A brief introduction to Finnishness

There is usually another side to stereotypes and clichés, so they can be enlightening when you want to get to know Finland and Finnishness. So here we go: How to understand Finns!

Written by roope Lipasti transLated by aLex ahLgren & oWen F. Witesman

1. Language

The Finnish language is very difficult, so much so that Finns themselves even avoid using it, which is why Finns often prefer to speak through their actions.

2. Tribes

Several very different tribes live in Finland. When traveling in Finland, it’s a good idea to take into account at least the following factors about the way these tribes behave:

The East is home to talkative and emotional people who are usually crying when they aren’t laughing. These are the Karelians. To the west of Karelians live the Savonians, who consider themselves folksy but not everyone appreciates the subtlety of their wit.

Going even further west, you find the Häme people, whom we won’t mention further because they don’t like to call too much attention to themselves. Conversely, on the West Coast people are even quieter than normal, which is good because what few words they say are usually rude.

Ostrobothnians place their trust in two higher powers, themselves and God, especially the former. Finns in the middle of the country do not have any special characteristics other than that everyone owns their own lake. The north is home to people who live 150 kilometers from the nearest convenience store and 140 from a mailbox, which has made them quite broad-minded.

There is also a large minority of Swedish-speaking Finns, who differ from others in that they are beautiful, rich, healthy and live on the coast.

3. Personal space

Personal space is important for Finns. This may be due to the fact that the country’s size is 338,424 square kilometers, which means that each Finn (5.5 million people) could have 61 hectares to themselves.

Being in close quarters with others is a vexing experience for Finns. A good conversational distance is two meters. Any more distant and you have to raise your voice (bad) and any less and you might make physical contact (even worse). 4. Reliability

Finns are the most reliable people in the world. This is evident in many areas, not least in large-scale industry. If you order a ship from the Finns, it arrives as agreed and on time. In Finland, schedules and sticking to them are valued perhaps more than anything else. The construction industry, rail transport and public procurement are, of course, exceptions to this.

You cannot offend a Finn worse than by arriving late to an appointment without a valid reason. These include death and dying.

5. In a restaurant/pub

In Finland, it is important not to be a bother. You see this especially in restaurant culture: Waiters often aren’t particularly friendly, if there even is one. Many times you have to pick up your drinks and even your food from the counter yourself. We don’t tip since it’s usually equated with giving alms.

Above all, in restaurants it is important to eat quietly and without complaining, no matter how bad the food. When the server asks if you like your meal, you’re supposed to nod and smile and say that you just ate at home, which is why you didn’t finish your plate.

Finns do not want to be indebted to anyone. It causes them anxiety if a friend offers them a glass of beer, which is why the warmest friendships arise between those who never give each other anything. s

Roope Lipasti is the editor in chief of Saimaa Times.