Finland Agriculture

Hayfield
hayfield
The climate of Finland is such that it has made Finland Agriculture a tough undertaking. The reasons for this situation is that Finland has tough winter season, comparatively inadequate and acidic arable land, the growing seasons are also interrupted by the problem of frost. In the early days the farmers in Finland used to cultivate only grains to feed its inhabitants. Cheap grains from Russia and America were imported in the 1880s and 1890s.

At present the scenario of Finland Agriculture has changed. The production has increased and it has lead to the decreasing in the number of farms, since due to the advancement of agricultural technologies fewer people are required in the farms. The average farm size in Finland in the year 1999 was about 25 hectares only.

Forestry in Finland is now the most noteworthy provider to the agricultural production. Finland’s Timber reserves have also increased by more than 25 percent since 1970s due to the enhancement in harvest techniques. The forest production in Finland goes to the industrial sector for making paper products, wooden furniture etc. Finland exports 25 percent of the world production in the area of paper.

In the south western part of Finland farming is given significance and in the other parts the cultivation is limited to the forest boundaries. The number of farms in the year 2002 in Finland was 74, 328. The principal crops that are grown in Finland are oats, potatoes, sugar beets, and wheat. In Finland the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry was accountable for the policies which dealt with the agricultural issues.





Potato field

Midsummer day

Before 1316, the summer solstice was called Ukon juhla, after the Finnish god Ukko. In Karelian tradition, many bonfires were burned side by side, the biggest of which was called Ukko-kokko (the "bonfire of Ukko"). After the celebrations were Christianized, the holiday is known as juhannus after John the Baptist (Finnish: Johannes Kastaja).

Since 1955, the holiday is always on a Saturday (between June 20 and June 26). Earlier it was always on June 24. A lot of the celebration of midsummer takes place on midsummer eve, when many workplaces are closed and shops have to close their doors at noon.

In the Finnish midsummer celebration, bonfires (Finnish kokko) are very common and are burnt at lakesides and by the sea.Often two young birch trees (koivu) are placed on either side of the front door to welcome visitors. Swedish-speaking Finns often celebrate by erecting a midsummer or maypole (Swedish midsommarstång, majstång)

In folk magic, midsummer was a very potent night and the time for many small rituals, mostly for young maidens seeking suitors and fertility. Will o wisps were believed to be seen at midsummer night, particularly to finders of the mythical "fern in bloom" and possessors of the "fern seed", marking a treasure. An important feature of the midsummer in Finland is the white night and the midnight sun. Because of Finland's location spanning around the Arctic Circle the nights near the midsummer day are short or non-existent. This gives a great contrast to the darkness of the winter time.

Many Finns leave the cities for Midsummer and spend their holiday in the countryside. Rituals include bonfires, sauna and spending time together. Heavy drinking is also associated with the Finnish midsummer^.

Many music festivals of all sizes are organized on the Midsummer weekend. It's also common to start summer holidays on Midsummer day. For many families the Midsummer is the time when they move to the countryside to their summer cottage by the lake. Midsummerday is also the Day of the Finnish Flag. The flag is hoisted at 6 pm on Midsummer eve and flown all night till 9 pm the following evening^.

Depression in Finland

5-6 percentage point of Finnish peoples suffer about depression.

Finland and alcohol

Finland is considered a country of hard drinking people. Alcohol became a sad statistic in 2006 of becoming the number 1 cause of death for men and a close second for women in Finland. Figures for 2005 released by the state statistics agency showed alcohol killed more people aged 15 to 64 than cardiovascular disease or cancer.

Finland dropped the alcohol taxes radically on March 1st 2004. Prices of alcohol in Finland dropped around 22 percent. The primary reason for these taxes was to bring down the amount of alcohol brought outside Finnish borders, mainly from Russia and Estonia. But what did this booze-loving country do? Well started drinking more of course! And now they are considering of bringing the taxes back up...go figure =)

In my opinion, a Finn will keep on drinking no matter what the price is. At least I will (MetalGod).

Finlandia Vodka

Finlandia is a Finnish vodka produced from six-row barley. Of all Finnish products, it is the brand name that most foreigners associate with the country. Despite this it is almost exclusively directed at the export market. Finlandia was launched in Scandinavia in 1970 and in the United States in 1971. It is almost exactly the same alcohol as Koskenkorva[citation needed]. However, it has a slightly higher proof, 80, and lacks the small amount of sugar as in Koskenkorva. Even these minor modifications to the recipe result in a markedly dryer taste.

Today the Finlandia vodka brand is wholly owned by Brown-Forman Corporation, an American company. The contract between Altia and Brown-Forman determines that Altia remains the sole producer of Finlandia until at least 2017, and Altia produces the alcohol at the Koskenkorva distillery.

Koskenkorva

Koskenkorva Viina (also known simply as Koskenkorva, or Kossu) is the most common clear spirit drink (38%) in Finland, produced by Altia in the Koskenkorva distillery in Ilmajoki. The grain (barley) alcohol is produced using 200-step continuous distillation designed to produce high-purity industrial ethanol. The drink is produced by diluting this alcohol with spring water and a very small amount of sugar. Although commonly called a vodka in English, it is not considered a vodka in Finland. Instead, it is viina, simply "hard liquor", often used contextually similarly to the word "booze".

Besides the standard 38% near-unflavored there are several variants of Koskenkorva on the market, most notably the famous Salmiakki Koskenkorva, better known as Salmiakkikossu or Salmari, which is salmiakki-flavored. Another variant is the same Koskenkorva with rye instead of barley, marketed under the same concept as Koskenkorva Viina Ruis. There also exists a vanilla variant called Vanilja Koskenkorva. The Koskenkorva Vodka is the same drink, but with 40% or 60% alcohol instead of the traditional 38%, as this brand is intended for foreign markets. Finlandia Vodka, a vodka classified as "imported premium", is the same as Koskenkorva 40%, except that sugar is not added. Altia sold this brand, intended for foreign markets, to the American Brown-Forman Corporation, but remains the sole producer of Finlandia Vodka at least until 2017.

The Koskenkorva Viina bottle has a white label, with KOSKENKORVA VIINA - BRÄNNVIN in black, and a drawing of a scenery of fields with barns on them in light brown. The rye variant has a light brown field in pale, with the text RUIS. Salmiakki Koskenkorva has a completely different black label.

Kossu is at its best when it's cold, but can be also mixed for example with Coke (then it's called "Kossukola"), with Vichy water ("Kossuvissy"), orange juice ("screwdriver"), energy drink ("Kossu Battery") or certain (hard) salmiakki candies (Salmiakkikoskenkorva, Salmiakkikossu, Salmari). The last is often made by mixing ground Turkinpippuri with kossu, though other candies of similar type are also a possibilty and there also exists a ready salmiakki mixer for this particular purpose [1]. Another way of enjoying kossu, which has gained popularity recently, is mixing ground Fisherman's Friends to the drink.

The Altia Corporation is owned by the state of Finland. As an independent corporation, Altia would be free to relocate the distillery, if it were sold to a private investor. When the government considered selling the corporation, a popular movement grew to oppose this. The Koskenkorva distillery is the largest buyer for the barley farmers in the area. Without the distillery, cultivation of barley in the region would probably cease.

Furthermore, Finnish people recognize Koskenkorva as one of the symbols of Finnishness. It would be unlikely that "foreign Koskenkorva" would be accepted by the Finnish home market. Ironically, many other vodka brands brandishing symbols of Finnishness, such as Leijona with the Lion of Finland or Suomi-Viina, are partially produced from Estonian or other foreign raw materials. Koskenkorva Viina, and its unsugared counterpart Finlandia Vodka are one of the few actually Finnish vodkas on the market.

Trivia

• Koskenkorva is a small village - that belongs to municipality of Ilmajoki - in Finland that translates as "(area) by the rapids". The folk etymology "rapid's ear" is based on the fact that korva also means "ear".
• The original name of the drink was Koskenkorvan viina — notice the genetive 'n' — "liquor of Koskenkorva". The name was changed recently into Koskenkorva viina "Koskenkorva liquor". Furthermore, even older labels had the original name in the partitive as KOSKENKORVAN VIINAA "(some) liquor of Koskenkorva".
• Irwin Goodman's song repertoire included "Koskenkorvassa" ("In Koskenkorva"), where nearly every line is a double entendre interpretable as either a praise to either living in Koskenkorva village or being drunk of Koskenkorva Viina.
• In the song The Land Of Ice And Snow, Timo Tolkki, guitarist and songwriter of the Finnish heavy-metal band Stratovarius, describes Finland as the land "where Koskenkorva flows".

Salmiakkikoskenkorva (Salmari)

Salmiakki Koskenkorva, (also Salmiakkikossu for short or generically as Salmari) is a pre-mixed vodka cocktail which caused a minor revolution in drinking culture in Finland during the 1990s. Today, Salmiakkikossu is the number one drink amongst locals and tourists in many pubs and nightclubs in Finland. Canonically it consists of Koskenkorva Viina vodka and ground up Turkish Pepper brand salty liquorice.

Before the 1990s, Finland had a very thin and stratified cocktail culture. A single episode of The Simpsons changed all that[citation needed]; at Moe's Tavern, Homer Simpson invents a new cocktail, the Flaming Moe, which is a huge hit and earns Moe a fortune. The cocktail consisted of cough medicine amongst other ingredients. Inspired by this, some Finnish drinking establishments started serving a similar drink made out of ground ammonium chloride (salmiakki in Finnish) based candy. It became a trendy drink especially amongst the youth of the day, for which some consider and call it a "Teenager's vodka".

However, one must note that the origin and recipe of the beverage are based on anecdotal reference. The concept of mixing vodka and licorice probably existed long before the 1990s, since both Koskenkorva Viina vodka and Turkish Pepper licorice existed before the alleged invention the cocktail. On the other hand, Salmiakki Koskenkorva was one of the first pre-mixed cocktails that hit the market in Finland. Another well-known anecdote says that singer Jari Sillanpää invented the drink when he was working as a bartender in the late 1980s.

The taste of Salmiakki Koskenkorva resembles strongly that of black licorice and cough medicine (this is because the original mixture, see Apteekin salmiakki, used in Salmiakki Koskenkorva is also used in cough medicines), and has the additional effect of increasing salivation.

Tabloid scaremongering

Based on an urban legend of a mythical teenager who suffered a heart attack as a result of Salmari, tabloids were able to foment a furor strong enough for the state monopoly hard alcohol retailer to withdraw the premixed drink from sale throughout the country. They did not destroy their large stock, but merely warehoused it for five years, until the furor died down. Even when Salmiakkikossu was withdrawn, the effect it had on Finnish cocktail culture remained unabated. Salmari had brought cocktails to the masses.

Although the original rumor of heart attack was a hoax, the drink does have some dangerous properties (as do all strongly-flavored liquors). The strong flavor almost totally masks the presence of ethanol, and the imbiber may not realize he is consuming drink with almost 40% alcohol by volume (80-proof), leading to possible Alcohol poisoning.

Topography and geology

Lake Pielinen seen from a hill in Koli National Park.

Repovesi National Park in southeastern Finland. <<

Finland is a country of thousands of lakes and islands – 187,888 lakes (larger than 500 m²/0.12 acres) and 179,584 islands. Its largest lake, Saimaa, is the fourth largest in Europe. The Finnish landscape is mostly flat with few hills, and its highest point, the Halti at 1,324 metres (4,344 ft), is found in the extreme north of Lapland at the border between Finland and Norway. Forest covers 86% of the country's area the largest forested area in Europe. The forest consists of pine, spruce, birch, larch and other species. Finland is the largest producer of wood in Europe and among the largest in the world.

The landscape is covered mostly (seventy-five percent of land area) by coniferous taiga forests and fens, with little arable land. The most common type of rock is granite. It is a ubiquitous part of the scenery, visible wherever there is no soil cover. Moraine or till is the most common type of soil, covered by a thin layer of humus of biological origin. Podzol profile development is seen in most forest soils except where drainage is poor. Gleysols and peat bogs occupy poorly drained areas. The greater part of the islands are found in the southwest in the Archipelago Sea, part of the archipelago of the Åland Islands, and along the southern coast in the Gulf of Finland.

Finland is one of the few countries in the world whose surface area is still expanding. Owing to the post-glacial rebound that has been taking place since the last ice age, the surface area of the country is expanding by about 7 square kilometres (2.70 sq mi) annually.

The distance from the southernmost – Hanko – to the northernmRepovesi National Park in southeastern Finland.

ost point in the country – Nuorgam – is 1,445 kilometres (898 miles).

Pyhä-Luosto National Park, Lapland.

Foreign relations

Foreign relations

Main article: Foreign relations of Finland

According to the latest constitution of 2000, the president (currently Tarja Halonen) leads foreign policy in cooperation with the government (currently Prime Minister Mari Kiviniemi and Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb), except that the government leads EU affairs.^[28]

In 2008, President Martti Ahtisaari was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.^[29] Finland was considered a cooperative model state, and Finland did not oppose proposals for a common EU defence policy.^[30] This was reversed in the 2000s, when Tarja Halonen and Erkki Tuomioja made Finland's official policy to resist other EU members' plans for common defense.^[30

Finland

Flag
Finland (pronounced officially the Republic of Finland

Finnish: Suomi; Swedish: Finland is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden on the west, Norway on the north and Russia on the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.

Around 5.4 million people reside in Finland, with the majority concentrated in the southern part of the country. It is the eighth largest country in Europe in terms of area and the most sparsely populated country in the European Union. Finland is a parliamentary republic with a central government based in Helsinki and local governments in 342 municipalities. A total of about one million residents live in the Greater Helsinki area (which includes Helsinki, Espoo, Kauniainen and Vantaa), and a third of the country's GDP is produced there. Other larger cities include Tampere, Turku, Oulu, Jyväskylä, Kuopio, Kouvola and Lahti.

Finland was historically a part of Sweden and from 1809 on, an autonomous Grand Duchy within the Russian Empire. Finland's declaration of independence from Russia in 1917 was followed by a civil war, wars against the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, and a period of official neutrality during the Cold War. Finland joined the United Nations in 1955, the OECD in 1969, the European Union in 1995, and the eurozone since its beginning. Finland has been ranked the second most stable country in the world, in a survey based on social, economic, political and military indicators.

Finland was a relative latecomer to industrialization, remaining a largely agrarian country until the 1950s. Thereafter, economic development was rapid, and the country reached the world's top income levels in the 1970s. Between 1970 and 1990, Finland built an extensive welfare state. In the aftermath of the country's severe depression in the early 1990s, successive governments have changed the Finnish economic system through some privatisation, deregulation and tax cuts.

Finland is well placed in international comparisons of national performance such as the share of high-technology manufacturing and health care.^[8] The country is ranked 1st in the 2009 Legatum Prosperity rating, which is based on economical performance and quality of life


Coat of arms /Anthem: Maamme (Finnish)
Vårt land (Swedish)
"Our Land"(English).

Location of Finland (dark green) – on the European continent (light green & dark grey) – in the European Union (light green) — [Legend]
Capital (and largest city)		Helsinki 60°10′N 024°56′E / 60.167°N 24.933°E / 60.167; 24.933
Official language(s)		Finnish, Swedish
Recognised regional languages		Saami
Demonym		Finns, Finnish
Government		Parliamentary republic[1]
-	President	Tarja Halonen
-	Prime Minister	Mari Kiviniemi
Independence		from Russian Empire
-	Autonomy	March 29, 1809
-	Declared	December 6, 1917
-	Recognized	January 4, 1918
EU accession		January 1, 1995
Area
-	Total	338,424 km2 (64th) 130,596 sq mi
-	Water (%)	10
Population
-	2010 estimate	5,359,538[2] (111th)
-	2000 census	5,180,000
-	Density	16/km2 (201st) 40/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2009 estimate
-	Total	$179.598 billion[3]
-	Per capita	$33,556[3]
GDP (nominal)		2009 estimate
-	Total	$238.128 billion[3]
-	Per capita	$44,491[3]
Gini (2000)		26.9 (low)
HDI (2007)		▲ 0.959[4] (very high) (12th)
Currency		Euro (€)¹ (EUR)
Time zone		EET (UTC+2)
-	Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Drives on the		right
Internet TLD		.fi, .ax ²
Calling code		358
1	Before 2002: Finnish markka
2	The .eu domain is also used, as it is shared with other European Union member states.

Some of my favourite traditional Finnish food>>

Perunamuusi+makkarakastike/Mashed potatoes+sausage sauce.















Lasagne/Lasagna


Karjalanpiirakka/Karelian pasty





Lohi/Salmon













Tonnikalasalaatti/Tunafish salad

















Tuliset kanansiivet/Hot chicken wings

See also

• Architecture of Finland
• Holidays in Finland, Flag days in Finland, Namesdays in Finland
• List of Finns

List of iconic cultural aspects

a list of the "100 Greatest Finns" of all time as voted by the Finnish people in 2004.

Below are listed some of the characteristics of Finnishness. The term "Finnishness" is often referred to as the national identity of the Finnish people and its culture.

A triptych by Akseli Gallen-Kallela, depicting the Aino Story of Kalevala on three panes.

Finnish Maiden	a figure of national personification symbolising Finland
Kalevala	the national epic of Finland, and Finnish mythology in general
Kantele	traditional musical instrument
Mämmi	traditional Easter food
Kalakukko	traditional Savonian food
Mustamakkara	traditional blood sausage from Tampere
Karelian pasties	traditional pasties from the region of Karelia
Joulupukki	Father Christmas/Santa Claus
Jean Sibelius	one of the most popular national figures (composer of the symphonic poem Finlandia)
Sauna	a Finnish national institution (see also Finnish sauna)
Sisu	will, determination, perseverance, mental fortitude
Perkele	swear word (see Finnish profanity)
Puukko	traditional Finnish style woodcraft belt-knife
Talkoot	community work
Ice swimming	swimming in a body of water with a frozen crust of ice
Nordic walking	a recreational sport first popularized in Finland
Salmiakki	salty liquorice
Sahti	traditional beer
Koskenkorva	Finnish vodka
Reilu meininki	fair dealing
Flying Finn	a nickname given to notable Finnish sportsmen (originated with Olympic medalist Hannes Kolehmainen)

Sports

sports

Paavo Nurmi at the 1920 Summer Olympics

Main article: Sport in Finland

2007 Formula One World Champion Kimi Räikkönen celebrating victory at the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix.

Various sporting events are popular in Finland. Pesäpallo (reminiscent of baseball) is the national sport of Finland, although the most popular sports in Finland in terms of media coverage are Formula One, ice hockey and football. The Finnish national ice hockey team is considered one of the best in the world. During the past century there has been a rivalry in sporting between Finland and Sweden, mostly in ice hockey and athletics (Finland-Sweden athletics international). Jari Kurri and Teemu Selänne are the two Finnish-born ice hockey players to have scored 500 goals in their NHL careers. Football (the game known in the USA as soccer) is also popular in Finland, though the national football team has never qualified for a finals tournament of the World Cup or the European Championships. Jari Litmanen and Sami Hyypiä are the most internationally renowned of the Finnish football players.

Kiira Korpi is figure skater. As of January 2010, she was ranked 11th in the world.

Relative to its population, Finland has been a top country in the world in automobile racing, measured by international success. Finland has produced three Formula One World Champions – Keke Rosberg (Williams, 1982), Mika Häkkinen (McLaren, 1998 and 1999) and Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari, 2007). Along with Räikkönen, the other Finnish Formula One driver currently active is Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren). Rosberg's son, Nico Rosberg (Williams), is also currently driving, but under his mother's German nationality. Other notable Finnish Grand Prix drivers include Leo Kinnunen, JJ Lehto and Mika Salo. Finland has also produced most of the world's best rally drivers, including the ex-WRC World Champion drivers Marcus Grönholm, Juha Kankkunen, Hannu Mikkola, Tommi Mäkinen, Timo Salonen and Ari Vatanen. The only Finn to have won a road racing World Championship, Jarno Saarinen, was killed in 1973 while racing.

Janne Ahonen is considered one of the best and most successful ski jumpers of all time.

Among winter sports, Finland has been the most successful country in ski jumping, Sharon loves ski jumping, with former ski jumper Matti Nykänen being arguably the best ever in that sport. Most notably, he won five Olympic medals (four gold) and nine World Championships medals (five gold). Among currently active Finnish ski jumpers, Janne Ahonen has been the most successful. Kalle Palander is a well-known alpine skiing winner, who won the World Championship and Crystal Ball (twice, in Kitzbühel). Tanja Poutiainen has won an Olympic silver medal for alpine skiing, as well as multiple FIS World Cup races.

Some of the most outstanding athletes from the past include Hannes Kolehmainen (1890–1966), Paavo Nurmi (1897–1973) and Ville Ritola (1896–1982) who won eighteen gold and seven silver Olympic medals in the 1910s and 1920s. They are also considered to be the first of a generation of great Finnish middle and long-distance runners (and subsequently, other great Finnish sportsmen) often named the "Flying Finns". Another long-distance runner, Lasse Virén (born 1949), won a total of four gold medals during the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics.

Also, in the past, Riku Kiri, Jouko Ahola and Janne Virtanen have been the greatest strength athletes in the country, participating in the World's Strongest Man competition between 1993 and 2000.

The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were held in 1952 in Helsinki, Finland. Other notable sporting events held in Finland include the 1983 and 2005 World Championships in Athletics, among others.

Some of the most popular recreational sports and activities include floorball, Nordic walking, running, cycling and skiing.

Public holidays

All official holidays in Finland are established by acts of Parliament. The official holidays can be divided into Christian and secular holidays, although some of the Christian holidays have replaced holidays of pagan origin. The main Christian holidays are Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, Ascension Day, Pentecost, and All Saints Day. The secular holidays are New Year's Day, May Day, Midsummer Day, and the Independence Day. Christmas is the most extensively celebrated holiday: usually at least 23rd to 26th of December are holidays.

In addition to this, all Sundays are official holidays, but they are not as important as the special holidays. The names of the Sundays follow the liturgical calendar and they can be categorised as Christian holidays. When the standard working week in Finland was reduced to 40 hours by an act of Parliament, it also meant that all Saturdays became a sort of de facto public holidays, though not official ones. Easter Sunday and Pentecost are Sundays that form part of a main holiday and they are preceded by a kind of special Saturdays. Retail stores are prohibited by law from doing business on Sundays, except during the summer months (May through August) and in the pre-Christmas season (November and December). Business locations that have less than 400 square metres of floor space are allowed Sunday business throughout the year, with the exception of official holidays and certain Sundays, such as Mother's Day and Father's Day.

Cinema of Finland

Finland has a growing film industry with a number of famous directors such as Aki Kaurismäki, Timo Koivusalo, Aleksi Mäkelä and Klaus Härö. Hollywood film director/producer Renny Harlin (born Lauri Mauritz Harjola) was born in Finland.

Visual arts

Finns have made major contributions to handicrafts and industrial design. Finland's best-known sculptor of the twentieth century was Wäinö Aaltonen, remembered for his monumental busts and sculptures. Finnish architecture is famous around the world. Among the top of the twentieth century Finnish architects to win international recognition are Eliel Saarinen (designer of the widely recognised Helsinki Central railway station and many other public works) and his son Eero Saarinen. Alvar Aalto, who helped bring the functionalist architecture to Finland, is also famous for his work in furniture and glassware

Literature

Though Finnish written language could be said to exist since Mikael Agricola translated the New Testament into Finnish in the sixteenth century as a result of the Protestant Reformation, few notable works of literature were written until the nineteenth century, which saw the beginning of a Finnish national Romantic Movement. This prompted Elias Lönnrot to collect Finnish and Karelian folk poetry and arrange and publish them as Kalevala, the Finnish national epic. The era saw a rise of poets and novelists who wrote in Finnish, notably Aleksis Kivi and Eino Leino.

After Finland became independent there was a rise of modernist writers, most famously Mika Waltari. Frans Eemil Sillanpää was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1939 – so far the only one for a Finnish author. The second World War prompted a return to more national interests in comparison to a more international line of thought, characterized by Väinö Linna. Literature in modern Finland is in a healthy state, with detective stories enjoying a particular boom of popularity. Ilkka Remes, a Finnish author of thrillers, is very popular.

Festivities and Traditions

Finnish holidays are similar to the Western Christian calendar and Protestant traditions. Holidays and traditions are a blend of the thousand-year old Christian presence and vestiges of old Finnish pagan traditions.

Notable among these is Juhannus, the Finnish Midsummer. A majority of Finns retreat to summer cottages (mökki) on any one of Finland's numerous lakes. Depending on the region, a bonfire at midnight celebrates the summer solstice, and in Åland, the Swedish-originated tradition of dancing around the Maypole is observed. The midsummer traditions also include different versions of pairing magic and folklore in the festivities.

The Finnish Christmas, Joulu, follows traditions of Christmas trees and the Advent calendars. Holidays start on the 23rd of December. Gift giving occurs on Christmas Eve with a visit from Joulupukki (Father Christmas, Santa Claus). Traditional meals are typically only eaten on Christmas followed by sauna. Christmas Day is reserved for a "quiet day" ^[4] and the holidays end after the 26th, St. Stephen's Day (tapaninpäivä).

Easter is a combination of Christian and Pagan customs. Either on Palm Sunday or the Holy Saturday, children dress up as witches (noita) and go from door to door, giving away daffodil adorned branches of willow in exchange for sweets. This is similar to the United States celebration of Halloween. Burning Easter bonfires is a Pagan custom meant to keep witches at bay.

Vappu, or May Day is a national holiday, an event for Finns to emphatically welcome spring after several months of little daylight. It can be compared to Mardi Gras with parades and parties. Traditionally, the event begins on the eve of Vappu by former and current students putting on their student caps (graduation cap).

Finnish Independence Day is the 6th of December and a national holiday.

Sauna is a steam bath practiced widely in Finland. The word is of Proto-Finnish origin (found in Baltic-Finnic and Sámi languages) dating back 7,000 years. The sauna's purpose is to bathe, and the heat (either dry or steam) opens pores in the skin and thoroughly cleanses the body. Cedar or birchS branches can be tapped along the body to stimulate blood circulation. The sauna soothes sore and aching muscles. The Finns often use and have used the sauna to recover from hard physical labor. Sauna culture dictates subdued speech and time for thought to soothe the mind. Sauna is not to be rushed as it is essential to spiritual living. The structure of the sauna began as a small log building partially buried in the earth. A "smoke sauna" was used to cure meats in pre-industrial years as well as, to bathe or a sterile environment for childbirth, but this tradition has declined in favor of a modern invention, the continuously heated sauna, which is hotter, cleaner and faster to heat up. In Finnish saunas, temperature is set to about 60–100 °C, and small amounts of water thrown on rocks atop the stove emit steam, which produces a heat sensation. Some Finns prefer the "dry sauna" using very little steam, if any. Traditional sauna includes the process of perspiring and cooling several times. A part of the cooling process may be a swim in the lake before returning to the sauna for an additional sweat.

Similar steam baths have been part of European tradition elsewhere as well, but the sauna has survived best in Finland, in addition to Sweden, Estonia, Russia, Norway, and parts of the United States and Canada. Moreover, nearly all Finnish houses have either their own sauna, or in multistory apartment houses, a timeshared sauna. Public saunas were previously common, but the tradition has declined when saunas have been built nearly everywhere (private homes, municipal swimming halls, hotels, corporate headquarters, gyms, etc.).

Finland has a great amount of summer festivals, the biggest being music festivals.

Family structure

The Finnish family life is usually understood to be centered on the nuclear family, rather than the extended family. There are usually one or two children in a family. Traditionally, men were the wage-earners and women remained in the home and care for children. However, since the Second World War, gender roles have changed. Today, both men and women are dual wage-earners. The welfare system allows for generous parental leave with income-based benefits (Leitner, A. & Wroblewski, A., 2006). Finnish parents have the option to take partial or total leave they are entitled to. A majority of mothers opt to take longer leave, up to one year. Finland's divorce rate is 51% of marriages being dissolved (Statistics Finland, updated 5/07). Cohabitation is also common.

Youth seek independence and typically move from their parents' residence around the age of twenty and relocate to youth hostels or apartments. Females tend to leave the family home earlier in pursuit of education. Males remain in the home longer due to obligations to the military. Members of the extended family typically live apart.

Native subcultures

Subcultures have been a part of Finnish history. The largest subculture is the Swedish-speaking Finns. This group does have unique traditions distinct from the mainstream Finnish-speaking ones, but does not live in a different society. The group has various origins, both from language switching and from immigration.

The Lapland region of the North holds the Sami population. Up to around 1500 the Sami were mainly fishermen and trappers, usually in a combination, leading a nomadic lifestyle decided by the migrations of the reindeer. Traditionally, Sami people engaged in fishing, trapping and herding reindeer. They have traditionally organized their societies differently from the Finns due to their nomadic lifestyle. Their native language is not Finnish, but one of the three Sami languages spoken in Finland. However, modern times have brought most Sami to urban areas, where they assimilate to mainstream society and speak Finnish. 10% of Sami continue herding in Northern Finland. Currently, the Sami are a 5% minority in their native Finnish Lapland.

Another nomadic group is the Finnish Gypsies who have existed since the 1600s. For centuries Gypsy men were horse traders, whereas in the post-war era they have turned to horse breeding and dealing in automobiles and scrap metal. Women traditionally engage in fortune telling and hand crafts. Gypsies have been the target of harassment and discrimination in Finland. "A permanent Advisory Commission on Gypsy Affairs was set up in 1968, and in 1970 racial discrimination was outlawed through an addition to the penal code. The law punished blatant acts such as barring Gypsies from restaurants or shops or subjecting them to unusual surveillance by shopkeepers or the police."^[3]. Today, financial aid is provided to improve the standard of living for 5,000–6,000 Finnish Gypsies.