tiistai 20. joulukuuta 2011
"CHRISTMAS TABLE IN FINLAND" - JOULUPÖYTÄ SUOMESSA -
Finland
Joulupöytä (translated "Christmas table") is the name of the traditional food board served at Christmas in Finland, similar to the Swedish smörgåsbord. It contains many different dishes, most of them typical for the season. The main dish is usually a large Christmas ham, which is eaten with mustard or bread along with the other dishes. Fish is also served (often lutefish and gravlax or smoked salmon), and with the ham there are also different casseroles usually with potatoes, rutabaga or carrots. The traditional Christmas beverage is either alcoholic or non-alcoholic mulled wine (glögi in Finnish).
keskiviikko 7. joulukuuta 2011
INDEPENDENDENCE DAY ( FINLAND )
Independence Day (Finland)
Independence Day (disambiguation).
Independence Day | |
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Observed by | Finland |
Significance | The day the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Parliament of Finland |
Begins | 1917 |
Date | December 6 |
Celebrations | Concerts, Dances |
Related to | Declaration of Independence |
Finland's Independence Day (Finnish: itsenäisyyspäivä, Swedish: självständighetsdag) is a national public holiday held on 6 December to celebrate Finland's declaration of independence from the Russian Empire. The movement for Finland's Independence started after the revolutions in Russia, caused by the disturbances from the defeats of the First World War. This gave an opportunity for Finland to withdraw from Russia. After several disagreements between the non-socialists and the social-democrats about the matter of who should have the power in Finland, the parliament, led by Pehr Evind Svinhufvud, finally declared Finland as an independent state, on 6 December 1917.
Independence Day was first celebrated in 1919. However, during the first years of independence, the 6th of December was in some parts of Finland only a minor holiday compared to 16 May, which was the day of celebration for the Whites who prevailed in the Finnish Civil War.[1]
During the early decades of independence, Independence Day was a very solemn occasion marked by patriotic speeches and special Church services. From the 1970s onwards, however, Independence day celebrations have taken on livelier forms, with shops decorating their windows in the blue and white of the Finnish flag, and bakeries producing cakes with blue and white icing. Today, rock stars and entertainers have been accepted as worthy interpreters of Finnish patriotism.
It is traditional for many Finnish families to light two candles in each window of their home in the evening. This custom dates to the 1920s, but even earlier, candles had been placed in windows on the birthday of poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg as a silent protest against perceived Russian oppression. A popular legend has it that two candles were used as a sign to inform young men on their way to Sweden and Germany to become jägers that the house was ready to offer shelter and keep them hidden from the Russians.[2]
Contents |
State festivities
The official festivities usually commence with the raising of the flag on Tähtitorninmäki ("Observatory Hill"), in Helsinki. There is a religious service at the Helsinki Cathedral and official visits to the war memorials of World War II.
YLE broadcasts the movie adaptation of The Unknown Soldier, based on Väinö Linna's iconic novel. In most years, the 1955 film is shown, but the 1985 version has also been shown.
In the evening, the Presidential Independence Day reception is held for approximately 2000 invited guests at the Presidential Palace. This event, known as Linnan juhlat ("the Castle Ball"), is broadcast on national television and has been a perennial favorite of the viewing public. The first presidential ball was organised in 1919, and the event has been held most years since.[3]
The reception invariably attracts the attentions of demonstrators, supportive of various causes, and various demonstrations and shadow parties are held to coincide with the official event. The late philanthropist Veikko Hursti organized the most popular of these events, providing free food for the poor and underprivileged—a tradition that has been carried on by his son since his 2005 death.
The most popular television segment of the Independence day reception is the entrance of the guests. These include persons who receive invitations every year, including the knights of the Mannerheim Cross (traditionally the first ones to enter), members of the Government and the Parliament of Finland, archbishops, judges, high military and police officers, and various diplomats and dignitaries. The second group includes people of the President's own choosing, typically entertainers, activists, sportspersons, and in general, people who have been in the spotlight over the past year. The last people to enter are always the previous presidents.
90th Anniversary commemorative coin
The 90th Anniversary of Finland's Declaration of Independence was recently selected as the main motif for a high-value commemorative coin, the €5 90th Anniversary of Finland's Declaration of Independence commemorative coin, minted in 2007. The reverse shows petroglyphic aesthetics, while the obverse has a nine-oar boat with rowers, symbolizing collaboration as a true Finnish trait. Signs of music and Finnish zitherin strings can be discerned in the coin's design.
See also
References
- ^ "May 16th parade ended the Civil War (Finnish)". Turun Sanomat. Retrieved 2008-06-07.
- ^ "Gunwriters". P. T. Kekkonen. Retrieved 2006-05-12.
- ^ "History of the Independence Day reception at the Presidential Palace". The Office of the President of the Republic of Finland. Retrieved 2008-06-07.
External links
Media related to Independence Day (Finland) at Wikimedia Commons
tiistai 6. joulukuuta 2011
torstai 3. marraskuuta 2011
KIRKKONUMMI-FINLAND
Kirkkonummi
Kirkkonummi Kirkkonummi – Kyrkslätt | |||
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— Municipality — | |||
Kirkkonummen kunta Kyrkslätts kommun | |||
Kirkkonummi church | |||
| |||
Location of Kirkkonummi in Finland | |||
Coordinates: 60°07′N 024°26′ECoordinates: 60°07′N 024°26′E | |||
Country | Finland | ||
Region | Uusimaa | ||
Sub-region | Helsinki sub-region | ||
Charter | 1330 | ||
Municipal manager | Tarmo Aarnio | ||
Area(2011-01-01)[1] | |||
- Total | 1,016.01 km2 (392.3 sq mi) | ||
- Land | 366.10 km2 (141.4 sq mi) | ||
- Water | 649.91 km2 (250.9 sq mi) | ||
Area rank | 109th largest in Finland | ||
Population (2011-01-31)[2] | |||
- Total | 36,965 | ||
- Rank | 30th largest in Finland | ||
- Density | 100.97/km2 (261.5/sq mi) | ||
Population by native language[3] | |||
- Finnish | 77.9% (official) | ||
- Swedish | 18.5% (official) | ||
- Others | 3.6% | ||
Population by age[4] | |||
- 0 to 14 | 23.3% | ||
- 15 to 64 | 67% | ||
- 65 or older | 9.7% | ||
Time zone | EET (UTC+2) | ||
- Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) | ||
Municipal tax rate[5] | 19% | ||
Website | www.kirkkonummi.fi |
Kirkkonummi (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈkirkːoˌnumːi], Swedish: Kyrkslätt, pronounced [tɕyrkslɛt]) is a municipality of 36,965 inhabitants (31 January 2011)[2] in southern Finland. The literal meaning of the words "Kirkkonummi" and "Kyrkslätt" in English is "church moor".
The municipality is located just outside the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, bordering the city of Espoo in the east. Other neighbouring municipalities are Vihti and Siuntio. The distance from the municipal centre to central Helsinki is some 30 kilometres (20 mi). Kirkkonummi also has excellent train and bus connections to other parts of the Greater Helsinki area, and many of its inhabitants commute daily to Helsinki.
The municipality covers an area of 1,016.01 square kilometres (392.28 sq mi) of which 649.91 km2 (250.93 sq mi) is water.[1] The population density is 100.97 inhabitants per square kilometre (261.5 /sq mi). Over the recent years, Kirkkonummi has faced the highest population growth rate in the country, over 3% per annum.
Major population centres in Kirkkonummi include the municipal centre, Masala, Veikkola, Kantvik and the Upinniemi naval garrison area. In addition to these, there are dozens of smaller villages. Geographically, Kirkkonummi has two famous peninsulas, namely Porkkala and Upinniemi, the latter one of which houses a major Finnish naval base. Porkkala is also on one of the main bird migration routes in the Baltic Sea region. Additionally, Kirkkonummi has a large central plains area, through which a railway goes from Helsinki to Turku as well as extensive lake areas, much of which are quite untouched wilderness.
Kirkkonummi has been populated from the Stone Age to the present day as evidenced by the very first Stone Age rock paintings found in Finland that are located by lake Vitträsk in the central lake region of Kirkkonummi. Incidentally, these paintings were found by the famous Finnish composer Jean Sibelius himself. The southern half of the municipality was leased to the Soviet Union between 1945 and 1956 for use as a naval base as part of the peace settlement that ended the hostilities between the Soviet Union and Finland during World War II. Signs of this time include concrete bunkers, other fortifications and the remains of an airbase.
Other places of interest located in Kirkkonummi include the medieval stone church in the municipal centre, the wooden church in the village of Haapajärvi as well as the Hvitträsk manor designed by three of the most famous Finnish architects ever – Eliel Saarinen, Herman Gesellius and Armas Lindgren.
Politics
Results of the Finnish parliamentary election, 2011 in Kirkkonummi:
- National Coalition Party 30.7%
- Social Democratic Party 16.8%
- True Finns 16.3%
- Swedish People's Party 14.3%
- Green League 10.1%
- Centre Party 4.4%
- Left Alliance 3.6%
- Christian Democrats 2.3%
References
- ^ a b "Area by municipality as of 1 January 2011" (in Finnish and Swedish) (PDF). Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
- ^ a b "Population by municipality as of 31 January 2011" (in Finnish and Swedish). Population Information System. Population Register Center of Finland. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
- ^ "Population according to language and the number of foreigners and land area km2 by area as of 31 December 2008". Statistics Finland's PX-Web databases. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 29 March 2009.
- ^ "Population according to age and gender by area as of 31 December 2008". Statistics Finland's PX-Web databases. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 28 April 2009.
- ^ "List of municipal and parish tax rates in 2011". Tax Administration of Finland. 29 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
External links
Media related to Kirkkonummi at Wikimedia Commons
- Municipality of Kirkkonummi – official website
Municipalities of Uusimaa | ||
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Municipalities | ||
Former municipalities | Bromarv · Degerby · Ekenäs · Ekenäs landskommun · Haaga · Huopalahti · Hyvinkään maalaiskunta · Karis · Kulosaari · Liljendal · Lohjan kunta · Nummi · Oulunkylä · Pernå · Pohja · Porvoon maalaiskunta · Pusula · Ruotsinpyhtää · Sammatti · Snappertuna · Tenala | |
Uusimaa · Finland |
FINLAND ( SUOMI - FINLAND ) EUROVISION 2011 FINAL - PARADISE OSKAR - DA DA DAM
Paradise Oskar
Paradise Oskar | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Axel Ehnström |
Born | October 23, 1990 (age 21) |
Origin | Kirkkonummi, Finland |
Years active | 2011 – |
Website | http://www.paradiseoskarmusic.com |
Axel Ehnström, (born on 23 October 1990 in Kirkkonummi, Finland) and better known by his stage name Paradise Oskar, is a Finnish singer-songwriter. He represented Finland in the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest in Düsselldorf with the song "Da Da Dam".
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Beginnings
Ehnström's family belongs to the Swedish-speaking minority in Finland. He adopted the name Paradise Oskar from author Astrid Lindgren's children's book "Rasmus and the Vagabond", where Paradise Oskar is a vagabond who plays the accordion. Paradise Oskar is studying pop and jazz at the Helsinki Music Institute.
Eurovision Song Contest 2011
Oskar participated in the Finnish national selection Euroviisut 2011 with the song "Da Da Dam" to represent Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 which was held in Düsseldorf, Germany in May 2011. The song tells a story of a boy who decides to make a stand to try to save the planet, gets universally ignored, but continues to persevere and both lyrics and music are by the singer.
Oskar participated in the second semi-final of the national selection, and qualified for the final along with two other artists. In the final after the 10 artists performed their songs, Oskar along with Father McKenzie and Saara Aalto went through to the second round known as the "Super Final". Oskar was declared the winner, receiving the highest number of SMS and televotes with 46.7% of the votes.[1]
Oskar won the Marcel Bezençon Press Award given to the best entry as voted on by the accredited media and press during the 2011 Eurovision event.[2]
Debut album Sunday Songs 2011
Paradise Oskar signed a record deal with Finland’s leading record company Warner Music Finland. Paradise Oskar's debut album Sunday Songs was released digitally on May 2 across Europe. All songs on the album are written and composed by Paradise Oskar himself. The producer for the album is Leri Leskinen who has worked with major local superstars in Finland. The executive producer is Warner Music Finland´s newly appointed A&R manager Lasse Kurki.
Discography
Albums
Album Title | Album details | Chart positions |
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FIN [3] | ||
Sunday Songs |
| 4 |
Singles
Year | Single | Peak chart position | Album | ||
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FIN [3] | AUT [4] | GER [5] | |||
2011 | "Da Da Dam" | 6 | 64 | 46 | Sunday Songs |
"Sunday Everyday" | — | — | — |
References
- ^ Schacht, Andreas. "Finland sends Paradise Oskar to Düsseldorf!". European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 12 February 2011.
- ^ Schacht, Andreas. "Finland wins the Marcel Bezençon Press Award.". Eurovision. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
- ^ a b "Paradise Oskar - Finnish Charts". finnishcharts.com/ Hung Medien.
- ^ "Paradise Oskar - Austrian Charts". austriancharts.at/ Hung Medien.
- ^ "charts.de - Paradise Oskar". charts.de/ Media Control.
External links
- Official Website (English)
- Paradise Oskar on Myspace
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Preceded by Kuunkuiskaajat with "Työlki ellää" | Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 | Succeeded by TBA |
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