Editing Tarja Halonen (section)

==Personal life==
[[File:Tarja Halonen ja Pentti Arajärvi.jpeg|thumb|Halonen and her husband [[Pentti Arajärvi|Dr. Pentti Arajärvi]] in 2010.]]
Halonen says her interests include [[art history]], the theatre and swimming. She says she speaks [[Finnish language|Finnish]], [[Swedish language|Swedish]], and [[English language|English]], and is studying [[Estonian language|Estonian]]. Halonen had two cats during her presidential term. After they died, she was given a ''Neva Masquerade'' cat in 2013 by Russian prime minister [[Dmitry Medvedev]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.is.fi/kotimaa/art-2000000576655.html|title=Halosen kissa sai nimekseen Meggi: Se on kiltti ja utelias| access-date=7 August 2017 | author=Ilta-Sanomat | year=2013}}</ref>

On 26 August 2000, Halonen married her longtime partner, Dr. [[Pentti Arajärvi]], in a [[civil ceremony]] at her official residence, [[Mäntyniemi]], after a relationship of more than fifteen years. Halonen's adult daughter Anna, and Arajärvi's adult son Esko, acted as witnesses.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.presidentti.fi/halonen/public/default5203.html?contentid=173737&nodeid=41416&contentlan=2&culture=en-US|title=The President of the Republic of Finland: Press Releases and News|website=www.presidentti.fi|access-date=2020-04-15}}</ref> Both children are from previous relationships.

She promotes Finland in her personal accoutrements, such as wearing a [[Moomin]] watch.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cord|first=David J.|title=[[Mohamed 2.0: Disruption Manifesto|Mohamed 2.0]]|publisher=[[Schildts & Söderströms]]|year=2012|isbn=978-951-52-2898-7|location=Helsingfors|page=155}}</ref>

In the 1960s, she left the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland]], to which the majority of Finns belong, to protest against its policy of taxing church members and its stance against female priests. The church has since accepted women as priests, and Halonen has stated that she has no personal reason not to return to the church but refrains from doing so in order not to give a signal that might be misinterpreted.<ref>[http://www.presidentti.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=46823 Interview of Halonen in ''Kotimaa'' 12 February 2005.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071030155633/http://www.presidentti.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=46823 |date=30 October 2007 }} On the official webpage of the president. Retrieved 10 October 2007. {{in lang|fi}}</ref> In the 1990s, Halonen acted as the chairman of ''Suomen setlementtiliitto'', a Christian social work organization. After her presidential term, Halonen rejoined the Evangelical-Lutheran Church. According to her statements, she had previously refrained from it as it might have been considered an attempt to garner political support.<ref>[https://www.iltalehti.fi/uutiset/a/2013030216739299 HS: Näistä syistä Halonen erosi kirkosta – ja tämän takia hän liittyi takaisin]. Iltalehti 2 March 2013. Retrieved 2016-02-03. {{in lang|fi}}</ref> Since then, Halonen has even preached publicly in a divine service of her home parish of Kallio.<ref>[http://yle.fi/uutiset/presidentti_tarja_halonen_saarnasi_tyottomyydesta_kalliossa/6959609 Presidentti Tarja Halonen saarnasi työttömyydestä Kalliossa.] Yle 28 November 2013. Retrieved from 2016-02-17. {{in lang|fi}}</ref> This is a privilege that the parish priest may grant only in exceptional cases to persons known for their Christian conviction.<ref>[https://www.finlex.fi/fi/lainsaadanto/1993/1055 Kirkkojärjestys, Ch 2, Section 6]. (The by-law of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland). Finlex. Retrieved 17 February 2016. {{in lang|fi}}</ref>

In 1980–1981 Halonen served as the chairman of [[Seta (organization)|Seta]], the main [[LGBT]] rights organization in Finland.<ref name="seta">{{cite web|url=http://www.helsinki.fi/~eisaksso/tarja.html|title=Tarja Halonen & SETA|website=helsinki.fi|access-date=28 May 2018}}</ref>