Maamme

"" (), known by its original Swedish title as "" () and in English as "", is the de facto national anthem of Finland. The music was composed by the German immigrant Fredrik Pacius, with original Swedish lyrics by Johan Ludvig Runeberg. It was first performed on 13 May 1848. Originally, it was written for the 500th anniversary of Porvoo, and for that occasion it was Runeberg himself who wrote the music.

The melody of "Maamme" is also used for two other anthems: the Estonian anthem "Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm" ("My Fatherland, My Happiness and Joy") and the Livonian anthem "Min izāmō" ("My Fatherland").

History

File:Vårt land - front page.jpg

Frontpage of "Vårt land" by Johan Ludvig Runeberg

File:VartLandStatue.JPG

The Swedish words of the "Vårt Land" poem appear in Johan Ludvig Runeberg's monument in Helsinki. Sculptor Walter Runeberg.

The original poem, written in 1846 but not printed until 1848, had 11 stanzas and formed the prologue to the verse cycle The Tales of Ensign Stål ("Fänrik Ståhls sägner"), a classic example of Romantic nationalism. The current Finnish language text is usually attributed to the 1889 translation of Ensign Stål by Paavo Cajander, but in fact, originates from the 1867 translation by Julius Krohn.

In the 1880s and the 1920s, there were more attempts to replace it with a Finnish language version but these ceased by the 1930s. Some Finns have proposed that the Finnish national anthem be set as "Finlandia" by Jean Sibelius, with lyrics by V.A. Koskenniemi (Finnish) and Joel Rundt (Swedish).

It is said that Pacius composed the tune in four days. It was popular throughout the 19th century but established its current position only after Pacius' death.

Status and usage

There is no law regarding an official national anthem in Finland, in the way the coat of arms and flag of Finland are legally defined. Instead, its position has been established gradually by convention over the years. In 2018, "Maamme" was described by the Government of Finland as the "Finnish national anthem".

Even though "Maamme" has become established as the de facto anthem, its status has still been debated from time to time. It has been suggested that the status of "Maamme" as the national anthem should be legalised. For example, opposing legislative initiatives were made in 2003 by the Finnish Parliament to make "Maamme" and the Finlandia Hymn the official national anthem. In 2014, there was a citizens' initiative about choosing the Finlandia Hymn as the national anthem, and in 2016 members of the National Coalition Party began campaigning to stop using "Maamme" in favour of the Finlandia Hymn, however, opinions were not unanimous in the party, and the campaign fell short of its goal.

Despite the lack of official status, in usage, "Maamme" fills the function of a national anthem in the same way as in many other countries. For example, it is played during state visits, and used to represent Finland at international sporting fixtures.

Through the late months of 1993, an instrumental version of Maamme was used as the entrance theme in WWF for wrestler Ludvig Borga

Lyrics

The original lyrics consist of eleven verses, but it is customary to only sing the first verse and the last verse unless the people gathered are mixed Finnish- and Swedish-speaking. In the latter case, three verses are sung: the first in Finnish, the first in Swedish and the last in Finnish.

Swedish original	IPA transcriptionTemplate:Efn	English verse translation from Swedish
		Our land, our land, our Fatherland! Ring out, dear word, oh sound! 𝄆 No rising hill, or mountain grand, No sloping dale, no northern strand, There is, more loved, to be found, Than this — our fathers' ground. 𝄇 Our land is poor, and so shall be To him who gold will crave. 𝄆 The strangers proudly pass, but we Shall ever love this land, we see, In moor, and fell, and isle and wave, A golden land, so brave. 𝄇 We love our rippling brooks, so bright, Our gushing streams, so strong, 𝄆 The whisper of dark woods, at night, Our starry skies, our summer light, All, all that we, in sight and song, Have felt and lived among. 𝄇 Here fought our fathers, without fear, With sword, and plough, and thought. 𝄆 And here, in clouded times, and clear, With fortune in their front or rear, Their Finnish hearts have beat, and wrought And borne what bear they ought. 𝄇 Who tells, of all the fights, the tale, In which this folk withstood, 𝄆 When war did rage from dale to dale, When frost set in, with hunger's wail? Who measured all their pouring blood, And all their patience good? 𝄇 And it was here their blood was shed, For us, here, on this shore; 𝄆 And it was here their joys were bred, Here, that their sighs were heaved and fled, That people's who our burdens bore Before us, long before. 𝄇 Here it is sweet and good, we wot, All, too, is giv'n us here; 𝄆 However fate may cast our lot, A land, a fatherland, we've got. Will there a thing on earth appear More worthy, to hold dear? 𝄇 And here's, and here's this fatherland, Here every eye it sees; 𝄆 And we can stretch a pointing hand, To show, with joy, its sea and strand, And say, "Behold this country, this, Our Fatherland it is." 𝄇 And if we once were made to rise To gold clouds, from below, 𝄆 And if we moved in starry skies, Where no one weeps, where no one sighs, To this poor lonely country, though, Our longing hearts would go. 𝄇 Oh land, the thousand lakes' own land, Of faith, and lay, and glee, 𝄆 Where life's main sea gave us a strand, Our fore-time's land, our future's land, Shy of thy poorness, never be, Be calm, be glad, be free! 𝄇 Thy blossom, hidden now from sight, Shall burst its bud ere long. 𝄆 Lo! from our love, shall rise aright, Thy sun, thy hope, thy joy, thy light, And higher, once, more full and strong, Shall ring Our Country's song. 𝄇

Finnish version	IPA transcriptionTemplate:Efn

See also

• Public holidays in Finland
• Finnish national symbols
• "Ålänningens sång" – the regional anthem of Åland
• "Modersmålets sång" – unofficial anthem of the Swedish-speaking Finns

External links

• History of the Finnish national anthem