More salutes will be fired in Finnish cities on Saturday. Events will be staged honouring 18th century custom, including appropriate historical uniform.
In Jyväskylä, the public can watch the event at 3pm at Alba shore near the city centre.
“In the 18th and 19th centuries gun salutes were a customary way to inform people that there was a new heir to the throne,” says Markku Arvonen of the local Rautpohja field gun club. “We’re taking it more lightly now of course, but it’s still done in the correct way.”
Historical societies are firing shots in Jyväskylä, Helsinki, Turku, Loviisa, Hamina and Kankaanpää in cooperation with the Swedish Embassy in Helsinki.
Succession of female regents
The little princess was born at Karolinska Hospital early on Thursday morning. The newborn is second in line to the throne and her name is due to be announced in the coming days. Victoria, 34, and Daniel, 38, her former personal trainer and gym owner, married in a fairytale wedding in 2010.
The baby is the first grandchild for King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. The Royal Palace released the first picture of her on its Facebook page on Thursday.
Royal experts said the birth was exactly what the royal family needs right now. The king made headlines in November 2010 when an unofficial tell-all biography alleged he had an affair with a Swedish pop singer, visited strip clubs and even had indirect contact with organised crime.
Finland was under Swedish rule for 600 years before being incorporated as a Grand Duchy under Russia in 1809.
