Finnishness for me
These are the 3 things that first came to my mind when asked “what is Finnishness” they may not be the best description of our culture but what I have learned to appreciate.
Sauna
I’m sure if you ask a Finnish person to name one thing about their country 90 % will answer sauna. It truly represents our culture in more ways than just being a hot room where you throw water on rocks and sit naked. It gives you peace of mind and deep relaxation. When people think of a sauna, they don’t think of an electrical one in an apartment complex but a proper wooden one in the nature next to a lake. This connects it to nature as well.
Love for the country
Finnish people love their country. Even though we complain about the weather and taxes everyone still deeply loves this country and wants to defend it. This is why the conscript service is so successful. Almost everyone views it as a service for their country and even lots of women decide to join even though it’s not mandatory for them. Everyone wants this country to prosper, and should it be attacked then everyone will do whatever they can and need to protect it.
Quietness
Finnish people are very quiet and introverted when it comes to strangers. We rarely do small talk and tend to avoid situations where we must interact with people we don’t know. This has led to the misconception that Finnish people are quiet and shy. If you spend more than five minutes with a Finnish person, you’ll soon realize they are just like everyone else, we just don’t like to waste our time talking to people we are never going to speak to again. But with our friends we tend to be really open.
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