Finish Society and Culture

Finns are open, warm, honest and very friendly. Finns do not have anykind of sexual discrimination. They have gender equity. Finns are very punctual. Most of the people speak Finish and Swedish language. It is quite interesting that many people almost do not speak English at all. People like to visit each other regularly. It is good to take a small gift when you are invited to a Finnish home. Be careful to take off your shoes at the outdoor.

When we meet somebody for the first time or after many years we are expected to shake hands but as you get familiar and closer to someone it is not necessary to shake hands every time you meet each other.

The location between east and west has reflected in Finish fooding style. People widely eat fish. Finnish berries like lingonberries, cloudberries etc are very tasty. The potato is very much familiar to the Finns. It is the part of almost every meals. Finns also love to eat a lot of vegetables. Water, milk and juice are the common drinks in home. In some occasions you may be served with wine or beer. It is very interesting to know that Fins take on average, nine cups of coffee. It is a world record. If you visit Finnish home you are served with coffee.

Finns begin the day with breakfast and then lunch between 11.00 and 13.00. Dinner is eaten at home at around 17.00 to 18.00.

Finns drink slightly over 10 litres of alcohol per person per year. In fact Finns have the reputation concerning drinking. Alcohol can be bought in the special stores called Alko. Beer and cider can be found in grocery stores also. The age limit for purchasing beer and wine is 18 and 20 for the hard drinks. You are not allowed to drink in the public places. Smoking at any place is forbidden. You should go to the smoking place and smoke. People do not smoke inside their own house. They generally go to the balcony to smoke.

Drugs are strictly prohibited. Possession or using drugs is illegal.

Sauna is the part of Finnish culture. You can find Sauna wherever you go on Finland. The fact that there are 5.2 million Finns and 1.7 million sauna proves it how familiar people are with sauna. In general woman and man bath separately except within the family. Finnish sauna is one form of the ancient sweat bath tradition. It relaxes the muscles and relieves muscular aches and pains.