Fri, 06 Dec, 2013 03:17:24 AM FTimes Report, December 6 Photo - Lehtikuva. The Nation will celebrate the Independence Day on Friday with festivity and joys in befitting manners including showing respect to the war veterans.
The country achieved the liberation in 1917 from Imperial Russia. Today is a public holiday.
Most of the business centres including super markets and chain shops will remain closed while the public transport will maintain the holiday’s schedule.
The small shops not bigger than 400 square metres and stalls in the round the clock refuelling stations, however, will remain open.
Photo - Lehtikuva. Meanwhile, the Finish Meteorological Institute forecast snowfall in southern and central parts of the country during the Independence Day.
Met office said that there is a possibility for up to 5 centimetres snowfall in the southern and central parts of the country while minimum snowfall is likely in the northern parts.
Temperature in the southern and central parts of the country will stay between 1 degree Celsius and minus 5 degrees Celsius while in the northern parts temperature might fall up to minus 15 degrees Celsius, reported Met office.
The traditional reception accorded by the President to the designated citizen has been shifted to Tampere from Helsinki this year.
The authority in early April decided that this year’s Independence Day reception will be in the Tampere Hall instead of the capital due to ongoing renovation works of the presidential palace.
Taking the reception out of the capital is not unprecedented. It was held outside Helsinki twice before, said the president’s office sources.
The programme was first shifted to Tampere in 1972 and then to the Finlandia Hall in 1981, when the presidential palace was under construction.
In 1982, physical ailments compelled the erstwhile president, Urho Kekkonen, to delegate the task of hosting the presidential Independence Day celebrations to the then deputy prime minister.
President Sauli Niinistö and first lady Jenni Haukio will entertain the guests of the Independence Day’s reception without offering the tradition items Black Sausage and Castle Punch.
The guests, however, would be offered various small organic local products of the province.
Photo - Lehtikuva. After the celebration programme, the guests will take seat in Tampere House Park Duck Hall where the food scheduled to be prepared by the Tampere Hall staff will be served.
Earlier, the President invited about 1,700 senior citizens and designated people in the president’s reception party.
The President’s office sources said that the number of the guests would be lower this time compared to the previous years, but the number of retired persons and voluntary women workers would be higher than before.
The number of invitees was 1,800 last year and 1,900 in 2011.
The reception programme this year will allow the guests wearing relaxed dresses as the dress code specified that women would be allowed to wear either short or long skirts, although long skirts were previously mandatory for the ladies.
Men are recommended to wear dark suits and festive pant suit will be also allowed, said the chief communication officer.
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