For those participating in the placing of wreaths:

3.30 pm: Instructions on flags in front of the Hietaniemi Chapel

3.50 pm: Flags go to Sankariristi

4.00 pm: Placing the wreaths at Sankariristi

• Choral singing
• Speeches
• Choral singing
• Placing the wreaths
• Choral singing

4.25 pm: Students exit Sankariristi led by the main flag

 

Those participating in the procession:

4.30 pm: Organisation of the flags in front of the Hietaniemi Chapel

5.00 pm: Procession starts off towards the Senate Square

5.55 pm: Choirs begin

• Mayor’s speech
• Choral singing
• Students’ speeches
• Maamme

6.15 pm: Event ends

The flag procession is assembled at the cemetery gate:

• Finnish flag + guard, flag procession
• student unions in chronological order (flag+heralds): HYY, SHS, AYY, TaiYo, Cadet and Officer Corps Associations, HELGA, METKA
• student nations in academic order (flag+heralds); NN, ESO, SavO, KO, HO, KSO, KyO, ÅN, VSO, SatO, WiO, ÖFN, EPO, VN, PPO, TF
• Music corporations in chronological order (Akademen, YL, YS, Lyran, PK, PO), student and faculty associations in the order of faculties and guilds in chronological order (+heralds), other appropriate flags.

In front of the Cross of the Heroes, the flags are grouped to the right as instructed by a supervisor.

Heralds line up directly behind their flags in a queue.

The flags greet the wreath laying at an angle of approx. 45 degrees. The greeting begins when the persons who lay down the wreaths take their first step and ends when they lift their heads after the greeting and leave. Other flags follow Finland’s main flag next to the Cross of the Heroes.

After the wreath laying, the (large) flags are lowered down to the leg and raised to the holder/attention only as the procession prepares to leave. The flag of the oldest student union, HYY’s flag, shows an example to others.

The flag procession does not lower Finnish flags, the main flag is neither lowered.

Do not take off your student hat at the cemetery during the event!

EXIT FROM THE CROSS OF THE HEROES

Finland’s main flag is the first to leave, followed by the flag procession, speakers, choir and organisation flags in the order of arrival.

(AYY/TM 2017)

IN THE PROCESSION, STUDENTS IMMEDIATELY FOLLOW THEIR OWN FLAG AND HERALDS!

• The procession is assembled outside the cemetery gate.
• Students join the procession from pre-marked meeting points across the street.

ORDER OF THE PROCESSION

• Finnish main flag and guards
• Flag procession
• Flags of student unions in chronological order
  • Each flag is followed by a student union’s own associations.

HYY

• Presiding officers, board, secretariat + emeritus/emerita
• Choir members without a flag (song nations)
• Student nations in academic order
• Music corporations (choirs and orchestras in chronological order with flags)
• Student and faculty associations in the order of faculties
• Other associations

SHS

• Presiding officers, board, secretariat + emeritus/emerita
• Choir members without a flag (song nations)
• Other associations in chronological order

AYY

• Presiding officers, board, secretariat + emeritus/emerita
• Choir members without a flag (song nations)
• Student nation
• Music corporations (choirs and orchestras with flags)
• Guilds in chronological order
• Other special status associations in chronological order
• Other associations in chronological order

TAIYO

• Presiding officers, board, secretariat + emeritus/emerita
• Choir members without a flag (song nations)
• Other associations in chronological order

CADET AND OFFICER CORPS ASSOCIATION

• Board, officers

HELGA (STUDENT UNION OF HAAGA-HELIA)

• Presiding officers, board, officers

METKA (STUDENT UNION OF METROPOLIA UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES)

• Presiding officers, board, officers

ALL OTHER STUDENTS ARE WELCOME TO JOIN THE PROCESSION AFTER THE LAST ORGANISATION FLAGS.

GREETING OF THE PRESIDENT

When the President of the Republic appears on the balcony of the Presidential Palace to watch the procession, all the flags will greet him. If the President is not on the balcony, the flags will not stop to greet him.

In the passing march, the flags greet the President at the angle of approx. 45 degrees. The flag may be pointed slightly toward the President, but in no case by turning the flag sideways or lowering it in an almost horizontal position. The greeting begins shortly before passing the President and ends when the object of the greeting is passed.

 

SENATE SQUARE

At the Senate Square, the flags move to the stairs through the right side. There is a traffic instructor who provides detailed instructions.

The participants are placed on the stairs in the instructed order. The flags are lowered down at one’s own location.

During the Maamme anthem, all flags greet at a 45-degree angle throughout the anthem.

Flag-bearers and heralds do not take off their hats or sing.

(TKY/TM 2008)

On the Independence Day, dresscode for flag-bearers and heralds is suitable for the Finnish winter, i.e. dark and warm.

Wear a student cap or the cap of technology students, as well as weatherproof outerwear. Dark clothing is recommended for flag-bearers and heralds, but everyone else is free to dress how they like.

When the weather demands, one may use ear flaps under the cap, preferably dark ones rather than bright colours. The colour of scarves should also be moderate instead of bright colours, flag-bearers should wear white or light scarves.

Flag-bearers and heralds must leave their bags, backpacks and other items in storage, as their hands must be free to carry out their duties.

Flag-bearers should have warm gloves, and they should pay attention to the slipperiness of the gloves. Suede usually has a better grip than smooth leather. It is advisable to wear warm gloves, as wind and cold together are harsh on the wrists.

White gloves are not used on the Independence Day for flag-bearing.

(AYY/TM 2017)

The wearing direction of the herald ribbon depends on both the ribbon and the gender of the herald.

Women wear the Finnish flag herald ribbons from the left shoulder down to the right hip, while men wear the ribbon from the right shoulder to the left hip.

The herald ribbons of the University’s student union, student nations and student associations are worn according to the same principle.

The exceptions to this rule are mainly technology students and business students (AYY), whose herald ribbons are worn similarly to other student union ribbons from the right shoulder to the left hip, regardless of the gender of the wearer. However, the Finnish flag herald ribbons are worn as described above.

In principle, the heraldically heaviest colour is worn at the bottom, but there are exceptions to this rule. Every herald should know the right way to wear their own ribbon.

On the Finnish flag ribbon, blue colour is below, and white colour is on top. Heralds wear their association ribbons according to their own tradition and/or gender.

In the procession, heralds march a couple of steps behind the flag-bearer, yet close enough to attend to their task of protecting the flag.

In narrow places when heralds form a queue with the flag-bearer, the woman/the herald on the right goes before the flag and protects it from clinging, etc., the man/the herald on the left follows the flag.

 

THE HERALD COUPLE STANDS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE FLAG IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FOLLOWING RULES:

Mixed couple – man and woman

On the flag-bearer’s own right, facing in the forward direction, the woman stands to the right of the flag and the flag-bearer, the man stands on the left. The Finnish flag herald ribbons (and the flags of associations that comply with the different wearing direction) form an A-shape when viewed from the front.

 

Woman-woman or man-man

Heralds wear their ribbons according to their own tradition and/or gender.

The ribbons of the Finnish flag heralds (and the flags of associations that comply with the different wearing direction), of the same gender are worn in the same way when seen from the front. In narrow places, the herald on the right side of the flag goes first, the herald on the left goes behind the flag.

 

IN NO EVENT SHOULD YOU PUT BACKPACKS OR BAGS ON TOP OF THE HERALD RIBBON. DO NOT COVER RIBBONS WITH LARGE SCARVES.

Bearing a flag without a strap is hard work, especially if it is windy or rainy.

The aim is to carry the flag as upright as possible, while considering the size of the flag and weather conditions. Sometimes you just have to bear the wind and hope that the flag will last, and the flag-bearer will not fall.

In the cemetery, the flag-bearer should watch out for different structures and branches of the trees; it is extremely inappropriate if the flag sticks to branches, therefore you should walk far away from trees.

When carrying the flag, the female herald of a mixed couple is on the flag’s own right, the man is on the left. Male and female couples do not have this problem.

Student nations are placed in the procession in the following order:

• NN
• ESO
• SavO
• KO
• HO
• KSO
• KyO
• ÅN
• VSO
• SatO
• WiO
• ÖFN
• EPO
• VN
• PPO
• TF

The faculties of the University of Helsinki are placed in the procession in the following order:

• Theology
• Law
• Medicine
• Arts
• Science
• Pharmacy
• Biological and Environmental Sciences
• Educational Sciences
• Social Sciences
• Agriculture and Forestry
• Veterinary Medicine

AYY’s special status associations are placed in the procession in chronological order:

• 1891 KK
• 1901 MK
• 1908 AK
• 1911 KY
• 1913 IK
• 1915 KIK
• 1921 SIK
• 1945 PJK
• 1947 FK
• 1947 VK
• 1961 TOKYO
• 1966 Prodeko
• 1986 NuDe
• 1986 TiK
• 1989 Probba
• 1998 AS
• 1999 Athene
• 1999 AMS
• 2000 Aalto M!B
• 2001 Kooma
• 2002 Aalto Economics
• 2003 Inkubio
• 2007 Aalto ISM
• 2009 Aallonhuiput
• 2012 Prosessiteekkarit
• 2016 DADA