Finnish winter is long, cold and dark. I think it is a season you either hate or love, but it definitely can be amazingly beautiful. During winter, Finns go downhill skiing, ice skating and cross-country skiing. Also, Finns are crazy about ice hockey, so it’s really popular during the winter. For me, Finnish winter represents the Finnish “sisu” and the ability to keep going even in difficult conditions. Finnish people may be a little more introverted during winter and autumn compared to spring and summer. The composition that comes to my mind when I think of a Finnish winter is Jean Sibelius’s Finlandia.
January
Spring in Finland is beautiful because the nature is slowly coming alive again. The birds start to sing and the snow melts away. The weather gets warmer and the sun stays up longer. People are waiting for the summer holidays, so everyone is quite busy and stressed. Many people are already planning the plans for the summer. One composition that comes to my mind when I think of the Finnish spring, is the Spring Song by Jean Sibelius.
April
The summer is what pretty much all Finns wait for the whole year. The Finnish summer is quite short, so people try to enjoy it as much as they can. They go to their summer cottages to enjoy the sauna and swimming in the lake or the sea. They invite their friends over and have a grill party. People are more extroverted and happy, especially when the sun is shining and the weather is warm. People organize summer parties and the Finnish baseball season is at its best. Many Finns also like golfing and disc golfing during the summer. For me, summer is definitely the best time of the year. Oskar Merikanto composed a piece called “Kesäillan valssi” (Summer Evening Waltz), which for me represents the joy of Finns during summer.
June
Autumn is rainy and dark in Finland. The days are slowly getting shorter and Finns start to spend more time inside. The leaves on the trees turn colorful and some people argue that it’s the most beautiful time of the year. The Finnish baseball season ends and the ice hockey season starts. People go back to work after their holidays and they get more serious. You have to put your shorts in your closet and wait for the next warm day, which is 9 months away. Finns are very melancholic during the dark days, so Jean Sibeliu’s Valse triste describes these emotions really well.
September
Overall I’m really happy to be able to live in Finland. The changing seasons affect almost every aspect of Finnish life, they affect music, art, culture and the emotions of Finnish people. Even though Finland is a really small country, the nature makes it even more unique.
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