You might have already guessed the reason for this from the blog’s title - 6th of December is Finland’s Independence Day. Most shops in Finland will be closed tomorrow, but there will be a special program of events you can follow along with.
This year Finland's Independence day will mark Finland’s 99th year as an independent country. In 2018 Finland will celebrate a very special century of independence.
How Independence Day in Finland varies from any other day in Finland?
The Independence Day parade is an annual tradition held in one of the big cities in Finland, taken care by our Finnish Defence Forces. Each year a different Finnish city hosts the parade. It’s quite a big deal: veterans' graves are visited, there will be a mass and a military display. You can check out the parade on television or online.
And if you happen to turn on your television during the day you can follow the TV-traditions that all Finns follow on the day (check out Yle.fi if you don't have a TV):
- First, there will be a broadcasting of a famous Finnish movie from 1955 called the Unknown Soldier. The story is about the Continuation War between Finland and Soviet Union, seen from the viewpoint of normal soldiers. It starts on channel Yle Teema, so you might want to give it a peek - it most likely won’t have English subtitles, so you might not get a lot out of it, but it might still be worth running on the background while you eat your breakfast/brunch/lunch.
Around 6 o’clock a broadcasting will start on channel Yle Yksi (channel 1) live from Helsinki, from the Presidential Palace. All notable Finns will take part in the Independence Day Reception party held there, dressed in their best - or most shocking - outfits! On 2013 the wife of one the managers in Rovio Entertainment game company arrived on spot wearing a dress featuring non other that the famous Red Bird from the Angry Birds games. Talk about radical advertisement!
Are there any traditional drinks/treats/foods included in this event that I should know about?
There’s no one and definite traditional food for Independence Day, but many Finns see Karelian Hot Pot (finn: Karjalanpaisti) as the only dish that’s appropriate for the day. Karelian hot pot is a traditional meat stew originating from the region of Karelia. It is commonly prepared using a combination of pork and beef, but lamb can also be used. Karelian hot pot is usually served with mashed potatoes, and Karelian pies can be served on the side.
If you want to try to make it, it takes a bit of time, but the ingredients are easy to come by. All you need to serve a group of 4 is:
800g Karjalanpaistimeat (can be
found in stores under that
name, pre-chopped for
right sized junks)
found in stores under that
name, pre-chopped for
right sized junks)
1 Mid-sized Onion (Yellow)
10-15 pcs Pepper
1 Mid-sized carrot
0,5-1dl Water
Butter
2 pcs Bay leaves
- Heat the oven to 200 celsius
- Fry the meats in small batches in butter in a pan, until they get a nice, rich brown colour.
- Add each batch of fried meat in a deep oven dish, and add sliced carrot and chunked onion between each meat batch.
- Season with salt. Add the peppers and the bay leaves on top of the contents.
- Add the water in the still hot frying pan, bring it to boil, and add the water on top of the meat.
- Cook in the oven for about 3 hours until the meat seems tender.
- Serve with mashed potatoes and enjoy!
Besides eating Karelian hot pot, for many Finns the independence day is the first day of December that they bake Finnish gingerbread cookies (finn: Piparkakku). So grab some along with your other groceries and enjoy them with hot coffee, tea, or even glögi and give yourself a permission to relax this coming Sunday - the rest of the Finland is doing the same.
