Happy Finnish Independence Day

Luxembourg's Finnish Embassy has opened two major exhibitions in the Grand Duchy to help expatriates celebrate Finland's national holiday.

December 6, 2011, marks 94 years of Finnish Independence from the Russian Empire. And, while Finnish expatriates in Luxembourg will not benefit from a a day off work, they will be able to celebrate with their own countrymen at two unmissable exhibitions at the Abbaye de Neumünster.

Choosing My Religion and Tarot feature work by acclaimed Finnish artist Marita Liulia and will be open to the public from December 6-21 and January 2-15.

A special opening ceremony will be held on December 6 from 6pm, featuring the artist herself.

Unmissable exhibitions

Organised by the Embassy of Finland in Luxembourg in partnership with the Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux, Choosing My Religion takes a female viewpoint on major religions around the world, such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Sikhism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and Shinto. Tarot fuses art, culture, entertainment and technology using the traditional card game used by fortune tellers.

Marita Liulia is an artist and director who creates media artworks, stage performances, photography, paintings and books. Her works have been exhibited and performed in over 45 countries.

The exhibition opening on December 6 will be followed by a short concert given by a representative from the Sibelius Académie at the Saint Jean Church from 8pm.

Finnish Independence Day

Finnish Independence Day, celebrated on December 6, commemorates the date Finland was declared an independent state in 1917. It was first celebrated in 1919 and gradually grew into a lively celebration from the 1970s onwards, with shops decking their windows in the Finnish flag colours of blue and white, and bakeries producing cakes iced in white and blue. It is traditional for Finnish families to light two candles in each window of their home on the evening of December 6.