Flying the flag on holidays and family celebrations in Finland

Beyond the flag days, the Finnish flag is raised for all kinds of celebrations. According to the Ministry of the Interior, flying the flag is a fine way to show joy and mark a reason to celebrate, and there is no need to be shy about it: the flag can be raised for smaller occasions too. This guide describes how the flag is customarily flown on national holidays and at family celebrations.

National holidays

• May Day, 1 May, is an official flag day and the Day of Finnish Labour.
• Midsummer, the Day of the Finnish Flag, is the Saturday between 20 and 26 June. Under the decree, flag flying begins already on Midsummer Eve at 18.00 and ends on Midsummer Day at 21.00, so the flag flies through the whole light night. The Day of the Finnish Flag has been celebrated unofficially since 1927, and Midsummer was chosen because it was not linked to any political event.
• Independence Day, 6 December, is an official flag day on which the flag is lowered at 20.00.
• Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are official flag days on the second Sunday of May and of November.

All flag days with their dates are in the guide to flag days.

Family celebrations and anniversaries

According to Suomalaisuuden Liitto, a family celebration, a birthday, the first day of the summer holiday or an evening with friends are all good reasons to fly the flag. The Association regards flying the Finnish flag as particularly fitting at family celebrations and at the celebrations and anniversaries of businesses and organisations. Common family occasions include

• birthdays and milestone birthdays
• weddings and wedding anniversaries
• christenings and naming ceremonies
• matriculation celebrations and graduations
• confirmations.

The same flying times apply at a family celebration as at other times. According to the Ministry of the Interior, a private individual can be flexible about the flying times when needed, as long as the flag is treated with dignity.

When the celebration continues into the evening

According to the Ministry of the Interior’s frequently asked questions, the flying times are followed at celebrations too. Lowering the flag in the middle of a celebration can, however, detract from the occasion. If the flagpole is in a lit area and the celebration continues past the normal lowering time, the Ministry says the flag may exceptionally stay up until the end of the event. The flag is lowered as soon as the event is over and is not left up overnight. Lighting is described in the guide to flag lighting.

Foreign guests

According to the Ministry of the Interior, the national flag of a foreign state can be raised on the pole in honour of a guest. According to Suomalaisuuden Liitto, it is ideal to fly both the Finnish flag and the guest’s flag, but two flags are not raised on the same pole. Foreign nationals living in Finland can, according to the Association, fly their own country’s national flag on its flag days and anniversaries. The practice is described in the guide to foreign flags in Finland.

The house pennant on ordinary days and holidays

According to Suomalaisuuden Liitto, the house pennant (isännänviiri) shows that the family is at home. The pennant belongs to everyday life and the Finnish flag to celebrations. The flying times do not apply to the pennant, so it can fly day and night. On official and established flag days, however, good flag etiquette is to lower the pennant even if the Finnish flag is not flown. The pennant is described in the guide to flag types.