Finns, Finland’s friends to dine together

Finns and friends of Finland will celebrate the country’s independence centenary this weekend, from August 25 to 27, by dining together.

The event, Finnish Your Dinner, will be organised around the globe in public places and private homes, said an official press release.

The “Together” theme of Finland’s centenary celebrations has inspired Finns and friends of Finland to create a truly eventful year. One easy way to join the celebrations is to dine together and even invite guests to your home.

Several Finnish Your Dinner events organised by private citizens will take place in the United States, for example in California, Florida and Alaska. Dinners will be organised also in Singapore, Bangkok, Tokyo, Malawi, Rabat (Morocco), Antibes (France), Cologne, Rotterdam, Goiás (Brazil), Mexico, and Guatemala, among other places.

“It is a pleasure to see that so many Finns and friends of Finland around the world are inspired to invite both friends and strangers to join them in dinner. These dinners will be happy, communal events that will hopefully attract new friends of Finland,” said Ministry for Foreign Affairs Unit for Public Diplomacy Director Petra Theman.

Riku Mattila and Arto Voipio, two Finnish students in Amsterdam, are organising a surprise dinner for their friends in a central location in the city.

“Every autumn my friend and I organise a birthday party on a bit grander scale. This year we will be partying in Amsterdam with about 70 friends who will be flying there for the weekend. Finland’s magnificent centenary and the Finnish Your Dinner event that happens to fall on the same weekend inspired us to combine these two celebrations – it’s like having a birthday party with Finland,” Mattila explained excitedly.

The programme for the weekend will be a complete surprise for the guests. “We will be arriving at the venue in a very original style, and the menu will be packed with delicacies of the season. The end of summer and Finland’s jubilee year will make the party feeling high enough to raise the roof, or the sky,” Voipio said contentedly.

Finnish missions in five cities – St Petersburg, Tallinn, Washington, Buenos Aires and Kuala Lumpur –will organise their Finnish Your Dinner events following the Finnish concept of dinner in the open air. The missions’ dinners were booked to capacity in a matter of minutes.

“This is a good example of how the centenary year brings together Finns and friends of Finland even abroad,” remarked Petra Theman.

Anyone anywhere can set up their own Finnish Your Dinner table on the weekend and offer strangers an opportunity to celebrate Finland 100.

In different parts of Finland, events will be organised under the name Dinner in the Open Air. “The goal is that no Finn will eat their dinner alone that day,” said Tanja Jänicke from the Yhteismaa association, the brain behind the concept.

Finnish Your Dinner and Dinner in the Open Air form part of the Finland 100 anniversary programme.