A brief introduction to Finnishness

There is usually some truth 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

Geography and People

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.

The Finnish language is actually very ergonomic. You can just slap as many suffixes as you want on the end of a word, such as in, paikka/nsa/ pitä/mättö/myy/dessä/nsä/kö/hän/kään ([not] in their incorrectness either). There’s also pretty much no end to making compounds: lentokonesuihkuturbiinimoottoriapumekaanikkoaliupseerioppilas (Airplane jet turbine motor assistant mechanic non-commissioned officer trainee).

It should also be mentioned that Finns find it funny when Germans put verb clusters at the end of subordinate clauses.

2. Seasons

There are five seasons in Finland. Summer is short, bright and breathtaking, autumn is colorful and crisp. Winter is long, cold and beautiful. Spring is wonderful because winter is finally over. The fifth season is the second winter, which always arrives just when you think the damn winter is over.

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

4. Character

Every nation has certain hardened perceptions of its character, which often spread to neighboring countries too. For example, Finns are supposedly taciturn, honest, hardworking, trustworthy, humble, inventive, violent, drunk, shy, frumpy and persistent.

All of these are true.

But Finns are also talkative, cosmopolitan, educated, lazy, dishonest, affectionate, teetotalers, beautiful, outdoorsy, urban, gay, heterosexual, dour, xenophobic and very tolerant.

Central to the nature of Finns are pessimism and self-flagellation. For example, the people who succeed in Finnish politics are those who know how to paint the darkest and ugliest future. People typically succeed in politics by promising that everything will go to hell if they’re not elected.

1. Restaurants

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.

2. 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, which is coincidentally the same as what was recommended during the coronavirus pandemic. Any more distant and you have to raise your voice (bad) and any less and you might make physical contact (even worse).

3. Queuing

There are many unwritten rules for standing in line, and we follow them strictly. Don’t stand too close to the person in front of or behind you. An acceptable distance would be just far enough so the queue doesn’t look like a queue. This results in each person’s place in line being constantly open to question. Therefore, you have to glare at others to make sure they don’t cut. Also, to make sure you don’t cut ahead yourself. This makes queuing quite laborious.

There is also no talking in line. Not to the cashier, but especially not to the other customers. If someone speaks, we act like we don’t hear them. Money should be retrieved well in advance: The cash register is not the place to be digging out and counting coins or selecting which credit card to use. You have to think of others. No one wants to be standing in line any longer than they have to.

4. At the store

Haggling is not at all customary in Finland. It’s embarrassing for Finns. It gives the impression that someone can’t afford what they’re buying or the seller is trying to swindle the customer. This simply doesn’t happen in Finland.

In Finnish society, you can’t charge someone anything less than what is on the price tag because then there wouldn’t be the right amount of money in the register at the end of the day. The cash register has to balance perfectly. That is what Finnishness is all about.

But we’re still frugal in Finland: we could drive 500 kilometers in search of cheaper gasoline.

5. Dating

When a Finn is head over heels in love, they ask the object of their love out for coffee. Either one can take the initiative. At the café, each pays for their own food and drinks. No one brings flowers or other gifts. We just drink filtered coffee and think anxiously about what to say next. Men look at their hands. Women then also look at the man’s hands. For this reason, it’s a good idea to keep your hands clean.

If one of the people is a foreigner, a good topic for conversation is Finland and Finnishness. The point of saunas should not be questioned, however. 1. The maternity package

In addition to the Winter War, one of the things Finland takes the greatest pride in is when the state gives each newborn baby a cardboard box full of baby items. It’s an ingenious way to save on the expense of a bed, since the baby can sleep in the cardboard box. Buying an actual bed would be stupid, since babies rarely seem to sleep, especially at night. Condoms have also been wisely added to the maternity package so that the state can save on the cost of future maternity packages.

Maternity packages are also an export product. In one audacious attempt at international marketing, a maternity package was sent to the English royals, who hadn’t previously thought of sleeping in cardboard boxes. The maternity package has been available to all mothers since 1949.

2. Sisu

In their own minds, Finns are the most tenacious nation in the world. We still remind people that Finland was the only country in the world to pay back its war reparations and Marshall Plan aid, thus earning its reputation as the “Country that paid its debts”.

Finns do not want to be indebted to anyone in their private lives either. 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.

3. 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.

4. Obedience

Finns love rules. They also love to hate rules, but everyone obeys them all the same. This is reflected not only in strange laws (a 15-year-old can obtain a license to buy a shotgun but cannot buy sparklers), but also in the fact that in 2018 there were about 140,000 nonprofit organizations in Finland.

For Finns, it’s always preferable to handle things rigidly, bureaucratically and in accordance with rules. For many, serving as the president, treasurer, or the like of a nonprofit organization is an honor and a sign that they are respected members of society with a reasonable but not excessive amount of influence.

5. Equality

Finland is one of the most equal countries in the world. Women were given the right to vote in 1906, and they have been able to participate in working life just like men since the end of the world wars at the latest. Women actually work even more than men, since they also do most of the housework (about 60%). Women are also the majority of university students in Finland.

Of course, there is still room for improvement. At public events, the queues for women’s restrooms are an ongoing problem because the number of toilets is always calculated incorrectly. s