Veterans' Day was first celebrated in 1987 as a part of the year marking Finland's 70th anniversary of independence. The day chosen, April 27th, was the last day of the Lapland War, the third and final act in Finland's involvement in armed conflicts between 1939 and 1945.
The main National Veterans' Day event is being held at the Lahti Sports and Trade Fair Centre where the guests of honour are some of Finland's remaining nearly 17,000 war veterans.
President Sauli Niinistö is the keynote speaker at Thursday afternoon's gathering in Lahti.