Finland honours wartime evacuees with national flag day

Finland is marking a national flag day on Wednesday to commemorate the hundreds of thousands of people displaced during the country’s wartime conflicts, reports national broadcaster Yle, citing the Finnish News Agency STT.

The day, observed for the second time, was chosen to coincide with the founding date of the Karelian League, an organisation representing displaced Finns from the lost territories of Karelia. The Ministry of the Interior has recommended flying the Finnish flag nationwide, with government agencies and public institutions participating in the tribute.

During World War II, Finland permanently evacuated around 430,000 people and temporarily relocated nearly 200,000 from conflict zones, primarily in Karelia and other border regions ceded to the Soviet Union.