Maamme

"" (; sv, Vårt land, ; both meaning "Our Land") is the de facto national anthem of Finland. The music was composed by the German immigrant Fredrik Pacius, with original Swedish 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, 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 with a similarly themed text, "Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm" ("My Fatherland, My Happiness and Joy", 1869). It is also considered to be the ethnic anthem for the Livonians as "Min izāmō" ("My Fatherland").

History

The original poem, written in 1846 but not printed until 1848, had 11 stanzas and formed the prologue to the verse cycle ''The Tales of Ensign Stål'' ("Fänrik Ståhls sägner"), a classic example of Romantic nationalism. The current Finnish language text is usually attributed to the 1889 translation of ''Ensign Stål'' by Paavo Cajander, but in fact originates from the 1867 translation by Julius Krohn.

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" by Jean Sibelius, with lyrics by V.A. Koskenniemi (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 and flag of Finland 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 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 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
* "Ålänningens sång" – the regional anthem of Åland
* " Modersmålets sång" - unofficial anthem of the Swedish-speaking Finns

Notes

References

External links

History of the Finnish national anthem

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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