Vrijheidskruis der Derde Klasse met Zwaarden

The orders, decorations and medals of Finland form a system through which the Finnish government shows its respect to persons who have distinguished themselves on some walk of life. The legal basis of the system is the ''Act on the displays of public recognition (1215/1999)'' which grants the president the authority to issue decrees on

orders Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

, medals and

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

s. The system is divided into three groups: #orders #decorations and medals #titles

Orders, decorations, and medals

Orders

There are three official Finnish orders: *The

Order of the Cross of Liberty The Order of the Cross of Liberty ( fi, Vapaudenristin ritarikunta; sv, Frihetskorsets orden) is one of three official state orders in Finland, along with the Order of the White Rose of Finland and the Order of the Lion of Finland. Organisation ...

, founded in 1918 *The

Order of the White Rose of Finland The Order of the White Rose of Finland ( fi, Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Vita Ros’ orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. ...

, founded in 1919 *The

Order of the Lion of Finland The Order of the Lion of Finland ( fi, Suomen Leijonan ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Lejons orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty and the Order of the White Rose of Finland. The President ...

, founded in 1941 The

President of Finland The president of the Republic of Finland ( fi, Suomen tasavallan presidentti; sv, Republiken Finlands president) is the head of state of Finland. Under the Constitution of Finland, executive power is vested in the Finnish Government and the p ...

is the grand master of all orders. Of the orders, the Order of the Cross of Liberty is the most distinguished and awarded the most seldom. Its decorations are awarded only for military or national defence merits, although the order is not purely military: civilians may receive decorations of the order for national defence merits. The other two orders are awarded both for civilian and military merits. The bulk of the decorations are awarded twice a year, on 4 June on the Flag Day of the

Finnish Defence Forces The Finnish Defence Forces ( fi, Puolustusvoimat, sv, Försvarsmakten) are the military of Finland. The Finnish Defence Forces consist of the Finnish Army, the Finnish Navy and the Finnish Air Force. In wartime the Finnish Border Guard (which i ...

, and on the Independence day, 6 December. In total, there are about 6.000 awards a year. The orders of the White Rose and the Lion of Finland have a common board and

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

, while the Order of the Cross of Liberty has a separate board and chancellor. All orders are awarded by the president of Finland. The Order of the Cross of Liberty is always awarded "with swords" to military persons, with an additional ribbon in rosette form (see image in the beginning of the article) for combat or war-time merits. The decorations of the Order of the White Rose of Finland are awarded "with swords" only for combat merits and the decorations of the Order of the Lion of Finland only for war-time military merits. As such merits are usually recognised by decorations of the Order of the Cross of Liberty, the awards of the Order of the White Rose of Finland "with swords" have been vanishingly rare. The decorations of the Order of the Lion of Finland were awarded "with swords" mainly for merits incurred in home front service. No awards of either order have been issued "with swords" for merits incurred after the Second World War. In addition to the three official orders, there is one semi-official: the of the

Orthodox Church of Finland The Orthodox Church of Finland ( fi, Suomen ortodoksinen kirkko, lit=Finnish Orthodox Church; sv, Ortodoxa kyrkan i Finland, lit=Orthodox Church in Finland; ) is an autonomous Eastern Orthodox archdiocese of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Const ...

Decorations and medals

The individual areas of government have usually a separate awards system designed to show respect for those persons who do not qualify for an order. Such medals are founded by a presidential decree. Most typically, they include one or two classes: a cross and a medal. Thus far, the following medals have been founded *The medal of merit of motor transport *The medals of merit of

customs Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs ...

service *The crosses and medals of merit of Finnish sports and culture of physical exercise *The Olympic cross (1st and 2nd class) and medal of merit *The cross and medals of merit of Finnish

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

*Life saving medal *The memorial medal of the "War of Liberation", i.e. to the participants of the Troops of the Republic of Finland (

Whites White is a racialized classification of people and a skin color specifier, generally used for people of European origin, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, and point of view. Description of populations as ...

) in the

Finnish Civil War The Finnish Civil War; . Other designations: Brethren War, Citizen War, Class War, Freedom War, Red Rebellion and Revolution, . According to 1,005 interviews done by the newspaper ''Aamulehti'', the most popular names were as follows: Civil W ...

(1918) *The memorial medal of the

Winter War The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...

(1939-1940) *The memorial medal of the

Continuation War The Continuation War, also known as the Second Soviet-Finnish War, was a conflict fought by Finland and Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1944, as part of World War II.; sv, fortsättningskriget; german: Fortsetzungskrieg. A ...

(1941-1944) and

Lapland War During World War II, the Lapland War ( fi , Lapin sota; sv, Lapplandskriget; german: Lapplandkrieg) saw fighting between Finland and Nazi Germany – effectively from September to November 1944 – in Finland's northernmost region, Lapland. ...

(1944-1945) *Mine clearance medal *Medal for humane benevolence (''Pro Benignitate Humana'') *The cross of merit of the invalids of war *The cross and medal of merit of

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

*The cross and medal of merit of

Finnish Border Guard The Finnish Border Guard (; ) is the agency responsible for enforcing the security of Finland's borders. It is a military organisation, subordinate to the Ministry of the Interior in administrative issues and to the President of Finland in issue ...

*The badge of merit of fire prevention *The 1st and 2nd classes of the medal of merit of

civil defence Civil defense ( en, region=gb, civil defence) or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state (generally non-combatants) from man-made and natural disasters. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, mit ...

*The cross of merit of prison service *The cross of merit of customs service, with or without a clasp *The military merit medal *The golden medal of merit of ''Suomen Reserviupseeriliitto'' (Finnish reserve officers' association) *Guild metal of merit *The cross of merit of ''Reserviläisliitto – Reservin Aliupseerien Liitto'' (Reservists' association – Reserve NCOs' association) *The medal of merit of ''Insinööriupseeriliitto'' (Engineer Officers' association) *The medal of merit of ''Kadettikunta'' (Cadet Corps) *The medal of merit of traffic safety branch *The special medal of merit of work for working environment In addition, there is a state decoration for 30 years of service of state. The corresponding decorations of the Central Chamber of Commerce and City of

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

the League of Finnish Municipalities are also approved for use with the official decorations. Other decorations of private bodies may only be used privately. The awarding body of the medals and crosses of merits varies. Although the decorations are founded by the president, the awarding body is usually the chief of the authority in question, i.e. a minister or a high-level civil servant.

Order of precedence

The official

order of precedence An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of nominal importance and can be applied to individuals, groups, or organizations. Most often it is used in the context of people by many organizations and governments, for very formal and state o ...

is: # Grand Cross, with Collar, of the

# Grand Cross of the

# Grand Cross of the Order of the White Rose of Finland # Grand Cross of the

Mannerheim Cross The Mannerheim Cross ( fi, Mannerheim-risti, sv, Mannerheimkorset), officially Mannerheim Cross of the Cross of Liberty ( fi, Vapaudenristin Mannerheim-risti, link=no, sv, Frihetskorsets Mannerheimkors, link=no) is the most distinguished Finnis ...

, 1st Class, of the Order of the Cross of Liberty # Cross of Liberty, 1st Class with star # Commander, First Class, of the Order of the White Rose of Finland # Commander, First Class, of the Order of the Lion of Finland # Mannerheim Cross, 2nd Class, of the Order of the Cross of Liberty # Cross of Liberty, 1st Class # Commander of the Order of the White Rose of Finland # Commander of the Order of the Lion of Finland # # Finnish Olympic Cross of Merit, First Class # Medal of Liberty, 1st Class with rosette, of the Order of the Cross of Liberty # Medal of Merit in gold of the Order of the Cross of Liberty # Cross of Mourning of the Order of the Cross of Liberty # Medal of Mourning of the Order of the Cross of Liberty # Cross of Liberty, 2nd Class, of the Order of the Cross of Liberty # Cross of Liberty, 3rd Class, of the Order of the Cross of Liberty # Cross of Liberty, 4th Class, of the Order of the Cross of Liberty, for war-time merits # Knight, First Class, of the Order of the White Rose of Finland #

Pro Finlandia Medal The Order of the Lion of Finland ( fi, Suomen Leijonan ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Lejons orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty and the Order of the White Rose of Finland. The President ...

of the Order of the Lion of Finland # Badge of Merit of the Order of the White Rose of Finland # Knight, First Class, of the Order of the Lion of Finland # Cross of Liberty, 4th Class, of the Order of the Cross of Liberty (for peace-time merits) # Knight of the Order of the White Rose of Finland # Knight of the Order of the Lion of Finland # Cross of Merit of the Order of the White Rose of Finland # Cross of Merit of the Order of the Lion of Finland # Cross of Merit of the Red Cross of Finland # # Finnish Olympic Cross of Merit, Second Class # Medal of Liberty, 1st Class, of the Order of the Cross of Liberty # Medal of Merit, 1st Class, of the Cross of Liberty # Medal of Liberty, 2nd Class, of the Order of the Cross of Liberty # Medal of Merit, 2nd Class, of the Cross of Liberty # Memorial Medal with Rose of the War of Independence # Medal, First Class with golden cross and clasp, of the Order of the White Rose of Finland # Medal, First Class with clasp, of the Order of the White Rose of Finland # Medal with clasp, of the Order of the White Rose of Finland # # # # # First Class Medal of the Order of the White Rose of Finland with golden cross # First Class Medal of the Order of the White Rose of Finland # Medal of the Order of the White Rose of Finland # # Medal of Merit, in gold, of the Red Cross of Finland # Medal of Merit, in silver, of the Red Cross of Finland # ''Pro Benignitate Humana'' -medal # Medal of Merit, in bronze, of the Red Cross of Finland # Finnish Olympic Medal of Merit # Cross of Merit of the War Invalides # Cross of Merit of the Police # Cross of Merit of the Frontier Guards # Cross of Merit of the Fire Defence (Fire Cross) # Cross of Merit, in gold, of the Finnish Sports # Cross of Merit, in silver, of the Finnish Sports # Medal of Merit, First Class with clasp, of the Civil Defence # Medal of Merit, Second Class with clasp, of the Civil Defence # Medal of Merit in silver with golden cross, of the Finnish Sports # Medal of Merit First Class, of the Civil Defence # Medal of Merit in silver, of the Finnish Sports # Medal of Merit of the Frontier Guards # Medal of Merit Second Class, of the Civil Defence # Medal of Merit in bronze, of the Finnish Sports # Cross of Merit, of the Prison Administration # Medal of merit with clasp of customs service # Gold Medal of Merit with clasp of the Reserve Officers Association # Medal of Merit of the Association of the National Defence Guilds # Medal of merit of customs service # Cross of merit with clasp of Reservists' association # Medal of Merit with clasp of the Association of the Warrant Officers' # Gold Medal of Merit of the Reserve Officers Association # Cross of merit of Reservists' association # Medal of Merit of the Association of the Warrant Officers # Medal of Merit of the Engineering Officers' Association # Medal of Merit of the Cadet Corps # The medal of merit of traffic safety branch # The special medal of merit of work for working environment # Medal of Merit, in gold, of the Police # Medal of merit of motor transport #

Memorial Crosses A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or works of a ...

and Memorial Medals of the War of Independence, Winter War, and Continuation War and other Crosses of Merit and Medals of Merit of patriotic activity in chronological order

Titles

Although a republic, Finland has a tradition of awarding titles for distinguished citizens. The available titles are listed in the presidential decree on titles (381/2000). The titles are classified in 16 categories of precedence. The two highest titles are ''

valtioneuvos Valtioneuvos (Finnish for “counsellor of state”, sv, statsråd) is a Finnish title of honor awarded by the President of Finland to elder statesmen. It is one of two titles (the other being vuorineuvos) in the highest class of State of Finland ...

''/''statsråd'' (literal translation en, “state counsellor”) and ''

vuorineuvos Vuorineuvos ("mining counselor", literally Finnish for "mountain counselor"; sv, bergsråd) is a Finnish honorary title granted by the President of Finland to leading figures in industry and commerce. The title is honorary and has no responsibili ...

''/''bergsråd'' (literal translation en, “mountain counsellor”). The former is usually awarded to most distinguished, retired politicians, while the latter is meant for the CEOs of the largest Finnish companies. Less distinguished titles span different walks of life. Curiosities include ''liikenneneuvos'' ( en, traffic counsellor), ''kotiseutuneuvos'' ( en, home district counsellor) and ''nuorisoasiainneuvos'' ( en, youth affairs counsellor). In total, there are about 100 different titles. A Finnish title is purely honorary, causing no responsibilities and giving no privileges. All Finnish titles are non-hereditary. Typically, the titles are awarded by the president. There are some exceptions, however. The chief judge of a district court may award the title of ''herastuomari'' ( en, judge of the county) to a lay judge with a long service. The

Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland ( fi, Suomen evankelis-luterilainen kirkko; sv, Evangelisk-lutherska kyrkan i Finland) is a national church of Finland. It is part of the Lutheran branch of Christianity. The church has a legal positio ...

and the

Finnish Orthodox Church The Orthodox Church of Finland ( fi, Suomen ortodoksinen kirkko, lit=Finnish Orthodox Church; sv, Ortodoxa kyrkan i Finland, lit=Orthodox Church in Finland; ) is an autonomous Eastern Orthodox archdiocese of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Consta ...

, on the other hand, have the right to award the titles of ''director cantus'' and ''director musices''. Yearly, the president awards over 200 titles on the advice of the titles' board. The awards take place twice a year: in March and in September. In addition to honorary titles awarded by the President, certain honorary titles are awarded ''ex officio'' to state civil servants in leading positions. For example, the managers or section chiefs of several state research institutes automatically hold the title of ''professori'' ("professor"), if they are qualified for tenured faculty position in a university.Autio, V.-M. Professorin viran ja arvon kehitys Suomessa
Published in ''Suomen professorit 1640–2007''. Retrieved in 2009-10-01. A stamp tax is paid for a title. The tax varies with the rank of the title and can be quite substantial for the higher titles. Customarily the organization that proposes the title pays the tax.

References

External links

The Orders of the White Rose of Finland and the Lion of Finland
{{Decorations by country