When I reflect on what it means to be Finnish, I find it difficult to narrow down my experiences, as Finnishness is so much more than just the obvious things such as the sauna, education, being the happiest country in the world, Santa Claus, the diversity and purity of nature, sisu, honesty and a small population. When I reflect on Finnishness, what stands out most in my mind is the diversity of our language and all its dialects, traditions and customs, sport and culture such as art, music and films. Who else could relate to our Christmas sauna with its sauna elves or the #torille meme?
Although we Finns are prone to being modest and downplaying our achievements, we have many reasons to be proud of our nation and our homeland. It is, for example, beyond comprehension how such a small nation has managed to gain independence and become a welfare state. I believe that our character and values, amongst other things, have been the driving forces behind this. Finns see nature and the environment as an important part of our lives, as they play a major role in our well-being. In nature, we can pick berries, forage for mushrooms, go hiking and relax. We want to cherish nature and its animals. As the Finnish saying goes, “a beloved child has many names”, and so does Finland’s national animal, the bear: otso, mesikämmen, kontio, ohto, metsän omena, nalle, and so on.
Personally, I love our language and its diversity. Our various dialects are delightful and bring us together. Although some dialect words may initially cause confusion amongst people, I feel that ultimately, they teach us something new about our culture and thus bring us even closer together as people. Whenever I’m abroad, I feel that the Finnish language offers me privacy and, through that, a sense of security, as few people I meet understand our language. Our ”secret” language is one of the cornerstones of our culture.
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