Otimme koulussamme varaslähdön ja juhlistimme Suomen itsenäisyyttä lauantaina 2.12.2017 pienimuotoisilla juhlilla, johon liittyivät lasten tekemät pöytäkoristeet, innostunut kuulijakunta, tervehdykset Suomelle, Suomi-Seuran myöntämä Ulkosuomalainen 2017 -tunnustus, Suomi, Suomi -runo, Finlandia ja Maamme -laulu ja tietysti jotain makoista. ONNEKSI OLKOON SUOMI

Kaksi kynttilää ikkunalaudalla palamassa on pitkä perinne, joka ei ole aina merkinnyt itsenäisyyden juhlistamista.  Kynttiläperinne on ollut Suomessa jo ennen itsenäistymistä. Kun Suomi oli vielä osa Ruotsin kuningaskuntaa, kynttilöitä poltettiin kuningasperheen kunniaksi. Helsingin yliopiston historian laitoksen varadekaani ja professori Henrik Meinander vahvistaa, että samoin tehtiin Venäjän vallan alla oltaessa. Silloin kynttilöitä poltettiin ikkunoilla keisariperheen merkkipäivien kunniaksi. Kynttilä merkkinä jääkäreille Sortovuosina 1800-luvun lopusta 1900-luvun alkuun kynttilöistä tuli kapinan ele. Runebergin päivänä 5. helmikuuta alettiin polttaa ikkunoilla kynttilöitä, jotka symbolisoivat vastalausetta venäläistämistä vastaan. Suomessa perustettiin vuonna 1914 jääkäriliike, jonka missio oli irrottaa Suomi Venäjästä. Aate oli alkuaikoina tulenarka, ja kun nuoret miehet matkasivat jääkärikoulutukseen Ruotsin kautta Saksaa, kaksi kynttilää ikkunalaudalla viestitti ...

Kuvassa illan esiintyjiä: UUSIKUU yhtye, Roosa Leimu-Brown, Anja Meinhardt, Karri Luhtala, Marielle Iivonen, Tony Iivonen, Ulla Suokko, Maria Männistö, Benjamin Mosse, Eino Grön ja Marko Puro. Juontajana toimi Eila Kanninen (puuttuu kuvasta). Kuva: Kari Henrik Tumelius Suomi 100 maailmalla - konsertti 15.06.2017 Musiikkitalossa, Helsingissä Antoisan ja ajatuksia herättävän Suomi-kouluseminaarin jälkeen askeleemme suuntautuivat Musiikkitalolle. Matkalla tapasimme paljon ystäviä ja tuttuja. Juttua olisi riittänyt vaikka kuinka kauaksi aikaa, mutta sitä meillä ei ollut, joten nopeasti otimme kurkun kostuketta ja pientä purtavaa, jotta saisimme nauttia illan konsertista ja täytyypä sanoa, että emme kyllä pettyneet. Illan aloitti Uusikuu -yhtye monipuolisella laulusikermällä kera upeiden tanssijoiden. Karri Luhtala johdatti meidät seuraavaksi jazzin luomavaan maailmaan, jonka jälkeen saimme nauttia Marielle ja Tony Iivosen taidokkaasta viulu ja hanuri musisoinnista. Sitte...

Modern Life! – Finnish Modernism and the International Dimension is an exhibition still running at the Helsinki Art Museum (it's situated next to the big cinema in the Tennispalatsi , next to Kamppi) until the end of July - and parts of it will continue until later on in the year. If you're in Helsinki during the Summer or passing through, I'd encourage you to take a look. Although the title may not tell you very much, it's a major part of Suomi 100 and for myself, it was eye opening. The thing is, when you start to learn about Finland and its history, you hear a lot about the struggle for independence and in particular, the Winter War. Those are certainly extraordinary stories, but surely far more impressive is what Finland has achieved in peace. In population terms, Finland is tiny, and yet, as this exhibition at HAM shows, it has had a major impact all over world culture. The exhibition is wide ranging and you will be familiar with many of its elements, e...

The Honorary Consul of Finland in co operation with Manchester and District Orienteering are putting on a themed weekend of Orienteering activities in order to celebrate and make the UK Orienteering Community aware of the 100 years of Finnish Independence. The weekend ( Friday 13th to Sunday 15th October 2017 ) will show how traditional Finnish forest orienteering as enjoyed in Finland and the UK has developed. The themed weekend is being promoted to the whole UK Orienteering Community as a Festival of Orienteering celebrating Finland's 100 years of Independence. There will be two level C events in Stockport, Lyme Park and Town Centre and a fun 'Metro' event in Didsbury, Manchester General Information Venue Friday : Didsbury, South Manchester suburb (Evening Street event) Saturday Lyme National Trust, South Stockport (Classic Parkland/Moorland event) Sunday Stockport Town Centre (Urban event) SI Punching will be used. SI cards are available for hire...

Manchester Consular Association's (MCA) Annual Dinner will be a celebration of Finland's 100 years and will be looking to the future on Friday 17th November 2017 .  To book, see contact details for Chris Rostron below.     NB update 16/09/2017 including new price The event will promote Finland to the countries represented by the MCA's Consul Generals, Honorary Consuls representing over 30 countries,  also local dignitaries: such as the Lord Lieutenant, who represents the Queen; the High Sherriff, who represents the British Judiciary; the Lord Mayors and Mayors representing the Local councils in the Manchester Area. The Ambassador of Finland in the UK is the Guest of Honour and the Honorary Consul of Finland will be the President of the Manchester Consular Association. Their speeches will help raise the profile of Finland by showing how Finnish products are part of everyone's daily life, and promote Finland, its achievements and future direction at the event. ...

From Mr Chris Rostron: I wish to invite the whole Finnish community to join me, as President of the Manchester Consular Association, to the Annual Dinner Dance on 17th November 2017. All the local Lord Mayors, Mayors, Lord Lieutenant and fellow consuls will be there and The Finnish Ambassador will be guest of honour. He adds that the cost is likely to be £60, however sponsors such as Finnish businesses would be very welcome, as a way to reduce that figure. Also, the date should be regarded as provisional at the moment, the 24th is a possibility. Right: Ms Päivi Luostarinen, Finnish Ambassador to the UK.

Nyt - right now - it is 100 days until Finland's Centenary Year kicks off. I've just found that out on the Suomi 100 website, and I recommend that you bookmark it and visit there to keep in touch with what's being planned for the nation's celebrations. But we in Manchester have even more to celebrate, because next year marks a full forty - 40 - years since our suomikoulu was established in the city, the oldest in the North West and one of the oldest in the UK. One or two of our founders are still here, actively involved in the life of our school. So we have a lot to think about! We're definitely going to have a bit of an event later in the year, hopefully staging some special happenings. Here are a couple of them, fun competitions for you to sink your artistic teeth into, which you may already know about if you've visited the school recently, or read about on our Facebook page. First - how about designing an anniversary celebration mug ?! We need y...

In 2017 Finland will celebrate 100 years of independence -  itsenäisyys . Finland's Independence Day , Itsenäisyyspäivä , is 6th December . Like other Finnish schools, the Finnish School in Manchester will be joining in, and we have a number of ideas and projects being conjured up. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for more news :) So, what do you think of this as a birthday present? The picture, right, is grabbed from Google Maps. Doesn't seem like much to get excited about, does it? It shows a small part of the border between Norway and Finland; there is a proposal in Norway to move it a few metres further north and therefore gift Finland a fraction of a square kilometre of barren mountainside. Which is a rather downbeat way of putting it. However, on that border is Finland's highest point, at 1,324m above sea level, and a while ago, an imaginative Norwegian surveyor realised that a minor border adjustment would put the peak of  Halditsohkka inside Finland. You can read...