Thank you very much for any help you can give me.
Sterling

In my parents’ summer house, we have this thing called is?¤nn?¤n viiri up when we are there. It’s Karjalan viiri, because that’s where my father comes from, and when we hiss it up, we sing the teary song Jo Karjalan kunnailla lehtii puu, jo Karjalan koivikko tuuhettuu. K?¤ki kukkuu siell?¤ ja kev?¤t on, vie sinne mun kaihoni pohjaton. (I do get teary-eyed every time I sing it. I miss my grandmother who as a young girl walked two times from Karjala to escape the war.)

But on flag days, it is the Finnish flag. And then we might try and sing Lippulaulu, but we always forget the lyrics:
Siniristilippumme, sulle valan vannomme kallihin. Sinun puolestas el?¤?¤ ja kuolla on halumme korkehin. Kuin taivas ja hanki Suomen ovat v?¤risi puhtahat. Sin?¤ hulmullas mielemme peit?¤t ja kotimme korotat.

Is?¤t, veljet verell?¤?¤n, vihki sinut viiriksi vapaan maan. Ilomiell?¤ sun j?¤ljess?¤s k?¤ymme teit is?¤in astumaan. Sun on kunnias kunniaamme, sinun voimasi voimamme on. Sinun kanssasi onnen me jaamme ja iskut kohtalon.

I know how to handle the flag, you know, the way you have to fold it so that the blue cross stays on top. And how you shouldn’t let it touch the ground.

I get so very sentimental in the summer house!

And I think that is good to have, as some people lack manners.

Finland Flag Law
(Dated May 26, 1978; Act No. 380/78)

1 ?§
The Finnish flag includes a blue cross on white background. The flag is either national or state flag.

2 ?§
The national flag is rectangular and its proportions are:
1) width 11 and length 18 measure units;
2) width of arm of the cross 3 measure units; and
3) width of the fields 4, length of the hoist fields 5 and length of the fly fields 10 measure units.

3 ?§
The state flag is either rectangular or swallow-tailed. It includes the coat-of-arms of the state in the middle square formed by the arms of the cross. The square has a yellow contour, the width of which is 1/40 of the width of the cross.

The rectangular state flag has the same proportions as the national flag.

The swallow-tailed state flag is one mesure unit longer, so that the length of its fly fields is 6 and the length of the tails 5 measure units. The middle tail is isosceles and the arm of the cross forms its base. The outer tails do not form angle with the upper or lower side of the flag.

4 ?§
Everybody has the right to use the national flag.

All Finnish vessels use as a nationality sign the national flag, apart from those mentioned in the fifth paragraph. A yacht may use as its nationality sign a special flag; a separate statute will be given for further regulations.

5 ?§
The rectangular state flag is to be used by the Parliament; the Government and its ministries; the Supreme Court; the Supreme Administrative Court; central administration boards and all comparable civil service departments and institutions; Courts of Appeal; provincial governments; ecclesiastical chapters; the Orthodox Synod; Finnish embassies and consulates and all comparable diplomatical representations; the Bank of Finland; the National Pension Fund; the Finnish Academy; frontier guard; state universities and high schools; and state’s vessels.

Institutions, apart from those mentioned in the first clause, can be given the right to use the rectangular state flag with a separate statute.

The swallow-tailed state flag is to be used by the Defence Forces, its departments, institutions, units, and vessels.

President of the Republic uses a swallow-tailed state flag with a blue-yellow Cross of Freedom in the upper hoist field.

6 ?§
It is not allowed to add any extra signs to the Finnish flag, apart from cases mentioned in this law.

A swallow-tailed flag with a special sign in the upper hoist field may be used as a command flag of Minister of Defence or Commander of the Defence Forces and as a navy command flag in armed vessels. President of the Republic determines the form of that sign.

7 ?§
The Government will give more detailed specifications about the colours of the Finnish flag.

8 ?§
The one who damages the Finnish flag, or treats it in an unrespectful way, or without permission takes off an openly out-put Finnish flag, shall be fined for disgracing the Finnish flag.

The one who without permission uses the flag of President of the Republic or other state flag, or sells a Finnish flag with extra signs that are prohibited in the sixth paragraph, or sells as a Finnish flag such flag that does not fulfill the regulations in this law or other instructions, shall be fined for disobeying regulations about the Finnish flag.

9 ?§
More detailed regulations about enforcing of this law and about flagging with the Finnish flag will be given in a separate statute.

10 ?§
This law takes effect on June 1, 1978. This law revokes the Law about the Finnish flag, given on May 29, 1918.

Statute About Flagging with the Finnish Flag
(Given on May 26, 1978; Act No. 383/78)

Due to Prime Minister’s proposal based on the 9 ?§ of the Law About the Finnish Flag (380/78) this is prescribed:

1 ?§
If a building is used by state’s bureau or institute or building is Aland Island’s official building, a Finnish flag shall be rised on it or nearby it on an official flagging day. The flag has to be that kind of Finnish flag, which the bureau is prescribed to use.

2 ?§
The official flagging days are:
1) February 28, day of Kalevala, the day of Finnish culture;
2) May 1, day of Finnish work;
3) second sunday of May, Mother’s Day;
4) June 4, day of flag celebration of the Defence Forces;
5) Saturday between July 20 and July 26, Midsummer Day, the day of the Finnish flag;
6) December 6, Independence Day;
7) the day, when national election, municipal election, European Parliament election or advisory referendum is being held everywhere in the Republic;
and
the day, when President of the Republic takes office.

3 ?§
Each ministry can in special occasion order state’s bureaus and institutes to flag nationally or in single municipalities even when it is not an official flagging day.

Ministries and provincial governments can order bureaus and institutes subjected to them to flag even when it is not an official flagging day.

State’s bureau or institute has right to flag due to a special celebration or when a common flagging is being held in its home municipality.

State’s vessel shall flag according to international habits.

4 ?§
Flagging begins at 8.00 and ends when the sun sets, not later than at 21.00. The chief of a bureau or institute can order to make an exception to this due to some special reason or due to local circumstances.

The flagging on the day of the Finnish flag begins on Midsummer Eve at 18.00 and ends on Midsummer Day at 21.00. On Independence Day and on such election day, when the voting ends after the sunset, flagging ends at 20.00.

5 ?§
If the Finnish flag is used publicly with other flags, standards, pennants, or comparable, the Finnish flag has to be placed in the most valuable position.

6 ?§
Each ministry gives more detailed orders about flagging.

7 ?§
This statute takes effect on June 1, 1978.