National symbols of the centenarian.

(The holly blue was voted the national butterfly of Finland. Photo: Juha Varrela).

During Finland’s centenary, new national symbols have been chosen, and old symbols have been celebrated and repolished. Finns have voted on their national food and national butterfly. The lion in Finland’s coat of arms got hundreds of new cubs, and our national horse, the Finnhorse, celebrated its 110^th birthday.

The holly blue was voted the national butterfly of Finland in June. The first runner-up was the European peacock, and the mourning cloak reached the third place. All in all, 36,500 votes were cast during the spring. Finns have previously voted on a national bird, animal, flower, fish, and a tree.

At the beginning of the centenary, Finns voted rye bread as their new national food. In autumn 2016, close to 50,000 Finns gave their vote in a public call to find the national food of Finland. Rye bread was a clear winner by almost 10,000 votes. Close contenders for the top spot included Karelian hot pot, Karelian pasties, and fried fish with mashed potatoes.

Finns voted rye bread as their new national food. Photo: ELO Foundation for the Promotion of Finnish Food Culture.

In addition to the 100-year-old Finland, the 110-year-old Finnhorse has been widely celebrated during the centenary. The Horse of Many Faces project has highlighted the role of horses in Finland’s history and society, especially that of the Finnhorse.

The Finnhorse celebrated its 110th birthday this year. Photo: Suomen Hippos/Heidi Karjalainen.

The lion in Finland’s coat of arms got several new cubs during the centenary. Finlayson’s 100 lions for Finland project aimed at creating at least a hundred new lions on the side of the old one. During spring 2017, Finlayson got so many new lion suggestions, that it decided to publish 300 new lions on its website. The lions were created by people of all ages, and by amateurs as well as design professionals. The aim of the campaign was to reflect the many faces of Finns, and to create joy and unity.

Finlayson looked for new interpretations of the lion in Finland’s coat of arms. Photo: Finlayson.

http://suomifinland100.fi/national-symbols-of-the-centenarian/?lang