National symbols
Kansallissymbolit
Katso englanninkielistä välilehteä National symbols.
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National symbols
The national symbols of the Saami are the Saami national anthem Sámi soga lávlla [Song of the Saami Clan] (Saami national song) and the Saami flag (national flag).
Sámi soga lávlla is a poem written by Isak Saba and originally published in 1906 in the magazine Sagai Muittalaegje. It was given the status of an official national anthem at the Thirteenth Saami Conference held in Åre, Sweden in 1986. Arne Sörlie s composition for the anthem was officially approved at the Fifteenth Saami Conference in Helsinki in 1992.
The Saami flag was given official status at the Thirteenth Saami Conference in Åre, Sweden on 15 August 1986. A competition was held for the flag, and it attracted numerous entries. The winner was an entry by the artist Astrid Båhl. The motif of the flag is derived from a shaman s drum and the peom Beaivvi bártnit [Sons of the Day] by the South Saami poet Anders Fjellner (1795-1876). Fjellner describes the Saami as the sons and daughters of the sun. The circle of the flag depicts the sun (red) and the moon (blue). The flag displays the Saami colours: red, yellow and blue.
The 15th Saami Conference held in Helsinki in 1992 selected seven official flag days for the Saami flag. The flag can also be used officially on other occasions in the same manner as other national flags. The rules and regulation on the use of flags of the various countries are to be followed.
| 6 February | Saami National Day | |
| Marja's Day | Traditional festival | |
| Midsummer Day | Public holiday | |
| 15 August | Saami Flag Day | |
| 18 August | Founding Day of the Saami Council | |
| 9 October | Founding Day of Norway s Saami Parliament | |
| 9 November | Founding Day of the Saami Delegation |
The Sixteenth Saami Conference held in Murmansk in 1996 approved the following new flag days:
| 2 March | Founding Day of Finland's Saami Parliament | |
| 9 August | UN International Indigenous Peoples Day | |
| 26 August | Founding Day of Sweden's Saami Parliament |
