Independence Day Reception

The first evening reception was hosted by Ståhlberg and his wife in 1922, when the ceremony also included the now-traditional presidential greeting of guests, and a dance.

During the reign of president Kyösti Kallio in 1937 and 1938, there was no dancing or serving of alcohol due to prevailing religious beliefs.

Short films were made about the reception to be shown in movie theatres before the main feature.

[1] Due to the influence of president Urho Kekkonen's wife Sylvi, artists and writers were invited to the reception in 1966, and she hosted discussions with them in the Yellow Salon.

[2] The public was especially interested in whom the recently widowed president Kekkonen danced with at the 1978 reception (Satu Östring-Procopé).

During the era of president Martti Ahtisaari, jazz was brought to the Yellow Salon, and salty snacks, regional dishes and wines were added to the menu.

In the young Finnish Republic of the 1930s, neither the presidential institution nor the Independence Day reception were yet a tradition.

The reception in 1933, during the Great Depression, was cancelled due to the lack of ingredients needed for preparing the banquet; this was also a show of solidarity towards the general public's struggle with poverty.

The longest break in the tradition came with World War II when the reception was not held for seven years, 1939 - 1945.

Men can use a dark suit - but not a tuxedo − instead of a tailcoat; for women the "evening dress" means a full-length gown made from a fine material, accompanied by jewellery.

The first guests - war veterans - enter from the Mariankatu entrance, accompanied by the sounds of Jäger March by Jean Sibelius.

[16] In 2016 and 2017, the president was greeted first by General Jaakko Valtanen,[17][18] and he was on both occasions followed by veterans Torsten Liljeberg in 2016 and Erkki Pitkänen in 2017, respectively.

After the veterans have entered, the entrance order for guests from the Mariankatu entrance is free and depends more on the order of arrival of the guests, who include members of parliament, athletes and representatives from the fields of arts, sciences and financial life.

It is customary that the press begins to speculate about the names of the invitees to the Independence Day Reception weeks in advance, along with the selection of gowns and possible partners for the guests.