Finland: Facts & Stats

CULTURE

Traditions:

The culture of Finland combines indigenous heritage, as represented for example by the country's rare Finno-Ugric national language Finnish and the sauna, with common Nordic and European culture.

Because of its history and geographic location Finland has been influenced by the adjacent areas' various Finnic, Baltic and Germanic peoples as well as the former dominant powers Sweden and Russia.

Finnish culture may be seen to build upon the relatively ascetic environmental realities, traditional livelihoods and a heritage of egalitarianism.

Celebrations:

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" and the holidays end after the 26th, St. Stephen's Day.

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.

Alcohol:

18-20 is legal age for consumption in public places, according to the law: legal age for possession is the same as for purchasing (18 or 20 years).

Legal age for purchasing alcohol: 20 years for beverages containing over 22% alcohol and 18 years under that amount.

Sports and Hobbies:

In Finland, sporting life is largely based on volunteer activities. Local authorities provide sports facilities. The Ministry of Education's role is to create favorable conditions for sports and physical activity.

There are 7,800 sports clubs in Finland. Annually 350,000 children and young people and 500,000 adults use the services of sports clubs and federations. The most popular sports among adults are walking, including Nordic walking, and cycling. Children's and young people's favorite sport is football.

Finland is one of the leading countries in Europe for physical activity 64 per cent of women and 60 per cent of men engage in physical activity an d sports at least twice a week.

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