Color change on flag of Finland?

by **Ravvy** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 10:33 pm

At some time in the past was there a change to the shade of blue used for the cross of the flag of Finland?

When growing up, my mom always identified "Finlander Blue" as a shade that is lighter blue, similar to a sky blue, or like what we north americans might call a robin's egg blue sort of shade. Also there are older Finnish items for sale on e-bay which show the Finnish flag with this lighter blue cross. The current flag has a cross of a darker blue, which some might call French blue, i.e. between royal blue and navy blue.

So what is the story with the lighter blue flags? Was there an official change, and if so, when?

**Sponsor:**

by **Hank W.** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 10:41 pm

No, the blue has always been the blue.
Old stuff gets sunlight and faded faster.
And the "light blue" is just wrong.
http://www.fotw.net/flags/fi.html
Flag adopted 29 May 1918
Colors slightly modified - 12 February 1920
Colors standardized - 26 May 1978

There is an official dispensation of the color of blue... http://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suomen_lippu
you figure *that* out...

by **Tappaja** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 10:55 pm

Yup, you're almost right... Here's a photo from the late 40's and one can clearly see that the cross is black, not blue.

by **karen** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 10:57 pm

by **Mark I.** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 11:18 pm

Have you seen extremly old films about international athletics? The Swedes had a flag of blue cross on white! :shock:

Ravvy, tell your ****** countrymen that real Finnish flag's cross is dark blue, and get those sun burned rags out of, say World Cup hockey! :evil:

by **Hank W.** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 11:27 pm

Finland actually has a flag law that is quite strict in some parts, not that people much pay attention to it these days. But basically writing stuff on the flag like you see in hockey games is in principle a criminal offence.

by **efx** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 9:53 am

what does finnish flag represent(any meaning, symbolic thing, etc)?

by **sammy** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 10:01 am

efx wrote:what does finnish flag represent(any meaning, symbolic thing, etc)?

Kotimaa kun taakse jäi, mietin hiljaa mielessäin,
Mitä siitä kertoisin, kysyjille vastaisin.
Kertoisinko köyhyyden, laudat eessä ovien?
Tai sen kaiken rikkauden? Kunnes tiesin vastauksen.

Sininen on taivas, siniset on silmänsä sen.
Siniset on järvet, sinisyyttä heijastaen.
Valkoinen on hanki, valkoiset on yöt kesien.
Valkoiset on pilvet, lampaat nuo taivaan sinisen.

Juuret kasvoi maahan sen, kylmän sekä routaisen.
Lämmön tunsin kuitenkin lujuudessa graniitin.
Hiljaa kuusten kuiske soi, terveisensä tuuli toi.
Sininen ja valkoinen värit ovat vapauden.

(from a very well-known song "sininen ja valkoinen" -blue and white- by Jukka Kuoppamäki) :lol:

Traditionally, the blue and white of the Finnish flag have been seen as colours of freedom... however I'm not quite sure if there's any deeper sort of color symbolism there (?) - the cross-shape then again would most likely denote "Christianity" :wink:

'ave a look at this page: http://www.intermin.fi/intermin/home.nsf/english/flag

by **sammy** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 10:06 am

... mind you, how about this:

A crowned lion rampant on a red field holding a raised sword in an armoured hand replacing the animal's right front leg, and trampling a sabre with its hind legs; the lion, the crown, the hilts and the joints of the armour being in gold, and the blades of the weapons, and the armour itself being of silver; nine silver rosettes being scattered in the field.

... how peaceful an impression of our country - with all the trampling, scattering and weaponry on red fields, not mentioning the rampant lions :lol:

by **Hank W.** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 10:09 am

Some rampant lion has been to my flat and made a total mess and on top of it pooped into my mouth, and theres someone rattling sabres inside my head and my eyes are red... I think it fits.

by **efx** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 10:15 am

sammy wrote:... how peaceful an impression of our country - with all the trampling, scattering and weaponry on red fields, not mentioning the rampant lions

well, it's still true for some countries, fighting for -so called- peace :wink:

by **sammy** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 10:31 am

Hank W. wrote:Some rampant lion has been to my flat and made a total mess and on top of it pooped into my mouth, and theres someone rattling sabres inside my head and my eyes are red... I think it fits.

Shouldn't this be more fitting perhaps...? :wink:

by **Timbeh** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 11:23 am

efx wrote:what does finnish flag represent(any meaning, symbolic thing, etc)?

Once again the explanation is readily available from the Great Wikipedia. :lol:

- The Finnish flag:
"Blue represents lakes and the sky, and white represents snow and the white nights of the Finnish summer."

- The Nordic cross flag:
"The cross design symbolizes Christianity and is depicted extending to the edges of the flag with the vertical part of the cross shifted to the hoist side."

by **Xochiquetzal** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 11:32 am

I think the shields of various cities are more amusing than the Finnish Lion, personally.

My favorites:

Koylio's flag (I nearly died laughing when I visited there and saw this)

and the best one of all: THE KILLER SQUIRREL OF KAUNIAINEN!!!

Take a look at those red claws - he's clearly Swedish and just tore the heart out of some poor Finnish speaking person and is holding the heart in his hands before he eats it! The little flowers above him represent the number of Finns he's killed that day!

by **sammy** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 1:09 pm

Xochiquetzal wrote:I think the shields of various cities are more amusing than the Finnish Lion, personally.

Here, in the new coat-of-arms of Helsinki, you can see the honourable emblem of the Hairdresser's Guild on top of the Three Drunkards (representing the trinity of Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa) floating on a sea of... erm... yellow stuff.