What is "finlandia"

Finlandia is a vodka produced in Finland from Finnish-grown six-row barley and glacial spring water. The barley is distilled into a neutral spirit using a continuous multi-pressure distillation system at a distillery in the village of Koskenkorva operated by Finland’s Altia Corporation. The distilled alcohol is then transported to a production facility in the village of Rajamäki, about 45 kilometers (28 miles) north of Helsinki. In Rajamäki, the spirit is blended with glacial water, flavored (except for the classic non-flavored edition, 101 and Platinum), and bottled.

The Finlandia brand was established in 1970 by Alko, Finland’s state-owned alcoholic beverage company. A year later, the brand became the first Scandinavian vodka to be sold in the United States. Finlandia is now owned by the Brown-Forman Corporation. Finlandia vodka is distributed in 135 countries and is widely associated with Finland on the international market. Flavors include cranberry (since 1994), lime (1999), mango (2004), red berry (2004), wild berries (2005), grapefruit (2006), tangerine (2009) and blackcurrant (2009).

Finlandia is a patriotic symphonic poem by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius.

Finlandia may also refer to:

• The Latin name for Finland (used, for example, in Spanish, Italian, Galician, etc.)
• Finlandia Hymn, a section of the Sibelius symphonic poem Finlandia
• Finlandia University, a private university located in Hancock, Michigan, USA

In Finnish culture:

• Finlandia Hall, a concert hall in Helsinki, Finland, designed by Alvar Aalto
• Finlandia Prize, a Finnish literature award
• Sirkus Finlandia, one of the best known circuses in Finland

In music:

• Finlandia (song), a 1981 single by the Canadian female pop singer Martha Ladly

In sport:

• Finlandia Trophy, a figure skating competition
• Minnesota Finlandia, a cross-country ski marathon

In transport:

• Any of the ships named
• Finlandia (car), a historic car brand
• Another name for the Saab 900 CD car

In business:

• Finlandia Vodka, a brand of vodka
• Finlandia Cheese, a subsidiary of Valio, Ltd., a dairy manufacturer in Finland
• Finlandia Records, a division of the Warner Classics classical music record label

Finlandia, Op. 26, is a tone poem by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. It was written in 1899 and revised in 1900. The piece was composed for the Press Celebrations of 1899, a covert protest against increasing censorship from the Russian Empire, and was the last of seven pieces performed as an accompaniment to a tableau depicting episodes from Finnish history. The premiere was on 2 July 1900 in Helsinki with the Helsinki Philharmonic Society conducted by Robert Kajanus. A typical performance takes between 7½ and 9 minutes.

In order to avoid Russian censorship, Finlandia had to be performed under alternative names at various musical concerts. Titles under which the piece masqueraded were numerous—famous examples include Happy Feelings at the awakening of Finnish Spring, and A Scandinavian Choral March.

Most of the piece is taken up with rousing and turbulent music, evoking the national struggle of the Finnish people. Towards the end, a calm comes over the orchestra, and the serenely melodic Finlandia Hymn is heard. Often incorrectly cited as a traditional folk melody, the Hymn section is of Sibelius's own creation.

Although he initially composed it for orchestra, in 1900 Sibelius arranged the work for solo piano.

Sibelius later reworked the Finlandia Hymn into a stand-alone piece. This hymn, with words written in 1941 by Veikko Antero Koskenniemi, is one of the most important national songs of Finland.

With different words, it is also sung as a Christian hymn (Be Still, My Soul, Hail, Festal Day, in Italian evangelical churches: Veglia al mattino), and was the national anthem of the short-lived African state of Biafra (Land of the Rising Sun). In the spring of 1963, the Rice University student body voted to establish a school song (Rice is Our Home), using the music from the Finlandia Hymn. The song was played at the 1964 Rice Commencement, but otherwise never officially adopted.

Finlandia was the brand name of cars built in Finland between 1922 and 1924 by P.J. Heikkilä in Helsinki. Only four (two passenger cars and two light trucks) were built using U.S. engines of unknown make. Realizing that this venture was not profitable, Heikkilä abandoned it and returned to bus body manufacture.

"Finlandia" is a song by Canadian singer and keyboard player Martha Ladly, released as a single in 1981.

Ladly left Canadian new wave band Martha & the Muffins in December 1980 to form the Scenery Club, this was her first independent single released in Canada and the UK in June 1981.