Half-mast in Finland – the custom of mourning flags

A flag lowered to half-mast (puolisalko) is a sign of mourning in Finland. The custom is not based on an Act or decree but is established flag etiquette, which the Ministry of the Interior and Suomalaisuuden Liitto describe in the same way. This guide explains how the flag is raised and lowered at half-mast and when it is used.

The flag at half-mast step by step

According to the Ministry of the Interior, flying the flag at half-mast is done as follows:

1. The flag is raised all the way to the top.
2. It is then lowered by about a third of the pole’s length, so that the lower edge of the flag is at the middle of the pole.
3. When flag flying ends, the flag is first raised to the top of the pole and then lowered.

On a 10 metre pole, for example, the lower edge of the flag is about five metres above the ground. The flag therefore does not hang in the middle of the pole but clearly above the halfway point.

Half-mast on wall and roof poles

According to Suomalaisuuden Liitto, on wall and roof poles the Finnish flag is placed at the middle of the pole. On a wall pole the flag’s position thus differs from that on a garden field pole, because the pole is short and the flag is attached to the pole rather than to a halyard.

Flying times at half-mast

The ordinary flying times apply at half-mast: the flag is raised at 8.00 and lowered at sunset, no later than 21.00. According to Suomalaisuuden Liitto, mourning is shown with the flag as soon as news of the death has been received. If the flying time would be short, the flag is flown at half-mast the following day. On the day of the funeral the flag is raised to full mast after the funeral service. The custom is described in more detail in the guide to flags in mourning.

Which flag is flown at half-mast?

According to the Ministry of the Interior, the national flag is usually used for mourning. According to Suomalaisuuden Liitto, the house pennant cannot be used for mourning, and a mourning ribbon is never attached to the Finnish flag. The Association says a black mourning ribbon can be attached to organisation flags at a funeral service.

In Finland, the flag of a foreign state can also be flown at half-mast. The Finnish flag is then in the position of highest honour, and both flags are at half-mast.

When a flag day and mourning coincide

According to the Ministry of the Interior, a house in mourning flies the flag at half-mast on official and other flag days marked in the calendar as well. According to Suomalaisuuden Liitto, the flags of the President of the Republic and the command flags of the Defence Forces are lowered to half-mast only in national mourning or on the death of the holder.

General mourning

Flying the flag at half-mast usually expresses private grief. The Ministry of the Interior can, however, recommend general mourning, for example on the death of a prominent national figure or after a major disaster. On the day of the funeral of King Harald V of Norway on 9 September 2026, for example, the Ministry ordered flags at half-mast at the premises of the Office of the President of the Republic, Parliament and the Government, recommended it to other state authorities and expressed the hope that the whole country would join in. The flag was raised to full mast after the funeral services at 16.00.

The mechanics of half-mast

To keep the flag in place at half-mast, the halyard is tied to the cleat in the same way as at full mast. On a pole where the halyard runs inside, the flag’s position is set behind the pole’s hatch. The construction of the pole is described in the guide to flagpole mechanics.