President of Finland - Flag and Ensign

Last modified: 2001-12-13 by elias granqvist
Keywords: finland | swastika | president | cross of freedom |
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by Ossi Raivio, 24 October 1998

• Description of the flag
• Cross of Freedom

See also:

• Finland
• Historical Finnish Flags (Previous Presidential Flags)
• Finland – state arms

• Home-page of the Finnish President
• Another drawing of the flag (at the home-page of the Finnish President)

Finnish swallow-tailed state flag with a blue-yellow Cross of Freedom 3rd Class for Civil Merits in the upper hoist.

Ratio: 11:19 = (4 + 3 + 4):(5 + 3 + 5 + 6)
Use: presidential flag and ensign
Adopted: 26 May 1978

Ossi Raivio, 24 October 1998

The presidential pennant is used only on navy ships. It is hoisted above the presidential flag.

Ossi Raivio, 26 August 2001

This cross is actually a cross with a cross inside (I would call the outside cross the iron cross and the cross inside a swastika).

Steve Stringfellow, 26 September 1996

Cross of Freedom is the oldest order in Finland and the President is it's Grand Master. The cross can be described as a yellow swastika on blue cross pattee, in the center a yellow heraldic rose.

Ossi Raivio, 24 October 1998

As far as I know, that cross (the "swastika pattee") is termed the Fylfot cross in heraldry. I would believe it is the original Finnish name of the cross rather than a properly heraldic term. By the way, it is not "pattee" but "couped" – the first would be for example an Iron Cross (touching the borders).

Santiago Dotor, 26 October 1998

For better description:

The basic design of the Cross of Liberty, the George Cross (croix pattée aux bords rectilignes) seems to have been a natural choice. Its beautiful, symbolical plain shape, connected well to ancient Finnish symbols, and the same type of cross was also used in the two other Finnish Orders for Merit, the Finnish White Rose (1919) and the Finnish Lion (1942).

The final shape of the Cross of Liberty came to consist of two crosses, one superimposed on the other, the lower cross symbolising victory, and above it the straight swastika symbolising sun's rays.

Vapaudenristin ritarikunta – Isänmaan puolesta (The Order of the Cross of Liberty – For Fatherland, published by the Order, printed in Porvoo, Finland 1997) – from chapter "English summary" on page 248

Ossi Raivio, 26 October 1998