When I first got to Finland, I was amazed by the gorgeous scenery and how Finnish culture closely intertwines with the nature. The country boasts having the highest number of lakes in the world, which amounts to 187,888 official ones, and Finns like to gather at their cottages by the water to enjoy their holidays with quietness and relaxation.
In the winter when everything freezes over, a greatly enjoyed traditional activity is called “avanto”, which can be translated as “hole in the ice”, since Finns swim in a hole in a frozen lake, and it is usually paired with the other national love: sauna. Whether it’s sauna or ice bathing, it shows that Finns always take it to extremes and from that they have trained themselves to be strong, hardy, resilient and determined or “sisu” – the untranslatable concept proudly used by Finns to describe themselves.
There is also a significant number of forests in Finland and Finns also enjoy spending their time there, the activities mainly consist of walking, running, berry or mushroom picking. They even have a law called “jokamiehenoikeus” or “everyman’s right” that ensures everyone can wander around forests.
Another interesting fact about Finnish culture is that it is home to many eccentric competitions such as swamp soccer world championships, berry picking world championships, mobile phone throwing world championships and wife carrying world championships.
Additionally, Finland is where Moomin, Angry Birds and Nokia came from. Its northern city Lapland is also known as home of Santa Claus.
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