I wasn’t born in Finland and my family’s culture and customs are a bit different from Finns. However, I have lived most of my life here in Finland and I think some of that “Finnishness” has rubbed on me, because quite often you can hear my relatives say “That’s so Finnish.” Here’s just a few of mentions.
Personality
Now, people often describe Finns as very shy and quite rude, but my experience isn’t quite like that. There are outgoing and loud people among Finns, just like in any other country. Finnish people just usually tend to avoid unnecessary small talk and complimentaries that they do not mean. I guess I would describe them as very straight forward kind of people, who value their privacy.
Sauna
People often think that Finns like the sauna because of the cold winters, but they also use them during summer time. Of course a hot sauna feels good after spending time clearing your driveway from snow, but I would say that the sauna has more of a social meaning. Families and friends gather around for “sauna nights”, which often would include food and drinks such as beer. Sauna is also probably the only place where Finns are fine with sitting next to each other in close proximity. Completely nude, might I add.
Summer cottages
Finns appreciate and are very proud of their forests and lakes, which is probably why they build/buy/rent summer cottages near lakes and spend their summers there. Typically Finns prefer more rustic cottages that don’t include the luxuries they have at home, because the whole point of summer cottages is to enjoy the nature and do outdoor activities, such as barbecuing, fishing and swimming.
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