Koivisto to be laid to rest today

The state funeral of the late former president Mauno Koivisto will be held today.

The funeral service will take place at 1.00 pm in the Helsinki Cathedral. The service will be conducted by Bishop Eero Huovinen.

Mauno Koivisto will be buried with full military honours in the section of Hietaniemi Cemetery that includes the graves of former Finnish presidents Urho Kekkonen and Risto Ryti. A memorial ceremony for invited guests will take place at the House of the Estates.

The funeral arrangements take due account of the way in which previous state funerals have been arranged, the personal history of Mauno Koivisto and the wishes of the family. The state funeral will be broadcast live on channel TV1 of the Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE, on the online service YLE Areena, and on the Radio Suomi.

The funeral will begin with Surusoitto (mournful music) by Jean Sibelius, after which the Helsinki Cathedral Boys’ Choir Cantores Minores will sing Taneli Kuusisto’s Suomalainenrukous (Finnish Prayer).

The organist for the funeral service will be Seppo Murto, the cantor will be Harri Viitanen and the choirmaster will be Conductor Hannu Norjanen.

Floral tributes will be left by the bereaved family, the president of the republic, former Finnish presidents Martti Ahtisaari and Tarja Halonen, and on behalf of the Finnish parliament and the Finnish government. After the floral tributes, the Guards Band will play Jean Sibelius’s Andante Festivo led by Chief Conductor Jyrki Koskinen.

Before the funeral sermon, Hymn 600 Hyvyydenvoimanihmeelliseensuojaan (The Power of Goodness) will be sung, and the Cantores Minores choir will perform Jean Sibelius’s Sydämenilaulu (Song of My Heart).

The sermon will also be preceded by a prayer and scripture reading. The blessing will be made by Bishop Eero Huovinen.

Professor Jorma Hynninen will then present Kalervo Hämäläinen’s Veteraaniniltahuuto (Veteran’s Evening Call) together with the Cantores Minores and the Guards Band. The Lord’s Prayer and the benediction will be followed by the singing of Hymn 396 Suakohti Herrani (Nearer, My God, to Thee; traditional version).

The eulogy will be given by President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö.

At the end of the service, the choir will present the Finlandia hymn by Jean Sibelius. The concluding music will be Narvanmarssi (March of Narva) played by the Guards Band.

Serving generals and admirals will act as the pallbearers in Helsinki Cathedral. Preceding the coffin will be General Jarmo Lindberg, commander of the Finnish Defence Forces, and Lieutenant General Jaakko Kaukanen, chief of the Border Guard.

The funeral cortege will leave Helsinki Cathedral at about 2.30 pm and arrive at Hietaniemi Cemetery at about 3.00 pm.

Led by the mounted police, the cortege will proceed along the following route: Unioninkatu - Aleksanterinkatu - Snellmaninkatu - Vironkatu - Meritullinkatu – Pohjoisranta - Pohjoisesplanadi - Mannerheimintie - Arkadiankatu - Hietaniemi Cemetery.

The cortege will stop outside the Government Palace, the Bank of Finland, and the Presidential Palace.

Outside the Presidential Palace, the cortege and the guard of honour composed of representatives of the army, navy and air force will observe a minute’s silence. At this time the Flag of the President of the Republic will be lowered as a mark of respect in honour of former president Koivisto. Full military honours will then be rendered by the guard of honour as the former commander-in-chief of the Finnish Defence Forces conducts his final inspection.

Funeral bells will be rung by all of Helsinki’s Lutheran churches while the cortege proceeds to the cemetery. Upon arrival at the Hietaniemi Cemetery, the bell ringing will cease and the bells of Hietaniemi Chapel will be rung.

The pallbearers at the cemetery will be Koivisto’s former aides-de-camp. The military honours will be rendered by an honour guard appointed by the Guard Jaeger Regiment and by the Guards Band. The YL Male Voice Choir will sing Oi kallis Suomenmaa (O Precious Finland).

After the burial, a memorial ceremony will be held for invited guests at the House of the Estates. The memorial ceremony will be opened by the Turku YMCA Male Choir led by Tommi Saalas. The choir will perform Locus Iste by Anton Bruckner. The Turku YMCA Male Choir was established in 1919. The initial address at the memorial ceremony will be given by Heikki Allonen, representing the family.

Prime Minister Juha Sipilä will present words of remembrance, and the eulogy will be given by Paavo Lipponen, a former prime minister. During the memorial ceremony, performances of Yrjö Kilpinen’s Laululle (To Song), Ilmari Hannikainen’s Rauha (Peace) and Oskar Merikanto’s Sinulle (For You) will be presented by soprano Tuuli Takala accompanied by Tuula Hällström on the grand piano.

The funeral cortege will depart from Helsinki Cathedral to Hietaniemi Cemetery at about 2.30 pm, and the public can view the cortege as it proceeds along its route to the cemetery. Members of the public may also attend the funeral service in the Helsinki Cathedral. The entrance will be via the side doors from about 11.30 am. Please arrive so as to be seated by 12.30 pm at the latest.

The Prime Minister’s Office has decided that government agencies and public bodies throughout the country will observe the flag flying arrangements determined for the state funeral. It is also recommended that the same flag flying arrangements be observed throughout the country. On Thursday, flags are to be flown at half mast from 8.00 am until the end of the memorial ceremony, which is expected to be at about 5.30 pm. At that time, flags are to be raised to full mast and finally lowered at sunset, but no later than 7.00 pm.

Instead of flowers, those wishing to leave a tribute in memory of Mauno Koivisto are urged to make donation to the National Education Fund, (bank account no: Nordea FI85 1521 3000 0060 09), The Finnish Cultural Foundation, (bank account no: Nordea FI73 1572 3000 0114 86) and Svenska Kulturfonden, (bank account no: Aktia FI46 4055 4020 0000 20)

Certain streets along the route of the funeral cortege will remain closed during the funeral. These streets will be closed from about 2.00 pm until about 4.00 pm, and these closures may lead to traffic congestion. For this reason, members of the public are urged to avoid unnecessary travel by car in the vicinity of the Helsinki Cathedral and the Hietaniemi Cemetery.