Finnish Habits

Attempting to provide more than just the facts about a destination, these website's aim is to provide valuable insight into a culture and its people.”

Welcome to the Finnish Habits page.
If you have ever wondered about some finnish habits here you may find some answers to your questions.

Silence is fun.

Coffee consumption exceeds 6 cups a day.

They accept that 80°C in a sauna is chilly, but 20°C outside is freaking hot.

They love salmiakki.
Salmiakki is a salty licorice candy containing this strange stuff, and is very popular among Finns, particularly when they are abroad and cannot get it. It's also a drink.

They love hömpsy.
hömpsy is an alcohol sip or shot!

They don't usually say "goodbye" to each single person before they leave a place (like we usually do in Italy) but if they decide to go in few seconds they say "hi to everyone" and they disappear :)

They rummage through their plastic bag collection to see which ones you should keep to take to the store and which to put in the garbage.

If a stranger in the street smiles at you:
a. you assume he is drunk
b. he is insane
c. it was only a commercial in the street

Few times I asked about their holiday plans and they answered: "Oh, I'm going to Europe!" meaning any other Western European country outside Scandinavia.

Different flushing mechanism.
At least there is the little bidet shower that you often get next to the loo, obviously the loss to the language of "Pull the chain" is a small price to pay for luxury commodes.

Very rarely someone is sitting near me in the bus, as everyone is always looking for a lonely place. Having usually headphones to listen music makes it impossible any kind of conversation except sign's language.

The reason they take the ferry to Stockholm or Tallinn is:
a. duty free vodka
b. duty free beer
c. to party...no need to get off the boat in Stockholm or Tallinn, just turn around and do it again on the way back home!

They pass a grocery store and think: "Wow, it is open, I had better go in and buy something!"

The teachers finally stops asking their class "Are there any questions?".

They refuse to wear a hat, even in -30°C weather.

If you hear loud-talking passengers on the train. You may assume:
a. they are drunk
b. they are Swedish-speaking
c. they are Americans
d. all of the above.

You have undergone a transformation:
a. you accept mustamakkara (Black blood sausage) as food
b. you accept alcohol as food
c. you accept.

They are the only ones understanding why the Finnish language has no future tense.
Finns are quite future-oriented at two particular times of the year. On the day after Midsummer (when they prepare feverishly for winter), and similarly after December 21st (they start thinking about Midsummer - ignoring the fact that they still have to get through January, February and March..)

"Religious holiday" means "let's get pissed."
I have long suspected this was the reason why so many religious holidays were moved from their correct mid-week position to the nearest Saturday. Now I know.

If hungry they can peel a boiled potato like lightning.

"No comment" becomes a conversation strategy.