Holidays in Finland

Finland is a great destination for holidays. Various holiday packages are available, and many of these focus on ski, nature, and Lapland holiday packages. The fresh air, untouched nature, pristine lakes, along with excellent fishing, hunting, birdwatching and berry picking opportunities truly make Finland the dream holiday destination for the nature lover.

When traveling it is always good to be aware of national holidays, when most offices and shops are closed. Sundays every week are considered holidays in Finland. Parliament officially decides which days are the holidays in Finland, but though these are considered Christian holidays, the country has accepted Sundays as holidays. These weekly holidays are not considered to be big holidays in Finland, but are considered to be days off from work and school. The biggest holidays in Finland are considered to be Christmas Eve (December 24th) and Midsummer Eve, which is the Friday between June 19 and June 25.

There are several official holidays related to the Christian calendar, such as Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday, Ascension Day, held 39 days after Easter, and Pentecost, which is held 49 days after Easter. Another of the major holidays in Finland is Independence Day, which is held on December 6th of every year.

There are special holidays in Finland designated as flag days. These holidays in Finland have been determined by the parliament, and mandate that the Finnish flag be flown at all public buildings. Some examples of flag holidays in Finland include February 28th, which is known as Kalevala, or the Day of Finnish culture, another being the day that the Finnish president is inaugurated, as well as October 10th which is the birthday of national writer Aleksis Kivi. These dates represent just a few of the flag holidays in Finland. All flag holidays in Finland are listed on the calendar published by the University of Helsinki on a yearly basis.