The word Finnishness makes me think of the close relationship that Finns have with nature. Finland has thousand lakes and more than 75% of the land is covered by forest, making Finland the most forested country in Europe. Many Finns engage in recreational activities outdoors. Nature also has an uplifting effect on mental health, which might be one of the reasons why Finland is one of the happiest countries in the world.
Freedom to roam (“jokamiehenoikeus”) is quite big in Finland. It means you can enjoy nature anywhere, no matter who owns the land. You can for example camp, hike, ski, and cycle freely, as long as it’s not too close to someone’s private home. You can pick wild berries, mushrooms, and flowers unless they belong to protected species. You can fish with a simple rod and line, and you can use boats in bodies of water and swim and bathe. In frozen lakes and rivers, you can walk, ski, drive a motor vehicle and fish. In national parks these can be restricted to protect the nature. The freedom to roam also comes with responsibilities. You are not allowed to disturb people or animals and you should not harm the nature. Littering is not allowed, so that everyone can enjoy the clean nature.
There are many outdoor hobbies that Finns like to partake in. These include walking, running, swimming, cycling, using outdoor gyms, etc. Nordic walking (“sauvakävely”) originated from Finland and it’s quite popular. In winter Finns like to go skiing and skating. Finland has a quite high gun ownership. This is mostly due to hunting or shooting for sport. After using a sauna, many people like to go outside and jump in a lake or roll in the snow.
When I was little, me and my family used to go berry picking. We would mostly pick blueberries, raspberries, and lingonberries. Sometimes we even collected cloudberries in Lapland. Cloudberries are one of my favorite berries, but they can get expensive because they are sensitive to weather. Cloudberries are highly valued and during their season I have seen multiple cars parked on the roads next to bogs where they grow. Experienced berry pickers know the best spots. I have never picked mushrooms though because my family does not like to eat them.
I have also fished when I was young. I’ve fished on a boat on a lake and on riverbanks and during winter I’ve went ice fishing. As a family we’ve also gone camping and we have camped also in Sweden and Norway. We don’t own a summer cottage but for many Finns it is a way to spend their vacation. Unfortunately, nowadays I have not spent that much time in nature. I don’t own equipment for fishing or berry picking. I could easily go and take walks in forests, but I have been too busy and lazy. But perhaps I could get more energy if I did do that!
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