It's really interesting to read about Independence Day in Finland. Sounds like there is a sense of national custom that most people observe... and the watching of hand-shaking sounds unique!

We don't shoot fireworks, there is no party. We do things like visit graves, remember the fallen, listen to the president's independence day speech,
We have a day of remembering those who died in war that was supposed to be like this - and used to be, but now some people have begun to use it as a celebration. The right wing like to make it into a day of national pride. So I can relate to your concerns about the right wing using the day for their purposes.