Finland Times

 

War Veterans Day celebration Hämeenlinna on Monday. Photo Lehtikuva.

The War Veterans Day was celebrated in the country on Monday commemorating the sacrifice of the war veterans.

 

The president office issued an Order of the Day in honour of war veterans and the Finnish women's voluntary auxiliary paramilitary organization, Lotta. 

 

This is the first such official order given in 20 years.

 

President Sauli Niinistö recalled the sacrifices made during the years of war and thanked the veterans and the Lotta. 

 

It was also stated that safeguarding independence and preserving the heritage of the veteran generation is a prestigious assignment for younger generations both now and in the future. 

 

The most recent Order of the Day was given in 1995, in commemoration of 50 years since the end of the war.

 

On Monday, Finland celebrated Veteran's Day, and the national celebration took place in Hämeenlinna. Monday marked 70 years since the end of the war in Lapland. 

 

Photo Lehtikuva.

There are currently 26,000 living veterans.

 

National veterans' day is a remembrance day for all the war veterans in Finland. The day is being celebrated every year since 1986 as the cabinet declared 27th April as the national veterans' day.

 

On 27th April, 1945, the very last German troops had left Finland and crossed the German occupied Norwegian border in the municipality of Enontekiö and the Finnish defence forces achieved the three-country border of German occupied Norway, neutral Sweden and Finland.

 

The Finns, on their behalf, at the request of the Allied Moscow Armistice controlling committee, attacked the Germans in Tornio, which was the end of the phoney war and the beginning of the real war of Lapland. The first national veterans' day was celebrated the first time in Lahti, 27th April, 1987. There is one main event, several smaller events in various regions and many local events.