Customs

In Finland, some customs are different than other country. But it’s not really difficult to adapt himself; you just have to respect the other.

In fact the Finns are known to be very fair and very respectful of others. Everyone is equal, no matter the gender, the age or the color.

In different than other country Finns are really direct and frank. If they need to say something, they will say it. And they are used to saying exactly what they think. But the Finns speak slowly, and are modes. Indeed modesty is an important value in Finland. So Finns peoples say what they think, but with respect, never to be mean.

They respect the other person and they want to be respect too. A way to respect them is to keep a “safety distance” between you and your interlocutor. The normal distance is one arm size between two persons. Another way is to never interrupt someone talking. It is really rude.

When I arrived in Finland someone told me that it’s normal to not talk all the time with someone. The silence is not something really negative. Two friends like to be together even if they don’t talk. A Finns person can think you are annoying if all the time you try to begin a conversation.  They don’t like small talk.

Furthermore is common to say that the Finns don’t talk easily with people they don’t know, but me in Jyvaskyla I don’t agree with that In fact all the time the people are really nice when you are lost in the city, or when you need something. For example, during a walk with some friend I blokes my back. It’s was Sunday without any bus, and I needed to go to the drugstore to buy medicine and a belt for my back. So I hitchhiked, and a nice Finns family had taken me to the city center!

Punctuality is really important in Finland. It’s really rude to be late for an appointment. But some student said to me that it’s okay to be late for a lesson, but it’s not true. The punctuality is really important even if it’s a lesson and not an appointment.

SYMBOLS

The finish flag is a write flag with a blue cross. The blue cross means the different lac in Finland, and the write behind the cross means the snow.

The symbol of Finland is the lion because the coat of arms of Finland is a crowned lion on a red field, the right foreleg replaced with an armoured hand brandishing a sword, trampling on a sabre with the hindpaws.

National celebrations

The first of January is a public holiday, because it’s New Year!

The first of May is the Labor Day.

And the day of independence is the 6 of December.

Finland is a Christian country, so a lot of national holidays are similar to France.

The 6 of January for Epiphany, the day of for the good Friday, Easter, and Easter Monday, the Ascension, Pentecost, the saints days and the feast of Saint John. They also have the 13 of December for St. Lucia, and the 24 and 25 of December for Christmas, and the 26 of December for St. Etienne.

CULTURAL HABITS

The most typical cultural habit of Finland is the sauna. In fact the sauna has an important place in the life of a Finn. It’s a relaxing place to go alone, with friend, family and also colleagues. It’s a really important to know that if someone invited you to go to the sauna it’s really rude to say no. The finish people normally go naked to the sauna, but they accept the swimsuit for foreign people.

FAMILY HABITS

Families are important for the finish people. If you are invited to have a dinner in a family it’s can be interesting to know some family habits.

Usually, the Finns remove they shoes before coming to a house. In fact with the weather the shoes are all the time wet. It’s more respectfully to take off the shoes in order to not dirty the floor. 

Like in France, if you are invited to a dinner it’s good to offer a small gift to the hostess, like flowers, a bottle of wine, chocolate or the desert.

You have to remember than Finns like to have privacy, so you have to be very respectful to the hostess when you are in his house. Because the house is a private part of the family, it’s an honor to be invited in the house.