I’m originally from Estonia so finnish culture was something new for me. Estonian culture is mostly borrowed from Russia etc. Finland, on the other hand, has culture mostly of it’s own. When I tell foreigners about Finland I begin with our education system and our healthcare. Those are the things I’m most proud of as a finn because our healthcare and education system are better than in most countries.
As others have written, nature is important to us. We are proud of our forests and lakes. The best way to enjoy our nature is to spend time at the cottage in the woods, near to a lake. That’s where townspeople and hard workers relax. Also we have many nature parks near to big cities and the cities itself have lots of vegetation. Our nature changes with the seasons and every season has it’s beauty. Finlands speciality is Lapland, where the winter is longest and snowiest. Summers in Lapland are magical. There you can experience the green mountains, the quiet deserts and the nightless nights. The northern lights are a must see!
Because nature and climate are so important to us, we carry a huge responsibility for them. Sometimes it can be overwhelming when we make not-so-good environmental decisions. Like when we buy plane tickets to somewhere warm and sunny in the middle of depressing winter or when we choose spanish cucumber instead of finnish because the taste is better. But we compensate our bad choices with many good choices. For example, our recycling system is very advanced and most finns utilize it. Our grocery store are full of greener and organic alternatives and finns prefer domestic products. Also the popularity of finnish recycled crafts and design is on the rise. Not forgetting our comprehensive and functional public transportation, which reduces private car use. Finnishness is love and great responsibility towards our nature.
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