There will be public outdoor events in Washington, Buenos Aires, Tallinn, Kuala Lumpur and St Petersburg. Other events during the year have included tango, samba, snow castles, hackathons, silent films, an arctic expo, a project to involve refugees in startup businesses, Finnish wine from France, and a Finland 100 satellite taking photos of the Northern Lights from space.
Invite anyone – Finnish or not – to your dinner table this weekend and you celebrate Finland’s 100th birthday with them. The goal is that no Finn will eat their dinner alone that day.The Ministry of foreign affairs of Finland have been promoting the series of dining events across the globe. This is a good example of how the centenary year brings together Finns and friends of Finland even abroad.I consent to Verdict collecting my details provided via this formSend me interesting reports, magazines, promotions and exclusive content from the Verdict groupThis weekend marks Finland’s 100th birthday: how can you celebrate?Rough Guides’ most beautiful countries in the world as chosen by readersTen of the best places to sail in Canada this autumn The same day, large and small parties get under way at libraries, concert halls, schools, town squares and, yes, even karaoke bars, all over the country.On December 6, flags fly high and the concerts and parades continue, and a multicultural Independence Day celebration takes place at Finlandia Hall in Helsinki, with First Lady Jenni Haukio acting as the honorary guardian of the festivities. Called the Finnish Your Dinner events, they will take place in both public places and in people’s homes. The nation celebrates its 100th year with numerous events in Finland and all around the world. Poor Finland has been passed from pillar to post in its long history. It is a pleasure to see that so many Finns and friends of Finland around the world have been inspired to invite both friends and strangers to join them for dinner. We are not Swedes, we do not want to become Russians, let us, therefore, be Finns.In 1917, Finland became its own nation and now, 100 years later, we are celebrating the centenary of the so-called Land of a Thousand Lakes. This year marks the 100 th anniversary of Finland’s Independence. Finland's Independence Day (Finnish: itsenäisyyspäivä, Swedish: självständighetsdagen) is a national public holiday, and a flag day, held on 6 December to celebrate Finland's declaration of independence from Russia in 1917. The independence started under an unlucky star: next year Finns drifted in to a civil war. Anybody can join and you can sign up by pinning your dinner on the There are already dinners pinned in California, Florida, Alaska, Singapore, Bangkok, Tokyo, Malawi, Cologne, Rotterdam, Mexico and Guatemala. They emphasise Finnish strengths such as equality and democracy, and of course World-renowned Finnish conductor Susanna Mälkki leads the Helsinki Philharmonic.This is just a smattering of what’s happening to commemorate 100 years of Finnish independence. In Finland you can do both.Below is a sampling of the centenary events and projects, large and small, happening in the run-up to Independence Day. The same survey indicates that Finns enjoy the concept of eating together — the basis for this weekends eating together event this weekend. Before 1809, the area that is now Finland had been under Swedish rule since at least the 13th century.Creating Finland was and continues to be a group effort.The theme for the celebratory year is “Together,” showing that everyone – Finns and friends of Finns – is welcome to take part, just as creating and building the nation were joint efforts.At two o’clock on December 5, the day before Independence Day, people all over Finland have coffee and cakes together in anticipation of the holiday. Tanja Jänicke from the Yhteismaa association who designed the events for the Finland 100 anniversary programme, said:
With celebrations all across the world, from Helsinki to Hong Kong, Finns will join together to pay their respects to their country. These dinners will be happy, communal events that will hopefully attract even new friends of Finland.Finnish missions are also organising public Finnish Your Dinner events in five cities all across the world. She has time to make it back to the Presidential Palace by evening for the annual televised Independence Day Reception.