The flag of the Swedish-speaking Finns is an unofficial red flag

Flag

A flag is a piece of fabric with a distinctive design that is usually rectangular and used as a symbol, as a signaling device, or decoration. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed by a flag, or to its depiction in another medium.The first flags were used to assist...

 with a yellow cross

Nordic Cross Flag

The Nordic Cross Flag, Nordic Cross, or Scandinavian Cross is a pattern of flags usually associated with the flags of the Scandinavian countries of which it originated. All of the Nordic countries except Greenland have adopted such flags...

 used in the Swedish

Swedish language

Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...

-speaking parts of Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

 to represent the Finland-Swedes

Finland-Swedes

Swedish-speaking Finns constitute a linguistic minority in Finland. They maintain a strong identity and are alternatively seen either as a distinct subgroup of the Finnish people or as a separate ethnic group or even as a distinct nationality...

. It may be flown in addition to the Finnish blue and white flag

Flag of Finland

The flag of Finland , also called Siniristilippu , dates from the beginning of the 20th century. On a white background, it features a blue Nordic cross, which represents Christianity. The state flag has a coat of arms in the centre, but is otherwise identical to the civil flag. The swallow-tailed...

. This flag is unfamiliar to many in Finland but there have been attempts to introduce it again to a broader audience as what is known as "household pennants

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...

" (Finnish isännänviirit, Swedish husbondsvimplar) demonstrating one's identity as Swedish-speaking, are more common and can be seen on many flagpoles in areas where there live many Swedish-speaking Finns, especially in countryside.

The flag may have been used in the 16th century, As such, the flag is based on a proposal to civil ensign

Civil ensign

The civil ensign is the national flag flown by civil ships to denote nationality...

 put forward by the Senate flag committee in 1917. This proposal included nine white roses in the upper left corner. It also contains the same colours as one of the candidates for the Finnish flag on independence in 1917 and may even have been a proposal for the state flag itself. The current blue and white state flag became official on the 28th May 1918.

The colours are traditional and based on the red and yellow of the Finnish coat of arms

Coat of arms of Finland

The coat of arms of Finland is a crowned lion on a red field, the right forepaw replaced with an armoured hand brandishing a sword, trampling on a saber with the hindpaws...

 (and can, for example, also be seen in the coat of arms of Finland Proper

Finland Proper

Finland Proper or Southwest Finland , is a region in south-western Finland. It borders the regions of Satakunta, Tavastia Proper, Ahvenanmaa and Uusimaa.- Municipalities :...

). The cross design symbolizes the unity with the other Nordic countries

Nordic countries

The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...

. There are probably no official decision on the cross width but a width of not less than that of the Swedish flag, (ie 5:2:9 horizontally and vertically 4:2:4) and not more than that of Finland (ie, 5:3:11 horizontally and 4:3:4 vertically) should apply. It has rectangular boxes rather than squares in the internal corners of the hoist. The flag is similar to that of Scania

Flag of Skåneland

The flag of Scania, or the Scanian Cross Flag is a provincial flag, representing Scania, the southernmost province of Sweden.There are two other more official regional flags, one being the banner of arms of Skåne Regional Council , adopted 9 February 1999: On a field of blue a yellow crowned...

, but it is more oblong and has a broader and less centered cross. It is however almost identical to a flag that the fascist Quisling regime

Quisling regime

The Quisling regime, or the Quisling government are common names used to refer to the collaborationist government led by Vidkun Quisling in occupied Norway during the Second World War. The official name of the regime from 1 February 1942 until its dissolution in May 1945 was Nasjonale regjering...

 in Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 used, during the German occupation

Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany

The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany started with the German invasion of Norway on April 9, 1940, and ended on May 8, 1945, after the capitulation of German forces in Europe. Throughout this period, Norway was continuously occupied by the Wehrmacht...

.

Household pennants of Swedish-speaking areas of Finland

Pennant of Swedish-speaking Ostrobothnia Ostrobothnia (region) Ostrobothnia is a region of Finland. It is located in Western Finland. It borders the regions Central Ostrobothnia, Southern Ostrobothnia, and Satakunta and is one of the four regions making up the historical province of Ostrobothnia....
Pennant of Swedish-speaking Nyland
Pennant of Swedish-speaking Finland Proper Finland Proper Finland Proper or Southwest Finland , is a region in south-western Finland. It borders the regions of Satakunta, Tavastia Proper, Ahvenanmaa and Uusimaa.- Municipalities :...
Pennant of Åland Åland Islands The Åland Islands form an archipelago in the Baltic Sea. They are situated at the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia and form an autonomous, demilitarised, monolingually Swedish-speaking region of Finland...