To me, Finnishness is a lot about practicality. In Finnish culture it’s considered obvious, that everyone takes their shoes off before entering someones house, to avoid bringing mud and dirt inside. Stereotype is, that Finnish person never speaks, unless he/she has something to say, which is super-practical (although I’m not fully sure this one is true nowadays). Finland has got a really pure and beautiful nature, and most Finns have a close relationship and respect for it. Finns are also undisputedly a bit “whacky”: who on earth first had the idea that going into a steaming hot sauna and sweat there for ages is good for you? Well, by my own experience I must say that Sauna sounds crazy to rest of the world, but it’s really super-relaxing and to me by far the best thing in Finnish culture! In person Finns are often reliable, honest and friendly, yet often they may also seem a bit shy and reserved among strangers. The gist is, that you must win the Finnish person’s trust to your side and get to know to him/her better. Once you have succeeded in that, a Finnish person is reliable and really friendly towards you.
Even though winter in Finland is beautiful (especially in Lapland), I’m a bigger fan of summertime myself.
Essential part of Finnish summer among summer cottages, saunas and thousands of lakes is the national sport – Pesäpallo.
Derived from American baseball, pesäpallo (“pesis” or Finnish baseball) is fast, tactical and fun game to play and watch. The developer of pesäpallo, Lauri Tahko Pihkala, saw a baseball game in America in the early 20th century. He thought that the game has a certain appeal on it, but it should be much faster. So he took some elements from baseball, added a few spices of his own, and created Pesäpallo. Just like in baseball, in pesäpallo there’s 4 bases in the field and two teams playing against each other. The aim is to hit a ball witch is pitched vertically at you, and make your way to the first base with maximum of three swings. Next batters will try their best to help runners advancing to next bases and finally back to home base. Every time a runner gets fairly to home base, a point is scored. The defensing team is doing their best to stop this by making outs from the runners. If the ball is delivered to the base where runner is attempting before him, it’s an out. When three outs are made, teams switch places and this time the defensive team tries to score.
Main differences between baseball and pesäpallo are propably these two: pitch is vertical, so hitting the ball is lot easier than in baseball. Pitch must be 1 meter above the pitcher’s head and it should land onto a circle plate (diameter 60cm). The second main difference is that bases are lined up in a zig-zag pattern, and are round areas marked in the field, no base plates as in baseball.
As hitting the ball is relatively easy, the batter and runners are not forced to advance on the next base after a fair shot. Only after the third swing batter is forced to advance.
The rules also differ for what it comes to mid-air catches and foul shots. When hitting, the key is not to hit the ball as far as possible, because like in tennis, every shot should bounce inside the field lines. If the ball bounces outside field lines, shot is called foul, and the runners aren’t allowed to advance then. Unlike in baseball, if the ball is caught mid-air, hitter is not out. If any runners are not safe on base during the time ball is caught mid-air, the runners are forced to try and advance to next base. If runner succeeds, he is moved out from the field back to home base without further consequences.
These differences make pesäpallo a fast, tactical and interesting sport than baseball, and it sure is one of the best ways to spend your summertime in Finland. Pesis is the most Finnish of all sports.
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