Finnishness

What it means to be Finnish

What are Finns like?

In Finland, people are honest, hard working and reliable, still at the same time, Finns are caring, loving and funny people. Also, at least in some ways we are carefree too, like we don’t take things too seriously. But for example, promise is a promise for a finn and if you don’t keep it, then it’s game over for you. Finnish people might seem quiet and shy to strangers at first, but when you get to know a finn and they have time to open themselves to you, the truth is usually something way different than shy and quiet. And one thing we love is sauna, and I think it’s one of the first things people have in mind when thinking about Finnishness.

In Finland, we can celebrate everything, there is always something to throw a party for and if it’s not, finns will still find a reason to party. For example, we celebrate Juhannus=Midsummer, in the end of June, when the day is the longest. People usually goes to their summer cottages and there goes to sauna and swims in the lake. Big bonfire is usually lighted up too.

First of May (vappu) is maybe the most important time for students. Parks are full of happy students drinking and celebrating together, wearing their overalls and graduation hats. First of May you can also see lots of balloons, serpentine and drink called Sima. That’s also a sign that summer is slowly coming after a long dark and cold time.

And of course Christmas is very important time for Finns, because then all family members get together and spend time with each other.

Last but not least, one thing I wanted to mention is the Finnish nature. Finland is called “land of thousands of lakes” and it really is true. We also have a looot of forests, and i think it’s nice that even if you live in a middle of town you always can find a forest near you. Finnish nature is so beautiful and it’s amazing how different Finland looks like in summer compared to winter. One of the coolest things I’ve ever seen are Northern Lights in Lapland in the middle of the night. You can see them especially in north of Finland in winter time. All in all, I’m happy to live in Finland and see all of our four seasons; Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Processing comments...

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *