Evacuee Flag Day
| Evacuee Flag Day | |
|---|---|
 The flag day aims to honor the Karelian emigrants during the World War II. The photo shows a family from the Karelian Isthmus setting off in the early days of the Winter War. | |
| Official name | Finnish: Evakkojen liputuspäivä |
| Observed by | Finland |
| Significance | remembrance of the evacuation of Finnish Karelia |
| Date | 20 April |
| Next time | 20 April 2026 |
| Frequency | annual |
Evacuee Flag Day (Finnish: evakkojen liputuspäivä) is a Finnish flag flying day, which is celebrated in Finland on 20 April. The flag-raising ceremony is intended to remember and honor those who were forced to leave their homeland permanently or temporarily due to the events of the Winter War, the Continuation War and the Lapland War during World War II. The flag-raising day was chosen to be the founding day of the Karelian Association. The first such commemorative day was held on Easter Day in 2025 at the initiative of the Karelian Association. The organization invited state institutions, municipalities, parishes, associations, companies and private individuals to join in the flag-raising ceremony, and many of them decided to participate in the celebration of the day.[1][2]
The Karelian Association and the Karelian Club of the Finnish Parliament have tried for many years to have an official flag-raising day in memory of the Karelian evacuees. A written question was submitted to the Minister of the Interior in Parliament in 2020, 2021 and 2024, but the official day was met with a negative response.[3][4]
In her response to a written question in 2024, Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen stated that the topic is valuable and important, but there are already three flag-raising days related to it: the Defence Forces Flag Day (4 June), National Veterans' Day (27 April) and Memorial Day (the third Sunday in May). In addition, the Ministry of the Interior recommended flying the flag on anniversaries of the end of wars. In 2024, there were 26 official and established flag-raising days, as well as four recommended days. A large number may cause flag-raising fatigue and raise negative feelings among citizens. Therefore, the Ministry did not see it necessary to promote the evacuees' own flag-raising day, but since the Finnish flag can be flown freely, citizens, organisations and other parties can establish a flag-raising day by flying it on a specific day.[4][5]
See also
References
- ^ "Evakkojen liputuspäivä käynnistyy ensi sunnuntaina 20.4" (in Finnish). Helsinki: Karjalan Liitto ry. 14 April 2025. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
- ^ "Pääsiäissunnuntaina liputetaan ensimmäistä kertaa evakoille". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Helsinki: Sanoma Media Finland. 20 April 2025. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
- ^ Parkkari, Wilma (20 April 2025). "Sunnuntaina vietettiin uutta liputuspäivää – useita lipputankoja tyhjinä". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Helsinki: Sanoma Media Finland. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
- ^ a b Rantanen, Mari (14 May 2024). "Vastaus kirjalliseen kysymykseen evakkojen muiston vaalimisesta ja evakkojen liputuspäivästä, KKV 165/2024 vp" (pdf) (in Finnish). Eduskunta. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
- ^ Kemppi, Hilkka (24 April 2024). "Kirjallinen kysymys evakkojen muiston vaalimisesta ja evakkojen liputuspäivästä, KK 165/2024 vp" (in Finnish). Eduskunta. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
External links
- Riihimäki raises the flag on evacuee flag day, April 20th – Riihimaki.fi
- Flags will be flown in honor of evacuees on April 20th – Hollola.fi