Students’ Independence Day Torchlight Procession

• Dress according to the weather! You can wear your student’s cap, for instance. 
• Follow the instructions given to you. Neglecting to follow the instructions may lead to being removed from the procession. 
• Please note that the Students’ Independence Day Torchlight Procession is a solemn collective event. It is not meant for political or polemical purposes. 
  • Please avoid political slogans, signs and other symbols if you are participating in the event. 
• Torches are distributed at the junction of Hietaniemenkatu and Arkadiankatu from around 3.45 pm onwards. Unfortunately, there are not enough torches for all participants. The torches are old and valuable – please take good care of them during the procession. The torches have an open flame, so please be careful and mindful of others during the procession. Please return the torch at the collection point on the Senate Square. The price of an individual lost torch may be invoiced afterwards.

1. First verse in Finnish
2. First verse in Swedish
3. Last verse in one’s native tongue, which means that the verse is sung in Finnish and Swedish at the same time

You can read more about the Maamme anthem here.

Oi maamme, Suomi, synnyinmaa,
soi, sana kultainen!
:,: Ei laaksoa, ei kukkulaa,
ei vettä rantaa rakkaampaa,
kuin kotimaa tää pohjoinen,
maa kallis isien! :,:

Vårt land, vårt land, vårt fosterland,
Ljud högt, o dyra ord!
:,: Ej lyfts en höjd mot himmlens rand,
Ej sänks en dal, ej sköljs en strand,
Mer älskad än vår bygd in nord,
Än våra fäders jord. :,:

Sun kukoistukses kuorestaan
kerrankin puhkeaa,
:,: viel lempemme saa nousemaan
sun toivos, riemus loistossaan,
ja kerran, laulus synnyinmaa
korkeemman kaiun saa. :,:

Din blomning, sluten än i knopp,
Skall mogna ur sitt tvång;
:,: Se, ur vår kärlek skall gå opp
Ditt ljus, din glans, din fröjd, ditt hopp.
Och högre klinga skall en gång
Vår fosterländska sång. :,:

The flag procession is formed at the cemetery gates.

• Finnish flag with its guard, flag bearers
• Student unions with their flags and heralds
  • HYY, SHS, AYY, ArtSu, Kadettitoverikunta, O’Diako, Laureamko, ASK, Helga, METKA
• Student nations in academic order with their flags and heralds
  • NN, ESO, SavO, KO, HO, KSO, KyO, ÅN, VSO, SatO, WiO, ÖFN, EPO, VN, PPO, TF
• Music corporations in age order
  • Akademen, YL, YS, Lyran, PK, PO
• Subject and faculty organisations in faculty order and guilds in age order
• Other appropriate flags

In front of Sankariristi, the flags are guided either right or left according to a traffic controller’s instructions. 

Heralds form a line directly behind their flags. 

The flags greet the laying of the wreath at an angle of around 45 degrees.  The greeting begins as the people laying the wreath take their first step and ends with them lifting their heads after the greeting and leaving.  Other flags follow Finland’s main flag next to Sankariristi. 

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

The flag bearers do not lower the Finnish flags, and the main flag is not lowered either. 

The student’s cap is not taken off during the event at the cemetery. 

Finland’s main flag is the first to leave, followed by the flag bearers, speakers, choir and organisation flags in the same order that they arrived in.

If you observe any shortcomings related to safety or encounter inappropriate behaviour at the event, you can contact your own student union. Firefighting equipment will be on hand at the event. 

First aid in the procession: 

• TBA 

General safety at the cemetery: 

• TBA 

General safety at the Senate Square: 

• TBA 

You can also report any problems after the event using HYY’s general form for reporting problems or misconduct. 

Follow the instructions given to you. Neglecting to follow the instructions may lead to being removed from the procession.

Please avoid political slogans, signs and other symbols if you are participating in the event.

Unfortunately, there are not enough torches for all participants. The torches are old and valuable – please take good care of them during the procession. The torches have an open flame, so please be careful and mindful of others during the procession. Please return the torch at the collection point on the Senate Square. The price of an individual lost torch may be invoiced to a participant or a participating organisation afterwards if the torch being lost can be verified.

If you notice a problem or misconduct during the event, please report it to your own student union.

At HYY’s events, you can participate in discussions and activities without fear of inappropriate treatment or harassment. Safe space is created in the interaction between people, and each one of us is responsible for this.

Check out HYY’s principles of safer space.

• Treat other people in a civil, respectful manner and appreciate their work contributions.
• When giving feedback, focus on giving constructive feedback.
• Try to identify the assumptions you make and to take the diversity of people into account.
• There is no room for violence, harassment, racism or discriminatory behaviour or language in HYY.
• Respect the bodily and mental integrity of other people as well as the boundaries they have set for themselves.
• In discussions, ensure that everyone gets heard and is able to participate.
• Deal with delicate subjects respectfully.
• Recognise your own privileges.
• If you violate the principles of safer space or if someone points out that you have done so, apologise.
• Take action against any discrimination you witness or offer your support to the people who encounter discrimination.

Video- and photographers will be present at the event. You can identify the event’s official photographers by their dark blue vests. 

The photos and videos will be used in the communication and marketing of HYY and the other organising parties. If you do not want to be seen in the photos, please inform the photographer directly and avoid posing for the camera if possible. 

Photos from the event may be published on HYY’s Flickr account or the communication channels of the other organising parties after the event. If you have any questions about the photos published in HYY’s channels, please contact us by email at some[at]hyy.fi. 

The event may also be photographed by other parties than the organisers, such as passers-by, the media or other parties.

The part of the event held at Sankariristi and the procession itself may be challenging for participants with reduced mobility, especially depending on weather conditions. The part of the event held at the Senate Square does not require participants to move around.

Further information on the accessibility of the event is provided by request. If needed, you can contact Pia Blomstén (pia.blomsten@hyy.fi, 050 534 2963).

Organisations participating in the event are asked to sign up for it using a Lyyti form to facilitate the event arrangements. Individual participants do not need to sign up for the event. The event is free.

Assistants and interpreters can join the event for free. The event organiser does not provide interpretation for the event. Please inform the event organiser about a possible assistant or interpreter before the event to help us ensure as smooth participation in the event as possible.

You can bring an assistance or guide dog to the event.

At HYY’s events, you can participate in discussions and activities without fear of inappropriate treatment or harassment. Safe space is created in the interaction between people, and each one of us is responsible for this. 

The official instructions and speeches at the event are issued in Finnish, Swedish and English.

The event organiser does not provide interpretation for the event. Assistants and interpreters can join the event for free. Please inform the event organiser about a possible assistant or interpreter before the event to help us ensure as smooth participation in the event as possible.

We recommend arriving at the event by foot, bike or public transport if possible. You can read about the accessibility of public transport on HSL’s website.  

The Hietaniemi cemetery has decent public transport connections. You can get in front of the new Hietaniemi chapel by bus or to Arkadiankatu and Mechelininkatu by tram or bus. The drop-off area is located near the new Hietaniemi chapel (at Hietaniemenkatu 20, 00100 Helsinki). Please inform the event organiser in advance if you need further information on drop-off traffic. 

Arriving at Sankariristi: For the event organised at Sankariristi, the flag guards meet in front of the new Hietaniemi chapel on the side facing the cemetery (at Hietaniemenkatu 20, 00100 Helsinki). 

Arriving for the torchlight procession: Students organise themselves for the procession behind the organisation flags on Hietaniemenkatu. The organisation for the procession takes place in order of academic age by student union. To make the organisation easier, there will be name signs placed in academic order on Hietaniemenkatu and Arkadiankatu. The first spots for organisations are located in front of the new chapel on the side of Hietaniemenkatu (at Hietaniemenkatu 20, 00100 Helsinki). 

Arriving at the Senate Square: Street areas near the Senate Square will be closed off before the public celebration. You can get to the University of Helsinki station by metro or to the Senate Square by tram. The drop-off area is located on Hallituskatu to the north of the Senate Square, in front of the Helsinki Cathedral (at Hallituskatu 7, 00170 Helsinki). Please inform the event organiser in advance if you need to use drop-off traffic, as Hallituskatu will be closed for traffic for the duration of the event.

The event is organised outdoors in various locations in downtown Helsinki. Winter weather may make walking in the procession difficult due to snow, ice, slush or other circumstances. The condition of the road sections on the route of the procession may vary.

Hietaniemi cemetery 

The cemetery area features varying terrain including gravel paths and steep ramps. Depending on the weather conditions, routes may be snowy, icy or slushy. 

Public toilet facilities and an accessible toilet are located in the gate buildings near the new chapel, on the side of Hietaniemenkatu. 

Procession 

The route of the procession is as follows: Hietaniemenkatu – Arkadiankatu – Pohjoisesplanadi – Presidential Palace – Mariankatu – Aleksanterinkatu – Senate Square. You can view the route on Google Maps earlier on this page. The length of the route is around 3.4 km. 

The route includes sloping streets, cobblestones and kerbs of varying height. Depending on weather conditions, the route may be snowy, icy or slushy. The pace of the procession may be brisk at times. 

Senate Square 

Helsinki Christmas Market takes place at the Senate Square during the event. The area may consequently be crowded and moving restricted. The area has cobblestones and may also have high thresholds. 

Flag bearers and heralds take position at the top of the stairs of the cathedral. Speeches and performances take place on the stairs of the cathedral. The steps are steep in places, and depending on the weather conditions, they may be snowy, icy or slushy. 

Public toilet facilities and an accessible toilet are located in connection with the Helsinki Christmas Market.

The programme at the event includes speeches and songs that may be loud or quiet at times, depending on the audio equipment and the weather. At the Senate Square in particular, the sound may have a strong echo. It is unfortunately not possible to bring portable induction loops to the event due to the unpredictable nature of the weather conditions. 

Depending on the number of participants, the event may have a lot of people and it may be crowded and noisy. Songs may be sung during the procession. The event areas may have bright lights, loud noises or strong smells. The parts of the event held at Sankariristi and the Senate Square in particular may be crowded.

The torches carried during the procession have an open flame. The liquid fuel used in the torches may have a strong smell.

There is no separately reserved silent room to retreat to at the event.

No worries! We have compiled a list of the most frequently asked questions and answers to them below.

If you did not find an answer to your question, please contact your own student union.

In urgent matters, you can contact the people in charge of organising the event in HYY. Their contact details are listed below.