1,000 Finns sing distantly marking Nat´l Veterans Day

As Finland observed the National Veterans Day on Monday, over 1,000 people joined in a distanced singing of the Finlandia hymn composed by well-known Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865-1957), reported news agency Xinhua.

The performance replaced most of the traditional observances due to the COVID-19 epidemic, as the Finnish government has forbidden the gathering of more than 10 people.

It was later published on the government website showing a collage of all the 1,075 singers and the conductor.

In his message on Monday, President Sauli Niinistö compared the contribution of the war veterans to the efforts required in the current health crisis. "Under the new threat, we keep in mind the message of the veterans about overcoming the impossible through acting together and trusting each other," said Niinistö.

Niinistö also gave the traditional thanks to the veterans for enabling Finland "to remain a free and democratic nation." There are still 9,500 World War II veterans now living in Finland.

The music piece Finlandia was composed in 1900. It is one of the most famous Finnish music works. The current lyrics of Finlandia were written during World War II by Finnish poet V.A. Koskenniemi.