"" (; sv, Vårt land, ; both meaning "Our Land") is the
de facto
''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
national anthem
A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European n ...
of
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
. The music was composed by the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
immigrant
Fredrik Pacius
Fredrik Pacius (; born Friedrich Pacius; 19 March 1809 – 8 January 1891) was a German-Finnish composer and conductor who lived most of his life in Finland. He has been called the "Father of Finnish music".
Pacius was born in Hamburg. He was ap ...
, with original
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
words by
Johan Ludvig Runeberg, and with this music it was performed for the first time on 13 May 1848. Originally, it was written for the 500th anniversary of
Porvoo
Porvoo (; sv, Borgå ; la, Borgoa) is a city and a municipality in the Uusimaa region of Finland, situated on the southern coast about east of the city border of Helsinki and about from the city centre. Porvoo was one of the six medieval to ...
, and for that occasion it was Runeberg himself who wrote the music.
The melody of "Maamme" is also used for the national anthem of
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
with a similarly themed text, "
Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm
"" (; "My Fatherland, My Happiness and Joy") is the national anthem of Estonia. It was adopted as the national anthem () in 1920.
The lyrics were written by Johann Voldemar Jannsen and are set to a melody composed in 1848 by Fredrik Pacius, Fre ...
" ("My Fatherland, My Happiness and Joy", 1869).
It is also considered to be the ethnic anthem for the
Livonians
The Livonians, or Livs ( Livonian: ''līvlizt''; Estonian: ''liivlased''; Latvian: ''līvi'', ''lībieši''), are a Balto-Finnic people indigenous to northern and northwestern Latvia. Livonians historically spoke Livonian, a Uralic language c ...
as "
Min izāmō
"Min izāmō" ("My Fatherland"; lv, Mana tēvzeme) is the ethnic anthem of the Livonians. The song was written by Kōrli Stalte (1870–1947), a poet and spiritual leader of Livonians, to a melody composed by Fredrik Pacius (the same melody used ...
" ("My Fatherland").
History
![VartLandStatue](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/VartLandStatue.JPG)
The original poem, written in 1846 but not printed until 1848, had 11
stanza
In poetry, a stanza (; from Italian language, Italian ''stanza'' , "room") is a group of lines within a poem, usually set off from others by a blank line or Indentation (typesetting), indentation. Stanzas can have regular rhyme scheme, rhyme and ...
s and formed the prologue to the verse cycle ''
The Tales of Ensign Stål
''The Tales of Ensign Stål'' (Swedish language, Swedish original title: , fi, Vänrikki Stoolin tarinat, or year 2007 translation ) is an epic poem written in Swedish by the Finland-Swedish author Johan Ludvig Runeberg, the national poet of Fin ...
'' ("Fänrik Ståhls sägner"), a classic example of
Romantic nationalism
Romantic nationalism (also national romanticism, organic nationalism, identity nationalism) is the form of nationalism in which the state claims its political legitimacy as an organic consequence of the unity of those it governs. This includes ...
. The current
Finnish language
Finnish ( endonym: or ) is a Uralic language of the Finnic branch, spoken by the majority of the population in Finland and by ethnic Finns outside of Finland. Finnish is one of the two official languages of Finland (the other being Swedish ...
text is usually attributed to the 1889 translation of ''Ensign Stål'' by
Paavo Cajander
Paavo Emil Cajander (24 December 1846 – 14 June 1913) was a Finnish poet and translator.
Cajander was born in Hämeenlinna on December 24, 1846, to Frans Henrik Cajander and Maria Sofia Ylén. He was renowned for his translation into Finnish ...
, but in fact originates from the 1867 translation by
Julius Krohn
Julius Leopold Fredrik Krohn (19 April 1835 – 28 August 1888) was a Finnish folk poetry researcher, professor of Finnish literature, poet, hymn writer, translator and journalist. He was born in Viipuri and was of Baltic German origin. Krohn wo ...
.
In the 1880s and in the 1920s there were more attempts to replace it with a Finnish language version but these ceased by the 1930s.
Some Finns have proposed that the Finnish national anthem be set as "
Finlandia
''Finlandia'', Op. 26, is a tone poem by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. It was written in 1899 and revised in 1900. The piece was composed for the Press Celebrations of 1899, a covert protest against increasing censorship from the Russian ...
" by
Jean Sibelius
Jean Sibelius ( ; ; born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius; 8 December 186520 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic and 20th-century classical music, early-modern periods. He is widely regarded as his country's greatest com ...
, with lyrics by
V.A. Koskenniemi
Veikko Antero Koskenniemi (8 July 1885 – 4 August 1962) was a Finnish poet born in Oulu.
From 1921 to 1948, Koskenniemi served as Professor of Literary History at the University of Turku. He was the university's rector from 1924 to 1932. ...
(Finnish) and
Joel Rundt (Swedish).
It is said that Pacius composed the tune in four days. It was popular throughout the 19th century, but established to its current position only after Pacius' death.
Status and Usage
There is no law regarding an official national anthem in Finland, in the way the
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...
and
flag of Finland
The flag of Finland ( fi, Suomen lippu, sv, Finlands flagga), also called ' ("Blue Cross Flag"), dates from the beginning of the 20th century. On a white background, it features a blue Nordic cross, which represents Christianity.
The state ...
are legally defined. Instead its position has been established gradually by convention over the years.
In 2018, Maamme was described by the
Government of Finalnd as the 'Finnish national anthem'.
Even though Maamme has become established as the ''de facto'' anthem, its status has still been debated from time to time. On the one hand, it has been suggested that the national song should be replaced, and on the other hand, there have been calls for Maamme's status to be legalised. For example, opposing legislative initiatives were made in 2003 to the
Finnish Parliament
The Parliament of Finland ( ; ) is the unicameral and supreme legislature of Finland, founded on 9 May 1906. In accordance with the Constitution of Finland, sovereignty belongs to the people, and that power is vested in the Parliament. The ...
to make Maamme and the
Finlandia Hymn he official national anthem. In 2014, there was a citizens' initiative about choosing the
Finlandia Hymn as the national anthem, and in 2016 members the
National Coalition Party
sv, Samlingspartiet
, leader1_title = Chairman
, leader1_name = Petteri Orpo
, leader2_title = Deputy chairs
, leader2_name = Antti Häkkänen Elina ValtonenAnna-Kaisa Ikonen
, merger = Finnish Party, Young Finnis ...
began campaigning to stop using Maamme in favour of the Finlandia Hymn, however, opinions were not unanimous in the party, and the campaign fell short of its goal.
Despite lack of official status, in usage, Maamme fills the function of a national anthem the same as in many other countries. For example, it is played during state visits, and is used to represent Finland at
international sporting fixtures.
Lyrics
The original lyrics consist of eleven verses, but it is customary to only sing the first verse and the last verse, unless the people gathered are mixed Finnish- and Swedish-speaking. In the latter case, three verses are sung: the first in Finnish, the first in Swedish and the last in Finnish.
International Phonetic Alphabet transcriptions
See also
*
Holidays in Finland
*
Finnish national symbols
Finnish national symbols are natural symbols or Finnish national works and prominent figures that are commonly associated with Finland. The most recognized national symbols include the flag of Finland and the lion featured on the Finnish coat of ...
* "
Ålänningens sång
"" ( fi, "Ahvenanmaalaisten laulu", italics=no; en, "Song of the Ålander") is the official anthem of the Åland Islands, an autonomous Swedish-speaking province of Finland. Adopted in 1922, the anthem's words are by John Grandell, and the m ...
" – the regional anthem of
Åland
Åland ( fi, Ahvenanmaa: ; ; ) is an Federacy, autonomous and Demilitarized zone, demilitarised region of Finland since 1920 by a decision of the League of Nations. It is the smallest region of Finland by area and population, with a size of 1 ...
* "
Modersmålets sång" - unofficial anthem of the
Swedish-speaking Finns
The Swedish-speaking population of Finland (whose members are called by many names; fi, suomenruotsalainen) can be used as an attribute., group=Note—see below; sv, finlandssvenskar; fi, suomenruotsalaiset) is a linguistic minority in Fin ...
Notes
References
External links
History of the Finnish national anthem
{{authority control
1848 songs
European anthems
National symbols of Finland
Finnish-language songs
Finnish songs
National anthems
National anthem compositions in B-flat major
Swedish-language songs