Household pennants of Finland

The tradition to fly household pennants in Finland is quite common. A pennant can be flown whenever there is no flag day and it is usually a means of telling that the "master of the house" is at home. These pennants - commonly called Isännänviiri in Finnish or Husbondsvimpel in Swedish - have a long, narrow, triangular shape, usually half the length of the flag pole. The triangle has a base of roughly 1/10 of the length and it is connected to the pole via a single lanyard, giving the pennant the ability to rotate while flying.^[1]

The different regions of Finland have been connected with some traditional colors (often from the regional coats of arms), and these are often reflected in the household pennant. The pennants sometimes also incorporate the regional arm into the design (as seen in this example).

The shapes, designs and uses of the pennants are however not regulated by law, as long as it doesn't interfere with uses of the regular flag, which is regulated. It is also allowed to fly a pennant over night.

Besides from the general pennant (which is based on the flag of Finland) and the regional variants, there are also family, city and municipality variants. One can choose to fly any of these. It is up to the household to decide which one they want to fly. A common practice is to either fly the pennant of the region of residence or the pennant from which the family members come.

Finnish regional household pennants

As the Finnish household pennant is connected to the pole with a single lanyard, the pennant has the ability to revolve around its horizontal axis. Thus, an actual pennant does not have a "top" side.

See also

• Flag of Finland

References

External links

• Web page depicting the Finnish household pennants.