Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Finns head en-masse for the
mökki
from Midsummer until the end of the July holidays.
Most Finns of any age could forage in a forest for an hour at the right time of year and
emerge with a feast of fresh berries, wild mushrooms and probably a fish or two. City-
dwelling Finns are far more in touch with nature than most of their European equivalents.
Despite its proximity, Finland is generally considered not to be part of Scandinavia, either
culturally or geographically. Many Finnish-speaking Finns are insistent on this point, and
prefer the less specific term 'Nordic countries' to describe Finland and its western neigh-
bours.
Sisu
Finland is not Scandinavia, nor is it Russia; nevertheless, Finnish tradition owes something
to both cultures. But the modern Finn is staunchly independent. The long struggle for
emancipation, together with the battle to survive in a harsh environment, has engendered
an ordered society which solves its own problems in its own way. They have also given
birth to the Finnish trait of
sisu,
often translated as 'guts', or the resilience to survive pro-
longed hardship. Even if all looks lost, until the final defeat, a Finn with
sisu
will fight - or
swim, or run, or work - valiantly. This trait is valued highly, with the country's heroic res-
istance against the Red Army in the Winter War usually thought of as the ultimate ex-
ample.
Traditional ballroom-style dancing is big in Finland in dedicated dance bar/restaurants or
in summer dance pavilions. The website
www.tanssi.net
encourages visitors to participate
in a night of Finnish dancing (no Finnish required) and has a detailed English page ex-
plaining the etiquette.
Saunas
No matter where you are in Finland, you'll never be far from a sauna (pronounced
sah
-oo-
nah, not
saw
-nuh). With over two million in homes, hotels, summer cottages, campsites
and numerous other unlikely places, saunas are prescribed to cure almost every ailment,
and are used to seal business deals or just socialise over a few beers.
