯keɑ]

Translation: A feeling of quiet, melancholic, sometimes even mournful longing. "Wistful" comes fairly close as a translation, though it's not exactly the same.

Finnish is an Uralic language belonging to the Finnic branch spoken by 5 300 000 people in Finland, where it is one of two national languages (the other is Swedish though it is less used, Finnish is the main language).

Motivation: It's one of the most beautiful words to say in Finnish, IMO; it has a beautiful flow to the vowels, and it almost sounds like a sigh. It's also an emotion often associated with a lot of Finnish art, literature, music and culture in general, and thus it's a strong part of Finnish identity.

Metsänpeitto (Finnish)

[ˈmetsænˌpei̯tːo]

Translation: Getting lost in a forest in a way that one suddenly no longer recognizes the terrain around them and becomes invisible to others (according to mythology).

Finnish is an Uralic language belonging to the Finnic branch spoken by 5 300 000 people in Finland, where it is one of two national languages (the other is Swedish though it is less used, Finnish is the main language).

Motivation: I love that there's a word for this concept! And (like almost all Finnish words) it sounds beautiful.

Note: It’s a compound of metsän and peitto meaning forest and blanket/cover(age)

The Finnish Independence Day is celebrated on the 6th of December! This year’s Linnan Juhlat is a big deal, because Sauli Niinistö will be hosting them for the last time before stepping down as president. Hence this year’s theme “Ajat vaihtuvat” “The times are changing”

All of the times in this answer are in the finish timezone because I’m really bad at converting them.

Yle is going to broadcast the Independence day reception between 18.50 and 22.15. The broadcast will have commentary in Finnish and in Swedish. The famous handshaking part begins at 19:00 and lasts for the first couple of hours. (yes it takes hours)

For some reason, the broadcast has been split into two parts on Yle Areena website.

The first part: 18.50-20.29Second part: 20.40-22.15.

Here’s a link to Yle’s website, I don’t think you can view it outside of Finland without a VPN, but I couldn’t find anything else with a quick google search. If some one here knows where else you can stream Linnan Juhlat please tell!

The way Linnan Juhlat works is that first, all the guests will queue to shake hands with the President couple. It’s slow, yet each guest is visible only for a short moment. The commentators will tell the names of the quest and offer some additional information. Traditionally the veterans have started the handshaking, but this year it will not be them. Who it will be has not been revealed.

This is the juicy part because you get to see who has been invited, who trips on their dress, what they wear and who has broken the dress code. (A memorable case from last year was ballet dancer Atte Kilpinen who came in a hot pink suit, designed by Teemu Muurimäki (he also designed Käärijä’s suit this year), men should wear a dark suit according to the dress code)

The quests will be politicians, diplomats, veterans, Lotta Svärds, military personnel, culture people, sportsmen, celebrities etc. This year 1700 people are invited.

After the handshaking, the guests are served food and drinks. There is also a famous punch served which is made with an old secret recipe. Later there is a ball, which begins with a waltz by the president couple. During the evening some of the guests are briefly interviewed by the media.

There will also be official after party Yle broadcasts, with music and art performances etc.

You can also watch Yle’s live from here:

December 6th 1917: Finnish independence

On this day in 1917, Finland formally declared its independence from Russia. Located in-between Sweden and Russia, Finland had long been the object of these two major powers’ imperial machinations. In 1809, Sweden ceded Finland to Russia, with Finland’s nominally automonous government now subject to final approval by the tsar. The first years of Russian rule were relatively peaceful, with the Finns accepting Russian initiatives such as the relocation of the capital to Helsinki. However, there was evidence of an incipient Finnish nationalism, though this did not reach the mainstream until Finland was dragged into the Crimean War on Russia’s side. The Finnish government became increasingly assertive, issuing its own currency and introducing universal suffrage, making Finland the first European country to grant full political rights to women. Popular grumblings against Russian rule found a convenient outlet when Russia was rocked by communist revolution in October 1917. Seizing on the tumult in Russia, and inspired by the Bolsheviks’ professed support for self-determination, Finland formally declared independence on December 6th, 1917. The new Bolshevik government of Vladimir Lenin soon recognised the nation’s independence, though the path to autonomy was not entirely peaceful, as a year later Finland descended into a bloody civil war. The war was fought between the working class Reds, who desired a socialist revolution like Russia’s, and the conservative, nationalist Whites. Aided by Germany, the Whites were victorious, and swiftly established a monarchy led by a German prince. However, Germany’s defeat in the First World War led Finland to embrace a republican system of government. This anniversary, celebrated in Finland as Independence Day, marks a pivotal moment in Finnish history, beginning the process towards the free and independent Finland of today.

Please reblog for a bigger sample size!