The four seasons
One of the best things about Finland is the four seasons. We have spring, summer, fall and winter and they are all very different.
During spring the temperature starts getting warmer and you can actually go outside and not have your hair and eyelashes literally freeze. People start to crawl out of their homes and you might actually see people while you are going grocery shopping or just on a walk. The first days that the temperature rises above 0 degrees you can already see some finns outside with just a t-shirt and shorts on because it’s almost summer.
After spring comes the summer. Beaches are crowded and people are outside all the time enjoying the sun and light while there finally is some. The myth about the days when the sun never sets is true. These days are called nightless nights. You literally have sunlight 24/7. Finns really make the most of the summer season by spending most of their time outside.
Then comes the fall. You can see red and orange leaves everywhere because even the trees are getting ready for winter by dropping all their leaves. People start to withdraw to their homes and cottages and prepare themselves for winter. During fall the finnish forests are filled with mushrooms and berries. So naturally during fall finns love to go to the forest, collect mushrooms and berries and then fill their freezers with them so that they can eat them or cook them during other seasons when there aren’t as many of them or not even at all.
After fall it’s time to welcome the season what Finland is known about; winter. During winter you’ll notice that the myth about days when the sun won’t rise is true. You might have a few hours when there’s some light but otherwise it’s pitch black outside. During winter finns are practicing their most loved hobby; sitting naked (or sometimes in swimsuits) in a steaming hot room (sauna) and then doing a plunge in the ice cold water through a hole that has been cut to the ice. Winter is in my opinion the best time to spot northern lights so it’s definitely a must do thing in Finland during winter. During winter it’s also very popular hobby among Finns to go downhill skiing.
All of these seasons with their own weird and unique features are in my opinion one of the best parts of Finland.
Finnish people
Finns are claimed to be the happiest population in the world. At first glance it might definitely seem like it’s the complete opposite. Everybody is avoiding human contacts the best way they can, people always take that 5 meters distance to other people and strangers won’t speak to one another. But eventhough people may look a bit stiff, quiet and maybe even depressed outside, I promise that when you actually get to know finns, they are the greatest and happiest people on earth. We are a super friendly and warm-hearted population. You just need to be brave enough to get to know us and I promise you will meet so many amazing people.
Public holidays
One thing that is also an important part of finnishness in my opinion are all of our public holidays that also include strong traditions. One of my favourite public holidays that we celebrate in Finland, that isn’t a big deal in most other countries, is midsummer. In Finland midsummer is a day in the middle of the summer when the day is the longest, meaning we have the most sunlight. After midsummer the days start to shorten, meaning that the the amount of sunlight will decrease day by day. During midsummer all the finns gather to cottages with their friends and family to celebrate. Making a bonfire and gathering to watch it is an important tradition during midsummer. People also like to test out these old myths called midsummer magics during midsummer. One of my favourite midsummer magics goes like this: you need to collect seven different flowers and put them under your pillow and then you will see your future spouse in your dreams.
One other holiday that has its own traditions and is celebrated in Finland is Labor Day. It’s also a public holiday that isn’t celebrated as much in other countries than in Finland. It is especially popular public holiday among students. During Labor Day which we call “vappu” it’s a tradition to eat sugar doughnuts and drink a traditional drink called sima. Among university students vappu lasts usually many weeks and the weeks are filled with different kind of activities, parties and events. It’s also a tradition to wear this graduation cap that you get when you finish the Finnish matriculation examination during vappu. University and university of applied sciences students also have these overalls that they wear in student events and parties. So naturally during vappu you can spot students wearing these different colored overalls .
Conclusions
I am very proud and happy to be a finn. I love our country and culture very much and I’m super proud of it. I feel really privileged to have been able to born and live here. I love all our traditions and I think they are very special. Our nature is also in my opinion incredible.
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