Thu 06/12/12 - 95 years of Finnish independence

Tänään siis olemme juhlistaneet Suomen itsenäisyyspäivää katsomalla Presidentinlinnan juhlavastaanottoa. Jotkin puvut olivat oikein sieviä. Laskeskelin tuossa, että taitaa olla kolmas itsenäisyyspäivä putkeen, kun en ole Suomessa. Kävimme myös päivällä syömässä Frankie&Benny's:ssä Genevieven (joka siis oli puoli vuotta sitten Erasmus-vaihdossa Hämeenlinnassa) kanssa. Hanna-raukka epähuomiossa tilasi hieman liian tulista sapuskaa, mutta mua ei haitannut - vaihdoimme ateriamme. Lisäksi tytöt saivat palautettua viimeisetkin koulupaperinsa Suelle, Erasmus-koordinaattorillemme. Kämpällä on leppoisa tunnelma!

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Today we've celebrated Finland's Independence day by watching the reception from Helsinki's presidential palace. Some of the dresses were really pretty. I counted that it's the third independence day in a row when I'm not in Finland. We also went to have lunch at Frankie&Benny's with Genevieve (who did her Erasmus exchange in Hämeenlinna half a year ago). Poor Hanna ordered slightly too spicy food by accident but I wasn't bothered by it - we swapped meals. And in addition, the girls managed to hand in their last school assignments to Sue, our Erasmus coordinator. The flat has a convivial feel!

Some information for the foreigners. I hope all Finns already know this stuff. But I must warn you that since war is usually at least 90% of propaganda, not everything they tell us (us Finns as well as them Russians or you other foreigners) is accurate. (But I'm pretty sure, the statistics below are true.)

Finland has been independent since 1917 when the country declared its independence from Russia, under which it had been a Grand Duchy. It all happened in the aftermath of the Russian revolutions where the emperor was overthrown by the Bolsheviks. That part of Finland's independence went pretty smoothly. What us Finns usually reminisce on our Independence day is the two wars against Russia during the 2nd World War. Here are some statistics of the Winter War, which you could say we won - even though we had to surrender some areas to Russia.

Then I think Finland got a little greedy and wanted back the areas it had lost after the Winter War. Finland made an alliance with Germany and therefore permitted Germany to use Finland as a base while the Germans attacked Russia. This obviously angered Russia which decided to put us back to our place. The Continuation War began and it didn't go as well as the Winter War.

Germany attacked Russia on the 22nd of June 1941, Finland joined the war on the 25th after Russia had bombed Helsinki. The cease-fire began on the 5th of September 1944. Then in the aftermath of the Continuation War we had to fight the Germans out and cede even more of Finnish territory to Russia but most importantly we retained our independence.

And that's what this day is all about. I'm proud of my country! While in Finland, I work at a rehabilitation institute for war veterans and disabled soldiers, so I'm reminded of this frequently. And unlike many other Finns I know, I'm proud of my country more than once a year. 

PS. It feels like forever since I've taken history in high school...