Finnish culture is often described through its simplicity, resilience, and deep connection with nature. When I came to experience it myself 3 years ago, I created my own understanding of what it means to be Finnish, with sauna, silence, and the Finnish concept of sisu on the forefront.
Everyone that visits Finland leaves with a piece of the country still within them, so even as a foreigner you can have Finnishness in you.
I step out of the sauna. I take my towel and a bottle of beer. Walking down the stairs, I feel how the soft wind sweeps my face. I look at the darkening sky and hear some lonely blackbird whispering. Time stands still and I know I’m safe here. For me, finnishness is somehow a mix of a nature, peace and presence.
My name is Miranda and I’m a Finland-Swede. Fennoswede, is another word for it, and it simply means the people in Finland who speak Swedish. And I am one of them. In this blogpost I will dive in deeper into what being a Finland Swede means to me.
Finnishness is a sum of many great and unique elements that sets us apart from other nations and their people. In my blog post I will open a few of the elements which I believe are cornerstones of Finnishness.
What kind of adjectives appear to your mind when is talked about Finnishness? Many of us would probably answer things like introvert and shy, but also trustworthy and persistent. These adjectives actually describe pretty well Finns. But how these qualities make us so special as a nation? What kind of things we can spread out to world when we stay abroad for longer period?
In Finland, the sauna is not just a place to warm up—it's a deeply rooted tradition that reflects the nation's connection to simplicity, nature, and well-being. Stepping into the steam, Finns embrace a ritual that speaks to their core values of equality, peace, and resilience.
Finland is known as the happiest country in the world, but many people might not know that melancholy is a big part of our culture, and sisu is what keeps us going.
For international students coming to Finland, it might be hard to know what living here is like. How true are the stereotypes? And how is life in actuality? From the winters to the people, everyone has a unique experience discovering Finnishness.
There are a lot of things I could use to describe what Finnishness means to me but in this blog post I am going to concentrate on the four seasons of weather. The seasons changing almost quarterly means that we Finns have had to adapt to different kinds of weather throughout the history. Before electricity and other modern utilities people have not had it easy, especially during winters.
