Culture of Finland
Encyclopedia
The culture of Finland combines indigenous heritage, as represented for example by the country's Uralic
national language Finnish
, and the sauna
, with common Nordic
and Europe
an 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
, (see e.g.: Everyman's right and universal suffrage
) and the traditionally widespread ideal of self-sufficiency (see, e.g.: Summer cottage).
There are still cultural differences between Finland's regions, especially minor differences in accents and vocabulary. Minorities, some of which enjoy a status recognised by the state, such as the Sami
, Swedish-speaking Finns, Romani, Jews
, and Tatar
, maintain their own cultural characteristics. Many Finns are emotionally connected to the countryside and nature, as large scale urbanisation is a relatively recent phenomenon.
Following the recession of the Scandinavian ice sheet, which covered most of northern Europe, from Great Britain to Moscow, around 8000 BC, peoples began arriving in what is today Finland presumably mainly from the south and east although recent archaeological finds reveal a presence of the north-western Komsa culture in Finnish north equally old to the earliest finds on the Norwegian coast.
The area of Finland belonged to the people northeastern European Kunda culture
until around 5000 BC and Comb Ceramic culture from about 4200–2000 BC. The Kiukainen culture on the southwestern coast of Finland showed the 1200 AD.
From 1100 to 1200, the crown of Sweden started to incorporate Finland. However, Novgorod also attempted to gain control. Several wars were fought between Sweden and Novgorod and later Muscovy and Russia between the 1400 and 1700. In 1721, the Nystad Peace Treaty was signed ending Swedish dominance in the Baltic region. In 1809, Finland was annexed by Russia. From 1809 to 1917, Finland was a Grand Duchy
with the Russian Czar as the constitutional monarch. http://www.histdoc.net/history/history.html Karelia, where most of the Russo-Swedish conflicts occurred, was influenced by both cultures though mostly it remained peripheral to both epicentres of power. The verses in the Kalevala
originate mainly from Karelia and Ingria
.
The 19th century brought a feeling of national Romanticism
and Nationalism
throughout Europe. Finland's nationalism also grew where cultural identity and control of their land became a priority. Expression of Finnish identity by the University docent
, A. I. Arwidsson (1791–1858), became an often quoted Fennoman
credo: "Swedes we are not / no-longer, Russians we do not want to become, let us therefore be / become Finns." Nationalism heightened and resulted in a declaration of independence from Russia on December 6, 1917, Finnish Independence Day. Notably, nationalists did not consider the Swedish-speakers members of a different (Swedish) nation; in fact, many Fennomans came from a Swedish-speaking family.
The Finnish-speaking part of the population are called Finns, possibly including a subculture of Swedish-speaking Finns. Finns are somewhat genetically distinct from other Europeans. The major Y-haplogroup in Finland is haplogroup N. Y-haplogroup I is another haplogroup prevalent in Finland. The Finnish language is not an Indo-European language, and belongs to Uralic family of languages. Finns are traditionally divided to subgroups (heimo) according to dialect, but these groupings have only a minor importance due to 20th century urbanization and internal migration.
The Finnish society encourages equality and liberalism with a popular commitment to the ideals of the welfare state
; discouraging disparity of wealth and division into social classes. Everyman's right (Ministry of Environment, 1999) is a philosophy carried over from ancient times. All citizens have access to public and private lands for agrarian activities or leisure. Finns value being close to nature, the agricultural roots are embedded in the rural lifestyle. Finns are also nationalistic, as opposed to self-identification with ethnicity or clan.
Religion began as paganism
, mythology and magic. The traditions were partly indigenous, but also influenced by Norse paganism
. Song magic and bear worship
are distinctive marks of the ancient religion. However, modernization ended the traditions ultimately in the first decade of the 20th century. Christianity entered Finnish culture in the 12th century http://philtar.ucsm.ac.uk/encyclopedia/europe/finnish.html. Today, 80.6% of Finns belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church
http://evl.fi/EVLUutiset.nsf/Documents/501581C6A288659AC225755F00495716?OpenDocument&lang=FI and 1.1% belong to the Finnish Orthodox Church
http://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_vaesto_en.html. In general, Finns are secular in their views.
With the emergence of reform, the Compulsory Education Act made education a civil right and available to all citizens, except for tertiary education, which is free of charge and admissions are based strictly on test scores. The beliefs of the Finns are future employment security necessitating higher education in today's increasingly technological world (Kyr, M. & Nyysol, K., 2006).
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 17th century. 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." Today, financial aid is provided to improve the standard of living for 5,000–6,000 Finnish Gypsies.
, 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 student accommodation 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.
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 tree
s and the Advent calendar
s. 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 (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 cap
s (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 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 birch 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.
translated the New Testament
into Finnish in the 16th century as a result of the Protestant Reformation
, few notable works of literature were written until the 19th 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.
s and industrial design
. Finland's best-known sculptor of the 20th century was Wäinö Aaltonen
, remembered for his monumental busts
and sculpture
s. Finnish architecture is famous around the world. Among the top of the 20th 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
n melodies and lyrics, as comprised in the Kalevala
. Karelian culture is perceived as the purest expression of the Finnic
myths and beliefs, less influenced by Germanic
influence, in contrast to Finland's position between the East
and the West
. Finnish folk music
has undergone a roots revival
in recent decades, and has become a part of popular music
.
Sami music
The people of northern Finland, Sweden and Norway, the Sami
, are known primarily for highly spiritual songs called Joik
. The same word sometimes refers to lavlu or vuelie songs, though this is technically incorrect.
The first Finnish opera was written by the German
composer Fredrik Pacius
in 1852. Pacius also wrote Maamme/Vårt land (Our Land)
, Finland's national anthem
. In the 1890s Finnish nationalism
based on the Kalevala spread, and Jean Sibelius
became famous for his vocal symphony Kullervo
. He soon received a grant to study runo singers in Karelia and continued his rise as the first prominent Finnish musician. In 1899 he composed Finlandia
, which played its important role in Finland gaining independence. He remains one of Finland's most popular national figures and is a symbol of the nation.
Today, Finland has a very lively classical music scene. Finnish classical music has only existed for about a hundred years, and many of the important composers are still alive, such as Magnus Lindberg
, Kaija Saariaho
, Aulis Sallinen
and Einojuhani Rautavaara
. The composers are accompanied by a large number of great conductors such as Sakari Oramo
, Mikko Franck
, Esa-Pekka Salonen
, Osmo Vänskä
, Jukka-Pekka Saraste
, Susanna Mälkki
and Leif Segerstam
. Some of the internationally acclaimed Finnish classical musicians are Karita Mattila
, Soile Isokoski
, Kari Kriikku
, Pekka Kuusisto
, Réka Szilvay
and Linda Brava
.
scene, in common with other Nordic countries
, as well as a number of prominent rock band
s, jazz
musicians, hip hop
performers, pop music
and dance music
acts such as Bomfunk MCs, Darude
and Waldo's People
. The producer JR Rotem, who has a Finnish and Israeli descent, is common in a lot of Finnish hit songs and in America. Finnish electronic music
such as the Sähkö Recordings
record label enjoys underground acclaim. Iskelmä (coined directly from the German word Schlager
, meaning hit) is a traditional Finnish word for a light popular song. Finnish popular music also includes various kinds of dance music
; tango
, a style of Argentine music
, is also popular. One of the most productive composers of popular music was Toivo Kärki
, and the most famous singer Olavi Virta
(1915–1972). Among the lyricists, Sauvo Puhtila (born 1928), Reino Helismaa
(died 1965) and Veikko "Vexi" Salmi
are a few of the most notable writers. The composer and bandleader Jimi Tenor
is well known for his brand of retro-funk music.
, Darude
, JS16
, DJ Proteus
, Fanu, DJ Muffler, trance duo Super8 & Tab
and DJ Orkidea
. Finnish dance music is also known for Suomisaundi
, a kind of freestyle psychedelic trance that originated in Finland around the mid 1990s.
The Finnish rock music scene emerged in the 1960, pioneered by artists such as Blues Section
and Kirka. In the 1970s Finnish rock musicians started to write their own music instead of translating international hits into Finnish. During the decade some progressive rock
groups, such as Tasavallan Presidentti
and Wigwam
, gained respect abroad but failed to make a commercial breakthrough outside Finland. This was also the fate of the rock and roll
group, Hurriganes
. The Finnish punk scene produced some internationally respected names including Terveet Kädet
in 1980s. Hanoi Rocks
was a pioneering 1980s glam rock
act that left perhaps a deeper mark in the history of popular music than any other Finnish group by being an influence for groups such as Guns 'n' Roses.
In 1990s Finnish rock and metal music started to gain international fame with such bands as The 69 Eyes
, Amorphis
, Children of Bodom
, Ensiferum
, Norther
, Wintersun
, HIM, Impaled Nazarene
, Lordi
, Negative, Nightwish
, The Rasmus
, Sentenced, Sonata Arctica
, and Stratovarius
. In the late 1990s the cello metal group Apocalyptica
played Metallica
cover version
s as cello
quartettos and sold half a million records worldwide. Some of the Finland's most domestically popular rock groups are CMX
and Eppu Normaali
. Finland also helped bring Folk Metal
music more popularity, through bands such as Turisas
and Finntroll
.
In 2000s Finnish rock bands started to sell well internationally. The Rasmus
finally captured Europe (and other places, like South America) in 2000s. Their 2003 album Dead Letters
sold 1.5 million units worldwide and garnered them eight gold and five platinum albums designations
. But so far the most successful Finnish band in the United States has been HIM; they were the first band from Finland to ever sell an album that was certified gold by the RIAA. Most recently, the Finnish hard rock/heavy metal band Lordi
won the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest
with a record 292 points, giving Finland its first ever victory. Rock bands such as The 69 Eyes
and Reflexion
enjoy cult following abroad.
Tuska Open Air Metal Festival
, one of the largest open-air heavy metal music festivals in the world, is held annually in Kaisaniemi
, Helsinki
. Ruisrock
and Provinssirock
are the most famous rock festivals held in 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.
s; 320 popular magazine
s, 2,100 professional magazines and 67 commercial radio station
s, with one nationwide, five national public service radio channels
(three in Finnish, two in Swedish, one in Sami); digital radio
has three channels. Four national analog television
channels (two public service and two commercial) were fully replaced by five public service and three commercial digital television
channels on September 1, 2007.
Each year around 15–20 feature film
s are produced, 12,000 book
titles published and 12 million records sold. 79 percent of the population use the Internet
.
Finns, along with other Nordic people and the Japanese
, spend the most time in the world reading newspapers. The most read newspaper in Finland is Helsingin Sanomat
, with a circulation of 412,000. The media group Sanoma behind Helsingin Sanomat also publishes the tabloid Ilta-Sanomat
and commerce-oriented Taloussanomat. It also owns the Nelonen
television channel. Sanoma's largest shareholders are Aatos Erkko
and his family. The other major publisher Alma Media
publishes over thirty magazines, including newspaper Aamulehti
, tabloid Iltalehti
and commerce-oriented Kauppalehti. Finland has been at the top of the worldwide Press Freedom
Ranking list every year since the publication of the first index by Reporters Without Borders
in 2002.
Finland's National Broadcasting Company YLE is an independent state-owned company. It has five television channels and 13 radio channels in two national languages. YLE is funded through a television license and private television broadcasting license fees. Ongoing transformation to digital TV broadcasting is in progress — analog broadcasts ceased on the terrestrial network 31 August 2007 and will cease on cable at the end of February 2008. The most popular television channel MTV3
and the most popular radio channel Radio Nova
are owned by Nordic Broadcasting (Bonnier and Proventus Industrier).
The people of Finland are accustomed to technology and information services. The number of cellular phone subscribers as well as the number of Internet connections per capita
in Finland are among the highest in the world. According to the Ministry of Transport and Communications, Finnish mobile phone penetration exceeded fifty percent of the population as far back as August 1998 – first in the world – and by December 1998 the number of cell phone subscriptions outnumbered fixed-line phone connections. By the end of June 2007 there were 5.78 million cellular phone subscriptions, or 109 percent of the population.
Another fast-growing sector is the use of the Internet
. Finland had more than 1.52 million broadband
Internet connections by the end of June 2007, i.e., about 287 per 1,000 inhabitants. The Finns are not only connected; they are heavy users of Internet services. All Finnish schools and public libraries have for years been connected to the Internet. Finland is the country with the fastest internet connection in the world, with speeds averaging around 40 Mbs.
Traditional Finnish cuisine is a combination of European, Fennoscandia
n and Western Russian elements; table manners are European. The food is generally simple, fresh and healthy. Fish
, meat
, berries
and ground vegetable
s are typical ingredients whereas spice
s are not common due to their historical unavailability. In years past, Finnish food often varied from region to region, most notably between the west and east. In coastal and lakeside villages, fish was a main feature of cooking, whereas in the eastern and also northern regions, vegetables and game were more common. In Finnish Lapland, reindeer
was also important. The prototypical breakfast is oatmeal
or other continental-style foods such as bread
. Lunch is usually a full warm meal, served by a canteen
at workplaces. Dinner
is eaten at around 17.00 to 18.00 at home, and it is also common to have a supper
later in the evening.
Modern Finnish cuisine combines country fare and haute cuisine
with contemporary continental cooking
style. Today, spices are a prominent ingredient in many modern Finnish recipes, having been adopted from the east and west in recent decades.
. 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 December 24th to 26th are holidays.
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Various sport
ing 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.
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.
Among winter sport
s, Finland has been the most successful country in 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
.
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.
Uralic languages
The Uralic languages constitute a language family of some three dozen languages spoken by approximately 25 million people. The healthiest Uralic languages in terms of the number of native speakers are Hungarian, Finnish, Estonian, Mari and Udmurt...
national language Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
, and the sauna
Sauna
A sauna is a small room or house designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these and auxiliary facilities....
, with common Nordic
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an 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
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Finnish culture may be seen to build upon the relatively ascetic environmental realities, traditional livelihoods and a heritage of egalitarianism
Egalitarianism
Egalitarianism is a trend of thought that favors equality of some sort among moral agents, whether persons or animals. Emphasis is placed upon the fact that equality contains the idea of equity of quality...
, (see e.g.: Everyman's right and universal suffrage
Universal suffrage
Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...
) and the traditionally widespread ideal of self-sufficiency (see, e.g.: Summer cottage).
There are still cultural differences between Finland's regions, especially minor differences in accents and vocabulary. Minorities, some of which enjoy a status recognised by the state, such as the Sami
Sami people
The Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are the arctic indigenous people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. The Sámi are Europe’s northernmost...
, Swedish-speaking Finns, Romani, Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
, and Tatar
Finnish Tatars
The Tatars of Finland are a Turkic people who espouse the Muslim faith. They number approximately 1000 and form a well-established and homogeneous religious, cultural and linguistic minority. The Tatars are the oldest Muslim minority in Finland and throughout the Nordic countries and the Finnish...
, maintain their own cultural characteristics. Many Finns are emotionally connected to the countryside and nature, as large scale urbanisation is a relatively recent phenomenon.
Historical main aspects
The area of Finland belonged to the people northeastern European Kunda culture
Kunda culture
Kunda Culture, with its roots in Swiderian culture is a mesolithic hunter-gatherer communities of the Baltic forest zone extending eastwards through Latvia into northern Russia dating to the period 8000–5000 BC by calibrated radiocarbon dating...
until around 5000 BC and Comb Ceramic culture from about 4200–2000 BC. The Kiukainen culture on the southwestern coast of Finland showed the 1200 AD.
Grand Duchy of Finland
The Grand Duchy of Finland was the predecessor state of modern Finland. It existed 1809–1917 as part of the Russian Empire and was ruled by the Russian czar as Grand Prince.- History :...
with the Russian Czar as the constitutional monarch. http://www.histdoc.net/history/history.html Karelia, where most of the Russo-Swedish conflicts occurred, was influenced by both cultures though mostly it remained peripheral to both epicentres of power. The verses in the Kalevala
Kalevala
The Kalevala is a 19th century work of epic poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Finnish and Karelian oral folklore and mythology.It is regarded as the national epic of Finland and is one of the most significant works of Finnish literature...
originate mainly from Karelia and Ingria
Ingria
Ingria is a historical region in the eastern Baltic, now part of Russia, comprising the southern bank of the river Neva, between the Gulf of Finland, the Narva River, Lake Peipus in the west, and Lake Ladoga and the western bank of the Volkhov river in the east...
.
The 19th century brought a feeling of national Romanticism
Romantic nationalism
Romantic nationalism is the form of nationalism in which the state derives its political legitimacy as an organic consequence of the unity of those it governs...
and Nationalism
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
throughout Europe. Finland's nationalism also grew where cultural identity and control of their land became a priority. Expression of Finnish identity by the University docent
Docent
Docent is a title at some European universities to denote a specific academic appointment within a set structure of academic ranks below professor . Docent is also used at some universities generically for a person who has the right to teach...
, A. I. Arwidsson (1791–1858), became an often quoted Fennoman
Fennoman
The Fennomans were the most important political movement in the 19th century Grand Principality of Finland. They succeeded the fennophile interests of the 18th and early 19th century.-History:...
credo: "Swedes we are not / no-longer, Russians we do not want to become, let us therefore be / become Finns." Nationalism heightened and resulted in a declaration of independence from Russia on December 6, 1917, Finnish Independence Day. Notably, nationalists did not consider the Swedish-speakers members of a different (Swedish) nation; in fact, many Fennomans came from a Swedish-speaking family.
People
The Finnish society encourages equality and liberalism with a popular commitment to the ideals of the welfare state
Welfare state
A welfare state is a "concept of government in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for those...
; discouraging disparity of wealth and division into social classes. Everyman's right (Ministry of Environment, 1999) is a philosophy carried over from ancient times. All citizens have access to public and private lands for agrarian activities or leisure. Finns value being close to nature, the agricultural roots are embedded in the rural lifestyle. Finns are also nationalistic, as opposed to self-identification with ethnicity or clan.
Religion began as paganism
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
, mythology and magic. The traditions were partly indigenous, but also influenced by Norse paganism
Norse paganism
Norse paganism is the religious traditions of the Norsemen, a Germanic people living in the Nordic countries. Norse paganism is therefore a subset of Germanic paganism, which was practiced in the lands inhabited by the Germanic tribes across most of Northern and Central Europe in the Viking Age...
. Song magic and bear worship
Bear worship
Bear worship is the religious practice of the worshiping of bears found in many North American and North Eurasian ethnic circumpolar religions such as the Sami, Nivkh, Ainu, and pre-Christian Finns...
are distinctive marks of the ancient religion. However, modernization ended the traditions ultimately in the first decade of the 20th century. Christianity entered Finnish culture in the 12th century http://philtar.ucsm.ac.uk/encyclopedia/europe/finnish.html. Today, 80.6% of Finns belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland is the national church of Finland. The church professes the Lutheran branch of Christianity, and is a member of the Porvoo Communion....
http://evl.fi/EVLUutiset.nsf/Documents/501581C6A288659AC225755F00495716?OpenDocument&lang=FI and 1.1% belong to the Finnish Orthodox Church
Finnish Orthodox Church
The Finnish Orthodox Church is an autonomous Orthodox archdiocese of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. The Church has a legal position as a national church in the country, along with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland....
http://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_vaesto_en.html. In general, Finns are secular in their views.
With the emergence of reform, the Compulsory Education Act made education a civil right and available to all citizens, except for tertiary education, which is free of charge and admissions are based strictly on test scores. The beliefs of the Finns are future employment security necessitating higher education in today's increasingly technological world (Kyr, M. & Nyysol, K., 2006).
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
Sami people
The Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are the arctic indigenous people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. The Sámi are Europe’s northernmost...
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
Sami languages
Sami or Saami is a general name for a group of Uralic languages spoken by the Sami people in parts of northern Finland, Norway, Sweden and extreme northwestern Russia, in Northern Europe. Sami is frequently and erroneously believed to be a single language. Several names are used for the Sami...
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 17th century. 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." Today, financial aid is provided to improve the standard of living for 5,000–6,000 Finnish Gypsies.
Family structure
The Finnish family life is usually understood to be centered on the nuclear familyNuclear family
Nuclear family is a term used to define a family group consisting of a father and mother and their children. This is in contrast to the smaller single-parent family, and to the larger extended family. Nuclear families typically center on a married couple, but not always; the nuclear family may have...
, rather than the extended family
Extended family
The term extended family has several distinct meanings. In modern Western cultures dominated by nuclear family constructs, it has come to be used generically to refer to grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins, whether they live together within the same household or not. However, it may also refer...
. 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
Cohabitation
Cohabitation usually refers to an arrangement whereby two people decide to live together on a long-term or permanent basis in an emotionally and/or sexually intimate relationship. The term is most frequently applied to couples who are not married...
is also common.
Youth seek independence and typically move from their parents' residence around the age of twenty and relocate to student accommodation 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
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
. Members of the extended family typically live apart.
Festivities and Traditions
Finnish paganism
Finnish paganism was the indigenous pagan religion in Finland, Estonia and Karelia prior to Christianization. It was a polytheistic religion, worshipping a number of different deities...
.
Notable among these is Juhannus, the Finnish Midsummer
Midsummer
Midsummer may simply refer to the period of time centered upon the summer solstice, but more often refers to specific European celebrations that accompany the actual solstice, or that take place on a day between June 21 and June 24, and the preceding evening. The exact dates vary between different...
. 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
Solstice
A solstice is an astronomical event that happens twice each year when the Sun's apparent position in the sky, as viewed from Earth, reaches its northernmost or southernmost extremes...
, and in Åland, the Swedish-originated tradition of dancing around the Maypole
Maypole
A maypole is a tall wooden pole erected as a part of various European folk festivals, particularly on May Day, or Pentecost although in some countries it is instead erected at Midsummer...
is observed. The midsummer traditions also include different versions of pairing magic and folklore in the festivities.
The Finnish Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
, Joulu, follows traditions of Christmas tree
Christmas tree
The Christmas tree is a decorated evergreen coniferous tree, real or artificial, and a tradition associated with the celebration of Christmas. The tradition of decorating an evergreen tree at Christmas started in Livonia and Germany in the 16th century...
s and the Advent calendar
Advent calendar
An Advent calendar is a special calendar which is used to count or celebrate the days of Advent in anticipation of Christmas. Some calendars are strictly religious, whereas others are secular in content...
s. Holidays start on the 23rd of December. Gift giving occurs on Christmas Eve with a visit from Joulupukki
Joulupukki
Joulupukki is a Finnish Christmas figure. The name Joulupukki literally means Christmas Goat or Yule Goat. The Finnish word "pukki" comes from the Swedish "bock" and is an old Scandinavian tradition...
(Father Christmas
Father Christmas
Father Christmas is the name used in many English-speaking countries for a figure associated with Christmas. A similar figure with the same name exists in several other countries, including France , Spain , Brazil , Portugal , Italy , Armenia , India...
, Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
). Traditional meals are typically only eaten on Christmas followed by sauna
Sauna
A sauna is a small room or house designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these and auxiliary facilities....
. Christmas Day is reserved for a "quiet day" and the holidays end after the 26th, St. Stephen's Day (tapaninpäivä).
Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
is a combination of Christian and Pagan customs. Either on Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in all four Canonical Gospels. ....
or the Holy Saturday
Holy Saturday
Holy Saturday , sometimes known as Easter Eve or Black Saturday, is the day after Good Friday. It is the day before Easter and the last day of Holy Week in which Christians prepare for Easter...
, children dress up as witches (noita) and go from door to door, giving away daffodil adorned branches of willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
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
May Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
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
Mardi Gras
The terms "Mardi Gras" , "Mardi Gras season", and "Carnival season", in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after Epiphany and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday...
with parades and parties. Traditionally, the event begins on the eve of Vappu by former and current students putting on their student cap
Student cap
In various European countries, student caps of different types are or have been worn, either as a marker of a common identity, as is the case in the Nordic countries, or to identify the bearer as member of a smaller corporation within the larger group of students, as is the case with the caps worn...
s (graduation cap).
Finnish Independence Day is the 6th of December and a national holiday.
Sauna
Sauna
A sauna is a small room or house designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these and auxiliary facilities....
is a steam bath practiced widely in Finland. The word is of Proto-Finnish origin (found in Finnic and Sámi languages) dating back 7,000 years. The sauna
Sauna
A sauna is a small room or house designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these and auxiliary facilities....
's purpose is to bathe, and the heat (either dry or steam) opens pores in the skin and thoroughly cleanses the body. Cedar or birch 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.
Literature
Though Finnish written language could be said to exist since Mikael AgricolaMikael Agricola
Mikael Agricola was a clergyman who became the de facto founder of written Finnish and a prominent proponent of the Protestant Reformation in Sweden . He is often called the "father of the Finnish written language". Agricola was consecrated as the bishop of Turku in 1554, without papal approval...
translated the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
into Finnish in the 16th century as a result of the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
, few notable works of literature were written until the 19th century, which saw the beginning of a Finnish national Romantic Movement
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
. This prompted Elias Lönnrot
Elias Lönnrot
Elias Lönnrot was a Finnish philologist and collector of traditional Finnish oral poetry. He is best known for compiling the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic compiled from national folklore.-Education and early life:...
to collect Finnish and Karelian folk poetry and arrange and publish them as Kalevala
Kalevala
The Kalevala is a 19th century work of epic poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Finnish and Karelian oral folklore and mythology.It is regarded as the national epic of Finland and is one of the most significant works of Finnish literature...
, the Finnish national epic
National epic
A national epic is an epic poem or a literary work of epic scope which seeks or is believed to capture and express the essence or spirit of a particular nation; not necessarily a nation-state, but at least an ethnic or linguistic group with aspirations to independence or autonomy...
. The era saw a rise of poets and novelists who wrote in Finnish, notably Aleksis Kivi
Aleksis Kivi
Aleksis Kivi , born Alexis Stenvall, was a Finnish author who wrote the first significant novel in the Finnish language, Seven Brothers...
and Eino Leino
Eino Leino
Eino Leino was a Finnish poet and journalist and is considered one of the pioneers of Finnish poetry. His poems combine modern and Finnish folk elements. The style of much of his work is like the Kalevala and folk songs. Nature, love, and despair are frequent themes in Leino's work...
.
After Finland became independent there was a rise of modernist writers, most famously Mika Waltari
Mika Waltari
Mika Toimi Waltari was a Finnish writer, best known for his best-selling novel The Egyptian .- Early life :...
. Frans Eemil Sillanpää
Frans Eemil Sillanpää
Frans Eemil Sillanpää was one of the most famous Finnish writers.He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1939 "for his deep understanding of his country's peasantry and the exquisite art with which he has portrayed their way of life and their relationship with Nature."Frans Eemil...
was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature
Nobel Prize in Literature
Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words from the will of Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction"...
in 1939 – so far the only one for a Finnish author. The second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
prompted a return to more national interests in comparison to a more international line of thought, characterized by Väinö Linna
Väinö Linna
Väinö Linna was one of the most influential Finnish authors of the 20th century. He shot to immediate literary fame with his third novel, Tuntematon sotilas , and consolidated his position with the trilogy Täällä Pohjantähden alla Väinö Linna (20 December 1920 – 21 April 1992) was one of the...
. Literature in modern Finland is in a healthy state, with detective stories enjoying a particular boom of popularity. Ilkka Remes
Ilkka Remes
Ilkka Remes , is a Finnish author of thrillers and young adult literature. Remes was born in Luumäki as Petri Pykälä. Remes has stated he uses a pseudonym because he does not want to be considered only a thriller writer, and wants to be able to write other genres of books in the future.Remes lives...
, a Finnish author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of thrillers, is very popular.
Visual arts
Finns have made major contributions to handicraftHandicraft
Handicraft, more precisely expressed as artisanic handicraft, sometimes also called artisanry, is a type of work where useful and decorative devices are made completely by hand or by using only simple tools. It is a traditional main sector of craft. Usually the term is applied to traditional means...
s and industrial design
Industrial design
Industrial design is the use of a combination of applied art and applied science to improve the aesthetics, ergonomics, and usability of a product, but it may also be used to improve the product's marketability and production...
. Finland's best-known sculptor of the 20th century was Wäinö Aaltonen
Wäinö Aaltonen
Wäinö Valdemar Aaltonen was a Finnish artist and sculptor. The Chambers Biographical Dictionary describes him as "one of the leading Finnish sculptors".He was born to a tailor in the village of Marttila, Finland...
, remembered for his monumental busts
Bust (sculpture)
A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure, depicting a person's head and neck, as well as a variable portion of the chest and shoulders. The piece is normally supported by a plinth. These forms recreate the likeness of an individual...
and sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
s. Finnish architecture is famous around the world. Among the top of the 20th century Finnish architects to win international recognition are Eliel Saarinen
Eliel Saarinen
Gottlieb Eliel Saarinen was a Finnish architect who became famous for his art nouveau buildings in the early years of the 20th century....
(designer of the widely recognised Helsinki Central railway station
Helsinki Central railway station
Helsinki Central railway station is a widely recognised landmark in central Helsinki, Finland, and the focal point of public transport in the Greater Helsinki area. The station is used by approximately 200,000 passengers per day, making it Finland's most-visited building...
and many other public works) and his son Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen was a Finnish American architect and industrial designer of the 20th century famous for varying his style according to the demands of the project: simple, sweeping, arching structural curves or machine-like rationalism.-Biography:Eero Saarinen shared the same birthday as his father,...
. Alvar Aalto
Alvar Aalto
Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto was a Finnish architect and designer. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles and glassware...
, who helped bring the functionalist architecture
Functionalism (architecture)
Functionalism, in architecture, is the principle that architects should design a building based on the purpose of that building. This statement is less self-evident than it first appears, and is a matter of confusion and controversy within the profession, particularly in regard to modern...
to Finland, is also famous for his work in furniture
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
and glassware
Glassware
This list of glassware includes drinking vessels , tableware, such as dishes, and flatware used to set a table for eating a meal, general glass items such as vases, and glasses used in the catering industry whether made of glass or plastics such as polystyrene and...
Folk music
Much of the music of Finland is influenced by traditional KareliaKarelia
Karelia , the land of the Karelian peoples, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Finland, Russia, and Sweden...
n melodies and lyrics, as comprised in the Kalevala
Kalevala
The Kalevala is a 19th century work of epic poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Finnish and Karelian oral folklore and mythology.It is regarded as the national epic of Finland and is one of the most significant works of Finnish literature...
. Karelian culture is perceived as the purest expression of the Finnic
Finnic peoples
The Finnic or Fennic peoples were historic ethnic groups who spoke various languages traditionally classified as Finno-Permic...
myths and beliefs, less influenced by Germanic
Germanic peoples
The Germanic peoples are an Indo-European ethno-linguistic group of Northern European origin, identified by their use of the Indo-European Germanic languages which diversified out of Proto-Germanic during the Pre-Roman Iron Age.Originating about 1800 BCE from the Corded Ware Culture on the North...
influence, in contrast to Finland's position between the East
Eastern world
__FORCETOC__The term Eastern world refers very broadly to the various cultures or social structures and philosophical systems of Eastern Asia or geographically the Eastern Culture...
and the West
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
. Finnish folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
has undergone a roots revival
Roots revival
A roots revival is a trend which includes young performers popularizing the traditional musical styles of their ancestors. Often, roots revivals include an addition of newly-composed songs with socially and politically aware lyrics, as well as a general modernization of the folk sound.After an...
in recent decades, and has become a part of popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
.
Sami music
The people of northern Finland, Sweden and Norway, the Sami
Sami people
The Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are the arctic indigenous people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. The Sámi are Europe’s northernmost...
, are known primarily for highly spiritual songs called Joik
Yoik
A joik, , luohti, vuolle, leu'dd, or juoiggus is a traditional Sami form of song.Originally, joik referred to only one of several Sami singing styles, but in English the word is often used to refer to all types of traditional Sami singing...
. The same word sometimes refers to lavlu or vuelie songs, though this is technically incorrect.
Classical and opera
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
composer Fredrik Pacius
Fredrik Pacius
Fredrik Pacius was a German composer and conductor who lived most of his life in Finland. He has been called the "Father of Finnish music"....
in 1852. Pacius also wrote Maamme/Vårt land (Our Land)
Maamme
Maamme or Vårt land is the title of Finland's national anthem. There is no law on an official national anthem in Finland, but Maamme is firmly established by convention....
, Finland's national anthem
National anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
. In the 1890s Finnish nationalism
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
based on the Kalevala spread, and Jean Sibelius
Jean Sibelius
Jean Sibelius was a Finnish composer of the later Romantic period whose music played an important role in the formation of the Finnish national identity. His mastery of the orchestra has been described as "prodigious."...
became famous for his vocal symphony Kullervo
Kullervo (Sibelius)
Kullervo, Op. 7 is an early symphonic poem for soloists, chorus and orchestra, written by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius.The work, based on the character of Kullervo from the epic poem Kalevala, premiered to great critical acclaim on 28 April 1892. The soloists at the premiere were Emmy Achté...
. He soon received a grant to study runo singers in Karelia and continued his rise as the first prominent Finnish musician. In 1899 he composed Finlandia
Finlandia (symphonic poem)
Finlandia, Op. 26 is a symphonic poem by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. The first version was written in 1899, and it was revised in 1900...
, which played its important role in Finland gaining independence. He remains one of Finland's most popular national figures and is a symbol of the nation.
Today, Finland has a very lively classical music scene. Finnish classical music has only existed for about a hundred years, and many of the important composers are still alive, such as Magnus Lindberg
Magnus Lindberg
Magnus Lindberg is a Finnish composer and pianist. He is currently the composer-in-residence at the New York Philharmonic.-Education:...
, Kaija Saariaho
Kaija Saariaho
Kaija Saariaho is a Finnish composer.Kaija Saariaho studied composition in Helsinki, Freiburg and Paris, where she has lived since 1982. Her studies and research at IRCAM have had a major influence on her music and her characteristically luxuriant and mysterious textures are often created by...
, Aulis Sallinen
Aulis Sallinen
Aulis Sallinen is a Finnish contemporary classical music composer. He writes in a modern, though tonal and not experimental music style. He studied at the Sibelius Academy, where his teachers included Joonas Kokkonen...
and Einojuhani Rautavaara
Einojuhani Rautavaara
Einojuhani Rautavaara is a Finnish composer of contemporary classical music, and is one of the most notable Finnish composers after Jean Sibelius.-Life:...
. The composers are accompanied by a large number of great conductors such as Sakari Oramo
Sakari Oramo
Sakari Markus Oramo OBE is a Finnish conductor.Oramo started his career as a violinist and concertmaster of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. In 1989, he enrolled in Jorma Panula's conducting class at the Sibelius Academy...
, Mikko Franck
Mikko Franck
Mikko Franck is a Finnish conductor. He began to play the violin at the age of 5. By age 7, he reportedly preferred orchestral scores to all other reading matter. His first favorite score was Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 which he used to conduct while listening to a recording on earphones...
, Esa-Pekka Salonen
Esa-Pekka Salonen
Esa-Pekka Salonen is a Finnish orchestral conductor and composer. He is currently Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London and Conductor Laureate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.-Early career:...
, Osmo Vänskä
Osmo Vänskä
Osmo Antero Vänskä is a Finnish conductor, clarinetist and composer.He started his musical career as an orchestral clarinetist with the Turku Philharmonic . He then became the principal clarinet of the Helsinki Philharmonic from 1977 to 1982...
, Jukka-Pekka Saraste
Jukka-Pekka Saraste
Jukka-Pekka Saraste is a Finnish conductor and violinist.Saraste was trained as a violinist. He later studied conducting at the Sibelius Academy with Jorma Panula, in the same class as Esa-Pekka Salonen and Osmo Vänskä...
, Susanna Mälkki
Susanna Mälkki
Susanna Mälkki is a Finnish conductor. Trained as a cellist as a pupil of Hannu Kiiski, she later studied conducting with Jorma Panula, as well as Eri Klas and Leif Segerstam, at the Sibelius Academy. She has also studied at London's Royal Academy of Music...
and Leif Segerstam
Leif Segerstam
Leif Segerstam is a Finnish conductor and composer.He studied violin, piano and conducting at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and conducting at the Juilliard School in New York with Jean Morel....
. Some of the internationally acclaimed Finnish classical musicians are Karita Mattila
Karita Mattila
Karita Marjatta Mattila is a leading opera soprano. She was born in Somero, Finland.Mattila appears regularly in the major opera houses worldwide, including the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House in London, Théâtre du Châtelet, Opéra Bastille, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco...
, Soile Isokoski
Soile Isokoski
Soile Isokoski is a Finnish lyric soprano. She is an opera singer as well as a concert and lieder singer.- Career :Isokoski was born in Posio...
, Kari Kriikku
Kari Kriikku
Kari Kriikku is a Finnish classical clarinetist.He studied at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, and later with Alan Hacker in England and with Leon Russianoff and Charles Neidich in the USA....
, Pekka Kuusisto
Pekka Kuusisto
Pekka Kuusisto is a Finnish classical and jazz violinist.Pekka Kuusisto began studying the violin at the age of three. His first violin teacher was Geza Szilvay at the East Helsinki Music Institute. In 1983 he enrolled in the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. He began to study there with Tuomas...
, Réka Szilvay
Réka Szilvay
Réka Szilvay is a Finnish classical violinist, and was appointed as the professor of violin music at the Sibelius Academy in 2006....
and Linda Brava
Linda Brava
Linda Magdalena Cullberg Lampenius, better known by her maiden name Linda Lampenius and international stage name Linda Brava, is a Finnish classical concert violinist and recording artist.-Background:...
.
Popular music
Modern Finnish popular music includes a renowned heavy metal musicHeavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
scene, in common with other Nordic countries
Nordic music
Nordic folk music includes a number of traditions in Northern European, especially Scandinavian, countries. The Nordic countries are generally taken to include Iceland, Norway, Finland, Sweden and Denmark. The Nordic Council, an international organization, also includes the autonomous territories...
, as well as a number of prominent rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
s, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musicians, hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
performers, pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
acts such as Bomfunk MCs, Darude
Darude
Ville Virtanen , better known by his stage name Darude is a trance producer and DJ from Eura, Hinnerjoki, Finland. Debuting in 1995, he released the hit single "Sandstorm" in late 1999 and subsequent album Before the Storm...
and Waldo's People
Waldo's People
Waldo's People is a Finnish Eurodance band. The lead singer of the band is Waldo, whose real name is Marko Reijonen. They represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009, with the song "Lose Control". It won a place for the Eurovision final on May 16 as the jury's chosen act...
. The producer JR Rotem, who has a Finnish and Israeli descent, is common in a lot of Finnish hit songs and in America. Finnish electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
such as the Sähkö Recordings
Sähkö Recordings
Sähkö Recordings is a record label in Turku, Finland. Sähkö was founded by Tommi Grönlund in 1993. The label gained international acclaim by its minimalist electronic releases. Sähkö Recordings has also such sublabels as Puu, Keys of Life and Jazzpuu. On Sähkö and its sublabels have released...
record label enjoys underground acclaim. Iskelmä (coined directly from the German word Schlager
Schlager
Schlager music is a style of popular music prevalent in Central and Northern Europe and the Balkans and also in France and Poland. In Portugal, it was adapted and became pimba music...
, meaning hit) is a traditional Finnish word for a light popular song. Finnish popular music also includes various kinds of dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
; tango
Tango music
Tango is a style of ballroom dance music in 2/4 or 4/4 time that originated among European immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay . It is traditionally played by a sextet, known as the orquesta típica, which includes two violins, piano, double bass, and two bandoneons...
, a style of Argentine music
Music of Argentina
The music of Argentina is known mostly for the tango, which developed in Buenos Aires and surrounding areas, as well as Montevideo, Uruguay. Folk, pop and classical music are also popular, and Argentine artists like Mercedes Sosa and Atahualpa Yupanqui contributed greatly to the development of the...
, is also popular. One of the most productive composers of popular music was Toivo Kärki
Toivo Kärki
Toivo Pietari Johannes Kärki was a Finnish composer, musician, music producer and arranger. He is especially remembered for his collaboration with Reino Helismaa....
, and the most famous singer Olavi Virta
Olavi Virta
Olavi Virta was a Finnish singer, acclaimed as the king of Finnish tango. Between 1939 and 1966 he recorded almost 600 songs, many of which are classics of Finnish popular music, and appeared in many films and theatrical productions...
(1915–1972). Among the lyricists, Sauvo Puhtila (born 1928), Reino Helismaa
Reino Helismaa
Reino Vihtori "Repe" Helismaa was a Finnish singer-songwriter, musician and scriptwriter, mainly known for his humorous, yet homely songs. One of his best-known interpreters was Tapio Rautavaara.-Works:...
(died 1965) and Veikko "Vexi" Salmi
Vexi Salmi
Veikko Olavi "Vexi" Salmi is a Finnish lyricist. He has written the lyrics to numerous popular songs for several prominent artists, including Irwin Goodman, Jari Sillanpää, and Katri Helena. His career as a lyricist began in the 1960s, and continues to the present day...
are a few of the most notable writers. The composer and bandleader Jimi Tenor
Jimi Tenor
Jimi Tenor is a Finnish musician. His name is a combination of the first name of his youth idol Jimmy Osmond and the tenor saxophone. His band Jimi Tenor & His Shamans published its first album in 1988, Jimi's first solo album appeared in 1994. "Take Me Baby" became his first hit in 1994...
is well known for his brand of retro-funk music.
Dance music
Notable Finnish dance and electronic music artists include Jori HulkkonenJori Hulkkonen
Jori Hulkkonen, born 28 September 1973, is a Finnish DJ and a producer of house music, originally from Kemi, Finland. Hulkkonen started his career in the early 1990s when he worked with Jukka Hautamäki, Tuomas Salmela and Ari Ruokamo for their own label Lumi Records...
, Darude
Darude
Ville Virtanen , better known by his stage name Darude is a trance producer and DJ from Eura, Hinnerjoki, Finland. Debuting in 1995, he released the hit single "Sandstorm" in late 1999 and subsequent album Before the Storm...
, JS16
JS16
JS16, real name Jaakko Salovaara, is a Finnish musician and record producer. He owns the dance music record label 16 Inch Records.His first release was the vinyl Hypnosynthesis at the age of 16...
, DJ Proteus
DJ Proteus
DJ Proteus, also known as Harri Andersson, , is a Finnish hard dance DJ. Proteus has gained the respect to be called Finland's most known Hard Dance DJ and has become one of the key players of the global hard dance scene. Proteus has been DJ'ing for 12 years and producing music about 7 years...
, Fanu, DJ Muffler, trance duo Super8 & Tab
Super8 & Tab
Super8 & Tab are a trance music duo of producers and DJs from Finland named Miika Eloranta and Janne Mansnerus . They recorded music as individual musicians until they teamed up in 2005.-Albums:*2010: Empire*2011: Empire Remixed-DJ Mixes:...
and DJ Orkidea
Orkidea
Tapio Hakanen, better known by his stage name DJ Orkidea , is a Finnish electronic music artist. DJ Orkidea has been one of Scandinavia’s top DJs for over 10 years and has been voted twice ’Most Popular Nordic DJ’ in Swedish/Danish ’s voting and elected five times as ’Best DJ’ in Finnish Club Awards...
. Finnish dance music is also known for Suomisaundi
Suomisaundi
Suomisaundi, also known as suomisoundi, suomistyge or spugedelic trance, is a style of freestyle psychedelic trance that originated in Finland around the mid 1990s. "Suomisaundi" literally means "Finnish sound" in Finnish; music that features many of the characteristics of suomisaundi has gained...
, a kind of freestyle psychedelic trance that originated in Finland around the mid 1990s.
Rock and heavy metal music
Blues Section
Blues Section are a Finnish rock music group. They started in 1967, formed around the vocalist Jim Pembroke, a British expatriate song-writer now living in Finland. The other members of the band were Eero Koivistoinen , Ronnie Österberg , Hasse Walli , and Måns Groundstroem...
and Kirka. In the 1970s Finnish rock musicians started to write their own music instead of translating international hits into Finnish. During the decade some progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
groups, such as Tasavallan Presidentti
Tasavallan Presidentti
Tasavallan Presidentti is a Finnish progressive rock band. It was founded in 1969 by guitarist Jukka Tolonen and drummer Vesa Aaltonen. Other founder members were Måns Groundstroem and Frank Robson , previously of Blues Section...
and Wigwam
Wigwam (progressive rock)
Wigwam is a Finnish progressive rock band formed in 1968.Wigwam was founded after the split of the seminal Blues Section, with whom drummer Ronnie Österberg had played before. He formed the band as a trio, but soon brought in British expatriate singer/songwriter Jim Pembroke and organist Jukka...
, gained respect abroad but failed to make a commercial breakthrough outside Finland. This was also the fate of the rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
group, Hurriganes
Hurriganes
Hurriganes is a Finnish rock band that was formed in the early 1970s. They were very popular in Finland in the 1970s and early '80s; they were also a popular live act in Sweden during this time. Their classic line-up consisted of Remu Aaltonen, Albert Järvinen and Cisse Häkkinen. What seems like...
. The Finnish punk scene produced some internationally respected names including Terveet Kädet
Terveet Kädet
Terveet Kädet are a Finnish hardcore punk band, the first in Finland. The group was founded in Tornio in January 1980. They have had a major influence on bands from all over the world, especially in Brazil...
in 1980s. Hanoi Rocks
Hanoi Rocks
Hanoi Rocks was a Finnish rock band formed in 1979, whose most successful period came in the early 1980s. The band broke up in 1985 after the death of their drummer, Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley...
was a pioneering 1980s glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
act that left perhaps a deeper mark in the history of popular music than any other Finnish group by being an influence for groups such as Guns 'n' Roses.
In 1990s Finnish rock and metal music started to gain international fame with such bands as The 69 Eyes
The 69 Eyes
The 69 Eyes are a multi-platinum selling Finnish gothic rock band. They are currently signed to EMI Finland. The band's albums are now distributed worldwide. The End Records acts as the band's official North American distributor, as Nuclear Blast Records provides distribution in Mainland Europe,...
, Amorphis
Amorphis
Amorphis is a Finnish heavy metal band started by Jan Rechberger, Tomi Koivusaari, and Esa Holopainen in 1990. Initially, the band was a death metal act, but on later albums they evolved into playing other types of genres, which include heavy metal, progressive metal, and folk metal...
, Children of Bodom
Children of Bodom
Children of Bodom is a Finnish heavy metal band from Espoo. Formed in 1993, the group currently consists of Alexi Laiho , Roope Latvala , Janne Wirman , Henkka Seppälä , and Jaska Raatikainen...
, Ensiferum
Ensiferum
Ensiferum is a Finnish folk metal band from Helsinki. The members of the band label themselves as "heroic folk metal." Since their formation, Ensiferum has released four full-length albums, one EP, one compilation, three singles, and three demo albums and one unreleased album.-Musical...
, Norther
Norther
Norther is a Finnish Melodic Death Metal band from Helsinki, Finland.-History:Norther was originally formed by Kristian Ranta, Jukka Koskinen, Tuomas Planman, Petri Lindroos and Toni Hallio in the year 1996 after various of early stage band formations. The band kicked into gear with its debut...
, Wintersun
Wintersun
Wintersun is an extreme metal band from Helsinki, Finland.Wintersun was originally created by guitarist Jari Mäenpää as a side project to folk metal band Ensiferum, for whom he was lead singer and guitarist. In 2003, Mäenpää began culling together songs that he'd been working on since 1995. These...
, HIM, Impaled Nazarene
Impaled Nazarene
Impaled Nazarene is a Finnish black metal band that incorporates elements of grindcore in their sound and punk rock in their aesthetics. The band is currently signed to Osmose Productions of France....
, Lordi
Lordi
Lordi is a Finnish hard rock/heavy metal band, formed in 1996 by the band's lead singer, songwriter and costume-designer, Mr. Lordi. The band is known for wearing monster masks and using pyrotechnics during concerts...
, Negative, Nightwish
Nightwish
Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee, Finland. Formed in 1996 by songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former vocalist Tarja Turunen, Nightwish's current line-up has five members, although Tarja has been replaced by Anette Olzon and the...
, The Rasmus
The Rasmus
The Rasmus are a Finnish rock band that formed in 1995 in Helsinki while the band members were still in upper comprehensive school. The original band members were Lauri Ylönen , Eero Heinonen , Pauli Rantasalmi and Janne Heiskanen...
, Sentenced, Sonata Arctica
Sonata Arctica
Sonata Arctica are a Finnish power metal band from the town of Kemi, originally assembled in 1995. Their later works contain several elements typical of progressive metal.....
, and Stratovarius
Stratovarius
Stratovarius are a Finnish power metal band that formed in 1984. Since their formation they have released 13 studio albums and one live album. Along with Helloween, Blind Guardian, Rhapsody of Fire and Gamma Ray, Stratovarius are considered one of the leading groups of the power metal and symphonic...
. In the late 1990s the cello metal group Apocalyptica
Apocalyptica
Apocalyptica is a band from Helsinki, Finland, formed in 1993. The band is composed of classically trained cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, and Perttu Kivilaakso and drummer Mikko Sirén...
played Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s as cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
quartettos and sold half a million records worldwide. Some of the Finland's most domestically popular rock groups are CMX
CMX (band)
CMX, originally Cloaca Maxima, are a Finnish rock band. They originally played hardcore punk, but soon expanded to play a wide variety of rock formats, including progressive rock, heavy metal, and mainstream rock n roll. Throughout their career, they have been influenced by progressive rock bands...
and Eppu Normaali
Eppu Normaali
Eppu Normaali is one of the most popular rock bands in Finland. The band formed in 1976 in Ylöjärvi, a small town near Tampere. The band is the best-selling music artist in Finland, with certified sales surpassing 1.5 million records...
. Finland also helped bring Folk Metal
Folk metal
Folk metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. As the name suggests, the genre is a fusion of heavy metal with traditional folk music...
music more popularity, through bands such as Turisas
Turisas
Turisas is a Finnish folk metal band from Hämeenlinna. It was founded in 1997 by Mathias Nygård and Jussi Wickström and named after an ancient Finnish God of war....
and Finntroll
Finntroll
Finntroll is a folk metal band from Helsinki, Finland. They combine elements of black metal and folk metal. Finntroll's lyrics are mostly in Swedish, the only exception being the song "Madon Laulu" on Visor Om Slutet...
.
In 2000s Finnish rock bands started to sell well internationally. The Rasmus
The Rasmus
The Rasmus are a Finnish rock band that formed in 1995 in Helsinki while the band members were still in upper comprehensive school. The original band members were Lauri Ylönen , Eero Heinonen , Pauli Rantasalmi and Janne Heiskanen...
finally captured Europe (and other places, like South America) in 2000s. Their 2003 album Dead Letters
Dead Letters
Dead Letters is the 2003 album by Finnish alternative rock band The Rasmus. It was released in 2004 in the US, UK and Australia. Their previous album, Into, had been a success in some parts of Europe, particularly Scandinavia and Germany, but Dead Letters signified the band's major break-through...
sold 1.5 million units worldwide and garnered them eight gold and five platinum albums designations
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
. But so far the most successful Finnish band in the United States has been HIM; they were the first band from Finland to ever sell an album that was certified gold by the RIAA. Most recently, the Finnish hard rock/heavy metal band Lordi
Lordi
Lordi is a Finnish hard rock/heavy metal band, formed in 1996 by the band's lead singer, songwriter and costume-designer, Mr. Lordi. The band is known for wearing monster masks and using pyrotechnics during concerts...
won the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2006
The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the 51st Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Olympic Indoor Hall in Athens, Greece on 18 May and 20 May 2006 . The hosting national broadcaster of the contest was Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi . The Finnish band Lordi won the contest with the song "Hard Rock...
with a record 292 points, giving Finland its first ever victory. Rock bands such as The 69 Eyes
The 69 Eyes
The 69 Eyes are a multi-platinum selling Finnish gothic rock band. They are currently signed to EMI Finland. The band's albums are now distributed worldwide. The End Records acts as the band's official North American distributor, as Nuclear Blast Records provides distribution in Mainland Europe,...
and Reflexion
Reflexion (band)
Reflexion is a mix of Gothic Metal, Alternative Metal and Melodic Hard Rock band from Finland.Formed as Enchanted in 1995, but in 1996 they changed their name to Barbarianz, and then to Reflexion in 2000.-Members:* Juha Kylmänen – Vocals...
enjoy cult following abroad.
Tuska Open Air Metal Festival
Tuska Open Air Metal Festival
Tuska Open Air Metal Festival, shortly Tuska , is the largest music festival dedicated only to metal and related styles of music in the Nordic countries. The history of Tuska began in 1998 and it has grown larger every year. The location of the festival has been in Kaisaniemi park in the middle of...
, one of the largest open-air heavy metal music festivals in the world, is held annually in Kaisaniemi
Kaisaniemi
Kaisaniemi is a part of the centre of Helsinki, Finland. It is located immediately north of the Helsinki Central railway station and south of Hakaniemi. The most famous part of Kaisaniemi is the Kaisaniemi park, a park covering many hectares right in the city centre...
, Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
. Ruisrock
Ruisrock
Ruisrock is a rock festival held annually on the island of Ruissalo in Turku, Finland.Ruisrock, founded in 1970, is the second oldest rock festival in Europe and the oldest in Finland. The festival has attracted world-famous artists throughout its lifetime except in the turn of the 2000s, due to...
and Provinssirock
Provinssirock
Provinssirock is one of the biggest rock festivals in Finland. It takes place in the city of Seinäjoki in Southern Ostrobothnia, Western Finland. The 3-day festival, which starts the busy Finnish rock festival season, has been held every June since 1979.The 2007 festival enjoyed a combined three...
are the most famous rock festivals held in Finland.
Cinema
Film industry
The film industry consists of the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking: i.e. film production companies, film studios, cinematography, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post production, film festivals, distribution; and actors, film directors and other film crew...
with a number of famous directors such as Aki Kaurismäki
Aki Kaurismäki
-Career:After studying Media Studies at the University of Tampere, Aki Kaurismäki started his career as a co-director in the films of his elder brother Mika Kaurismäki. His debut as an independent director was Crime and Punishment , Dostoyevsky's famous crime story set in modern-day Helsinki...
, Timo Koivusalo
Timo Koivusalo
Timo Johannes Koivusalo is a Finnish actor, director, writer, columnist, composer and musician. His most successful film to date was Työnnän syvälle kammioon, which debuted in the movie theaters in 2001....
, Aleksi Mäkelä and Klaus Härö
Klaus Härö
Klaus Härö, born 31 March 1971 in Porvoo , Finland, Finland-Swedish film director. In 2004, Härö won Finland's State Prize for Art.-Films:*Letters to Father Jacob *The New Mankind *Mother of Mine...
. Hollywood film director/producer Renny Harlin
Renny Harlin
Renny Harlin is a Finnish-American film director and producer. He is best known for Die Hard 2 , Cliffhanger , The Long Kiss Goodnight and Deep Blue Sea...
(born Lauri Mauritz Harjola) was born in Finland.
Media and communications
Finland is one of the most advanced information societies in the world. There are 200 newspaperNewspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s; 320 popular magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
s, 2,100 professional magazines and 67 commercial radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
s, with one nationwide, five national public service radio channels
Public broadcasting
Public broadcasting includes radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing and commercial financing.Public broadcasting may be...
(three in Finnish, two in Swedish, one in Sami); digital radio
Digital radio
Digital radio has several meanings:1. Today the most common meaning is digital radio broadcasting technologies, such as the digital audio broadcasting system, also known as Eureka 147. In these systems, the analog audio signal is digitized into zeros and ones, compressed using formats such as...
has three channels. Four national analog television
Analog television
Analog television is the analog transmission that involves the broadcasting of encoded analog audio and analog video signal: one in which the message conveyed by the broadcast signal is a function of deliberate variations in the amplitude and/or frequency of the signal...
channels (two public service and two commercial) were fully replaced by five public service and three commercial digital television
Digital television
Digital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
channels on September 1, 2007.
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
s are produced, 12,000 book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
titles published and 12 million records sold. 79 percent of the population use the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
.
Finns, along with other Nordic people and the Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
, spend the most time in the world reading newspapers. The most read newspaper in Finland is Helsingin Sanomat
Helsingin Sanomat
Helsingin Sanomat is the largest subscription newspaper in Finland and the Nordic countries, owned by Sanoma. Except after certain holidays, it is published daily. In 2008, its daily circulation was 412,421 on weekdays and 468,505 on Sundays...
, with a circulation of 412,000. The media group Sanoma behind Helsingin Sanomat also publishes the tabloid Ilta-Sanomat
Ilta-Sanomat
Ilta-Sanomat is one of Finland's two prominent tabloid size evening dailys and the second largest newspaper in the country...
and commerce-oriented Taloussanomat. It also owns the Nelonen
Nelonen
Nelonen is a Finnish commercial TV channel. It started out as Helsinki's local television channel PTV in 1989 on the HTV cable network, which name was changed first to PTV4 and then to Nelonen. It started on June 1, 1997. Nelonen, in Finnish, means the glyph of the number four. The channel is...
television channel. Sanoma's largest shareholders are Aatos Erkko
Aatos Erkko
Aatos Juho Michel Erkko is a Finnish journalist and the main owner of Sanoma Corporation and the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper. He has a Master of Science degree in Journalism from the Columbia College of Columbia University. Erkko is married to Mrs. Jane Erkko...
and his family. The other major publisher Alma Media
Alma Media
Alma Media is one of the largest media companies in Finland.Alma Media is specialized in newspapers, online media and other internet services. Its best known products are Aamulehti, Iltalehti, Kauppalehti, Monster.fi, Etuovi.com and City24. Alma Media employs ca. 2,800 professionals. Net sales in...
publishes over thirty magazines, including newspaper Aamulehti
Aamulehti
Aamulehti is a Finnish newspaper published in Tampere. It has the second largest circulation of Finnish dailies with an average circulation of 136,726 per day and 140,802 on Sundays . Today Aamulehti is part of Alma Media, a large media corporation in Finland...
, tabloid Iltalehti
Iltalehti
Iltalehti is a daily tabloid newspaper and the third largest newspaper in Finland. Of tabloid newspapers, Iltalehti has a market share of 40% and its biggest rival Ilta-Sanomat has a market share of 60%...
and commerce-oriented Kauppalehti. Finland has been at the top of the worldwide Press Freedom
Freedom of the press
Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the freedom of communication and expression through vehicles including various electronic media and published materials...
Ranking list every year since the publication of the first index by Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders is a France-based international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press. It was founded in 1985, by Robert Ménard, Rony Brauman and the journalist Jean-Claude Guillebaud. Jean-François Julliard has served as Secretary General since 2008...
in 2002.
Finland's National Broadcasting Company YLE is an independent state-owned company. It has five television channels and 13 radio channels in two national languages. YLE is funded through a television license and private television broadcasting license fees. Ongoing transformation to digital TV broadcasting is in progress — analog broadcasts ceased on the terrestrial network 31 August 2007 and will cease on cable at the end of February 2008. The most popular television channel MTV3
MTV3
MTV3 is a Finnish commercial television station owned by Bonnier. It had the biggest audience share of all Finnish TV channels until Finnish Broadcasting Company’s YLE1 took the lead. The letters MTV stand for Mainos-TV , due to the channel getting its revenue from running commercials...
and the most popular radio channel Radio Nova
Radio Nova (Finland)
Radio Nova is a radio channel in Finland. It was a major radio industry milestone when it launched in 1997. Nova was the only national commercial broadcaster. It is owned by Bonnier and Proventus. Nova specializes in playing popular music for people aged 25-44 and hourly news bulletins.-External...
are owned by Nordic Broadcasting (Bonnier and Proventus Industrier).
The people of Finland are accustomed to technology and information services. The number of cellular phone subscribers as well as the number of Internet connections per capita
Per capita
Per capita is a Latin prepositional phrase: per and capita . The phrase thus means "by heads" or "for each head", i.e. per individual or per person...
in Finland are among the highest in the world. According to the Ministry of Transport and Communications, Finnish mobile phone penetration exceeded fifty percent of the population as far back as August 1998 – first in the world – and by December 1998 the number of cell phone subscriptions outnumbered fixed-line phone connections. By the end of June 2007 there were 5.78 million cellular phone subscriptions, or 109 percent of the population.
Another fast-growing sector is the use of the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. Finland had more than 1.52 million broadband
Broadband Internet access
Broadband Internet access, often shortened to just "broadband", is a high data rate, low-latency connection to the Internet— typically contrasted with dial-up access using a 56 kbit/s modem or satellite Internet with inherently high latency....
Internet connections by the end of June 2007, i.e., about 287 per 1,000 inhabitants. The Finns are not only connected; they are heavy users of Internet services. All Finnish schools and public libraries have for years been connected to the Internet. Finland is the country with the fastest internet connection in the world, with speeds averaging around 40 Mbs.
Cuisine
Traditional Finnish cuisine is a combination of European, Fennoscandia
Fennoscandia
Fennoscandia and Fenno-Scandinavia are geographic and geological terms used to describe the Scandinavian Peninsula, the Kola Peninsula, Karelia and Finland...
n and Western Russian elements; table manners are European. The food is generally simple, fresh and healthy. Fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
, meat
Meat
Meat is animal flesh that is used as food. Most often, this means the skeletal muscle and associated fat and other tissues, but it may also describe other edible tissues such as organs and offal...
, berries
Berry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
and ground vegetable
Vegetable
The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....
s are typical ingredients whereas spice
Spice
A spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, or vegetative substance used in nutritionally insignificant quantities as a food additive for flavor, color, or as a preservative that kills harmful bacteria or prevents their growth. It may be used to flavour a dish or to hide other flavours...
s are not common due to their historical unavailability. In years past, Finnish food often varied from region to region, most notably between the west and east. In coastal and lakeside villages, fish was a main feature of cooking, whereas in the eastern and also northern regions, vegetables and game were more common. In Finnish Lapland, reindeer
Reindeer
The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...
was also important. The prototypical breakfast is oatmeal
Oatmeal
Oatmeal is ground oat groats , or a porridge made from oats . Oatmeal can also be ground oat, steel-cut oats, crushed oats, or rolled oats....
or other continental-style foods such as bread
Bread
Bread is a staple food prepared by cooking a dough of flour and water and often additional ingredients. Doughs are usually baked, but in some cuisines breads are steamed , fried , or baked on an unoiled frying pan . It may be leavened or unleavened...
. Lunch is usually a full warm meal, served by a canteen
Cafeteria
A cafeteria is a type of food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether a restaurant or within an institution such as a large office building or school; a school dining location is also referred to as a dining hall or canteen...
at workplaces. Dinner
Dinner
Dinner is usually the name of the main meal of the day. Depending upon culture, dinner may be the second, third or fourth meal of the day. Originally, though, it referred to the first meal of the day, eaten around noon, and is still occasionally used for a noontime meal, if it is a large or main...
is eaten at around 17.00 to 18.00 at home, and it is also common to have a supper
Supper
Supper is the name for the evening meal in some dialects of English - ordinarily the last meal of the day. Originally, in the Middle Ages, it referred to the lighter meal following dinner, where until the 18th century dinner was invariably eaten as the midday meal.The term is derived from the...
later in the evening.
Modern Finnish cuisine combines country fare and haute cuisine
Haute cuisine
Haute cuisine or grande cuisine was characterised by French cuisine in elaborate preparations and presentations served in small and numerous courses that were produced by large and hierarchical staffs at the grand restaurants and hotels of Europe.The 17th century chef and writer La Varenne...
with contemporary continental cooking
Cooking
Cooking is the process of preparing food by use of heat. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely across the world, reflecting unique environmental, economic, and cultural traditions. Cooks themselves also vary widely in skill and training...
style. Today, spices are a prominent ingredient in many modern Finnish recipes, having been adopted from the east and west in recent decades.
Public holidays
All official holidays in Finland are established by acts of ParliamentParliament of Finland
The Eduskunta , is the parliament of Finland. The unicameral parliament has 200 members and meets in the Parliament House in Helsinki. The latest election to the parliament took place on April 17, 2011.- Constitution :...
. The official holidays can be divided into Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
and secular holidays, although some of the Christian holidays have replaced holidays of pagan origin. The main Christian holidays are Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
, Epiphany
Epiphany (Christian)
Epiphany, or Theophany, meaning "vision of God",...
, Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
, Ascension Day, Pentecost
Pentecost
Pentecost is a prominent feast in the calendar of Ancient Israel celebrating the giving of the Law on Sinai, and also later in the Christian liturgical year commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ after the Resurrection of Jesus...
, and All Saints Day
All Saints
All Saints' Day , often shortened to All Saints, is a solemnity celebrated on 1 November by parts of Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity, in honour of all the saints, known and unknown...
. The secular holidays are New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
, May Day
May Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
, Midsummer Day
Midsummer
Midsummer may simply refer to the period of time centered upon the summer solstice, but more often refers to specific European celebrations that accompany the actual solstice, or that take place on a day between June 21 and June 24, and the preceding evening. The exact dates vary between different...
, and the Independence Day
Independence Day of Finland
Finland's Independence Day is a national public holiday held on 6 December to celebrate Finland's declaration of independence from the Russian Empire. The movement for Finland's Independence started after the revolutions in Russia, caused by the disturbances from the defeats of the First World...
. Christmas is the most extensively celebrated holiday: usually at least December 24th to 26th are holidays.
Sports
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
ing events are popular in Finland. Pesäpallo
Pesäpallo
Pesäpallo is a fast-moving ball sport that is quite often referred to as the national sport of Finland and has some presence in other countries, such as Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Australia, and Northern Ontario in Canada...
(reminiscent of baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
) is the national sport of Finland, although the most popular sports in Finland in terms of media coverage are Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
, ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
and football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
. The Finnish national ice hockey team
Finnish national men's ice hockey team
The Finnish men's national ice hockey team, or Leijonat / Lejonen , as it is called in Finland, is governed by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association...
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
Finland-Sweden athletics international
Finnkampen , Suomi-Ruotsi-maaottelu or Ruotsi-ottelu , is a yearly athletics international competition held between Sweden and Finland since 1925.It is, since the late 1980s, the only annual athletics...
). Jari Kurri
Jari Kurri
Jari Pekka Kurri is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey right winger and a five-time Stanley Cup champion. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001. He is currently the general manager of Team Finland....
and Teemu Selänne
Teemu Selänne
Teemu Ilmari Selänne nicknamed "The Finnish Flash" is a Finnish professional ice hockey winger, an alternate captain of the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League . An offensive player known for his skill and speed, Selanne has led the NHL in goal-scoring three times and has been named to...
are the two Finnish-born ice hockey players to have scored 500 goals in their NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
careers. Football (the game known in the USA as soccer) is also popular in Finland, though the national football team
Finland national football team
The Finland national football team represents Finland in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland....
has never qualified for a finals tournament of the World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
or the European Championships
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
. Jari Litmanen
Jari Litmanen
Jari Olavi Litmanen is a Finnish footballer, currently playing for HJK. He is the current vice-captain of Finland national football team, where he served as a first choice captain between 1996–2008...
and Sami Hyypiä
Sami Hyypiä
Sami Tuomas Hyypiä is a retired European Cup winning Finnish footballer who played in the centre back position. He last played for German Bundesliga side Bayer 04 Leverkusen and was the captain of the Finland national football team. He joined Leverkusen in summer 2009, ending a ten year spell at...
are the most internationally renowned of the Finnish football players.
Relative to its population, Finland has been a top country in the world in automobile racing
Auto racing
Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
, measured by international success. Finland has produced three Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
World Champions – Keke Rosberg
Keke Rosberg
Keijo Erik Rosberg , nicknamed "Keke", is a Finnish former racing driver and winner of the Formula One World Championship. He was the first Finnish driver to compete regularly in the series. Rosberg grew up in Oulu and Iisalmi, Finland...
(Williams
WilliamsF1
Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, trading as AT&T Williams, is a British Formula One motor racing team and constructor. It was founded and run by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head...
, 1982
1982 Formula One season
The 1982 Formula One season was the 33rd FIA Formula One World Championship season. It commenced on January 23, 1982, and ended on September 25 after sixteen races. The World Drivers' Championship was won by Williams driver Keke Rosberg. Rosberg was the first driver since Mike Hawthorn in the 1958...
), Mika Häkkinen
Mika Häkkinen
Mika Pauli Häkkinen is a Finnish racing driver and two-time Formula One World Champion...
(McLaren, 1998
1998 Formula One season
The 1998 Formula One season was the 49th FIA Formula One World Championship season. It commenced on March 8, 1998, and ended on November 1 after sixteen races.-Season summary:...
and 1999
1999 Formula One season
The 1999 Formula One season was the 50th FIA Formula One World Championship season. It commenced on March 7, 1999, and ended on October 31 after sixteen races. The season saw the introduction of a new event to the World Championship calendar, the Malaysian Grand Prix...
) and Kimi Räikkönen
Kimi Räikkönen
Kimi Matias Räikkönen , nicknamed Iceman, is a Finnish racing driver, who will drive in Formula One for Lotus in . After nine seasons racing in Formula One, in which he took the Formula One World Drivers' Championship, he competed in the World Rally Championship from 2009-2011.Räikkönen entered...
(Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....
, 2007
2007 Formula One season
The 2007 Formula One season was the 58th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship, which began on 18 March and ended on 21 October after seventeen events. The Drivers' Championship was won by Ferrari driver Kimi Räikkönen by one point at the...
). Along with Räikkönen, the other Finnish Formula One driver currently active is Heikki Kovalainen
Heikki Kovalainen
Heikki Johannes Kovalainen is a Finnish Formula One racing driver who spent the 2008 and 2009 seasons with British based team McLaren and the 2010 and 2011 seasons with Team Lotus....
(McLaren). Rosberg's son, Nico Rosberg
Nico Rosberg
Nico Erik Rosberg is a racing driver for the Mercedes GP Formula One team. He races under the German flag in Formula One, although he competed for Finland earlier in his career...
(Williams
WilliamsF1
Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, trading as AT&T Williams, is a British Formula One motor racing team and constructor. It was founded and run by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head...
), is also currently driving, but under his mother's German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
nationality. Other notable Finnish Grand Prix drivers include Leo Kinnunen
Leo Kinnunen
Leo Juhani "Leksa" Kinnunen is a Finnish former car racer, the first Formula One driver from his country. He is also remembered for his success in sportscar racing and rallying....
, JJ Lehto
Jyrki Järvilehto
Jyrki Juhani Järvilehto , better known as "JJ Lehto", , is a racing driver from Finland. He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice, in 1995 and 2005...
and Mika Salo
Mika Salo
Mika Juhani Salo is a Finnish racing driver. He competed in Formula One between and . His best ranking was 10th in the world championship in 1999. He also won the GT2 class in the 2008 and 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans....
. Finland has also produced most of the world's best rally
Rallying
Rallying, also known as rally racing, is a form of auto racing that takes place on public or private roads with modified production or specially built road-legal cars...
drivers, including the ex-WRC
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...
World Champion drivers Marcus Grönholm
Marcus Grönholm
Marcus "Bosse" Grönholm is a Finnish former rally driver. Driving for Peugeot, he won the World Rally Championship in 2000 and 2002. After Peugeot withdrew from the World Rally Championship, Grönholm moved to Ford for the 2006 season and placed second in the drivers' world championship, losing the...
, Juha Kankkunen
Juha Kankkunen
Juha Matti Pellervo Kankkunen is a Finnish former rally driver. His factory team career in the World Rally Championship lasted from 1983 to 2002. He won 23 world rallies and four drivers' world championship titles, which were both once records in the series...
, Hannu Mikkola
Hannu Mikkola
Hannu Olavi Mikkola is a retired world champion rally driver. He was a seven time winner of the 1000 Lakes Rally in Finland and won the RAC Rally in Great Britain four times.- Career :...
, Tommi Mäkinen
Tommi Mäkinen
"Turbo" Tommi Antero Mäkinen , tied with Juha Kankkunen and behind Sébastien Loeb , and fifth in wins .He is a four-time World Rally Champion, a series he first won, and then successfully defended, continuously throughout 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999, on all occasions driving the Ralliart Mitsubishi...
, Timo Salonen
Timo Salonen
Timo Salonen is a Finnish former rally driver and the 1985 world champion for Peugeot. It was commented of him that he stood out from other drivers, because he was overweight, wore thick glasses and smoked heavily, but still remained one of the fastest and most competitive drivers in the sport...
and Ari Vatanen
Ari Vatanen
Ari Pieti Uolevi Vatanen is a Finnish rally driver turned politician and Member of the European Parliament 1999–2009. Vatanen won the World Rally Championship drivers' title in 1981 and the Paris Dakar Rally four times....
. The only Finn to have won a road racing
Road racing
Road racing is a general term for most forms of motor racing held on paved, purpose-built race tracks , as opposed to oval tracks and off-road racing...
World Championship, Jarno Saarinen
Jarno Saarinen
Jarno Karl Keimo Saarinen was a Finnish Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He is the only Finn to win a road racing World Championship.- Career :...
, was killed in 1973 while racing.
Among winter sport
Winter sport
A winter sport is a sport which is played on snow or ice. Most such sports are variations of skiing, ice skating and sledding. Traditionally such sports were only played in cold areas during winter, but artificial snow and ice allow more flexibility...
s, Finland has been the most successful country in ski jumping
Ski jumping
Ski jumping is a sport in which skiers go down a take-off ramp, jump and attempt to land as far as possible down the hill below. In addition to the length of the jump, judges give points for style. The skis used for ski jumping are wide and long...
, with former ski jumper Matti Nykänen
Matti Nykänen
Matti Ensio Nykänen is a Finnish former ski jumper who won five Olympic medals , nine World Championships medals and 22 Finnish Championships medals . Most notably, Nykänen won three gold medals at the 1988 Winter Olympics, becoming, along with Yvonne van Gennip of the Netherlands, the most...
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
Janne Ahonen
Janne Petteri Ahonen is a former Finnish ski jumper who has competed in the world cup between 1992-2011. A legendary ski jumper, he is widely considered one of the best and most successful athletes in the history of the sport...
has been the most successful. Kalle Palander
Kalle Palander
Kalle Markus Palander is a Finnish alpine skier, the most successful male Finn ever in the sport.In 1999 Palander won the world championship in slalom. He also won the Alpine skiing World Cup in slalom during the 2002–2003 season, and was fourth in the overall standings. Palander has also...
is a well-known alpine skiing
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
winner, who won the World Championship and Crystal Ball (twice, in Kitzbühel
Kitzbühel
-Demographic evolution:-Personalities:*Karl Wilhelm von Dalla Torre , entomologist and botanist*Alfons Walde , expressionist painter and architect*Peter Aufschnaiter , mountaineer and geographer...
). Tanja Poutiainen
Tanja Poutiainen
Tanja Poutiainen is a Finnish alpine ski racer, the silver medalist in the women's giant slalom at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino....
has won an Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
for alpine skiing, as well as multiple FIS World Cup races.
Some of the most outstanding athletes from the past include Hannes Kolehmainen
Hannes Kolehmainen
Juho Pietari "Hannes" Kolehmainen was a Finnish long-distance runner. He is considered to be the first of a generation of great Finnish long distance runners, often named the "Flying Finns". Kolehmainen competed for a number of years in the United States, wearing the Winged Fist of the Irish...
(1890–1966), Paavo Nurmi
Paavo Nurmi
Paavo Johannes Nurmi was a Finnish runner. Born in Turku, he was known as one of the "Flying Finns," a term given to him, Hannes Kolehmainen, Ville Ritola, and others for their distinction in running...
(1897–1973) and Ville Ritola
Ville Ritola
Vilho Eino Ritola was a Finnish athlete, specialised in the long distance events. In the 1920s, he won 8 Olympic medals...
(1896–1982) who won eighteen gold
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
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
Middle distance track event
Middle distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle distance event. The 880 yard run, or half mile, was the forebear to the...
and long-distance
Long-distance track event
Long-distance track event races require runners to balance their energy. These types of races are predominantly aerobic in nature and at the highest level, exceptional levels of aerobic endurance is required more than anything else...
runners (and subsequently, other great Finnish sportsmen) often named the "Flying Finns
Flying Finn (athlete)
"The Flying Finn" is a nickname given to several Finnish athletes. Originally, it was given to several Finnish middle and long-distance runners...
". Another long-distance runner, Lasse Virén
Lasse Virén
Lasse Artturi Virén is a former Finnish long-distance runner, winner of four gold medals at the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics...
(born 1949), won a total of four gold medals during the 1972
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
and 1976 Summer Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
.
Also, in the past, Riku Kiri
Riku Kiri
Riku Kiri is a Finnish sportsman, best known for competing in the World's Strongest Man competition, narrowly missing out on capturing the title on more than one occasion...
, Jouko Ahola
Jouko Ahola
Jouko Ahola is a Finnish strongman and actor. He won the 1997 and 1999 World's Strongest Man, and finished second in 1998. Ahola won the Europe's Strongest Man contest twice in 1998 and 1999, and finished fourth in 1996. Jouko won the World's Strongest Team in 1997 and 1999, and was second in 1998...
and Janne Virtanen
Janne Virtanen
Janne Virtanen is a strongman from Espoo, Finland. Janne earns his living as a carpenter in Finland....
have been the greatest strength athletes
Strongman (strength athlete)
In the 19th century, the term strongman referred to an exhibitor of strength or circus performers of similar ilk who displayed feats of strength such as the bent press , supporting large amounts of...
in the country, participating in the World's Strongest Man
World's Strongest Man
The World's Strongest Man is a well recognised event in strength athletics and has been described by a number of highly respected authorities in the sport as the premier event in strongman. Organized by TWI, an IMG Media company, it is broadcast around the end of December each year...
competition between 1993 and 2000.
The 1952 Summer Olympics
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...
, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were held in 1952 in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland. Other notable sporting events held in Finland include the 1983
1983 World Championships in Athletics
The inaugural World Championships in Athletics were run under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations and were held at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland between August 7 and August 14, 1983....
and 2005 World Championships in Athletics
2005 World Championships in Athletics
The 10th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held in the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland , the site of the first IAAF World Championships in 1983. One theme of the 2005 championships was paralympic sports, some of...
, among others.
Some of the most popular recreational sports and activities include floorball
Floorball
Floorball, a type of floor hockey, is an indoor team sport which was developed in the 1970s in Sweden. Floorball is most popular in areas where the sport has developed the longest, such as the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. The game is played...
, Nordic walking
Nordic walking
Nordic walking, originally known as ski walking, is a physical activity and a sport consisting of walking with poles similar to ski poles.-Origin:...
, running
Running
Running is a means of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. It is simply defined in athletics terms as a gait in which at regular points during the running cycle both feet are off the ground...
, cycling
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
and skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
.
List of iconic cultural aspects
- List of Finns
- Suuret suomalaisetSuuret suomalaisetSuuret suomalaiset was a 2004 television show broadcast in Finland by YLE , which determined the 100 greatest Finns of all time according to the opinions of its viewers. The viewers were able to vote during a programme which lasted from October to December 2004...
– 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.
See also
- Architecture of FinlandArchitecture of FinlandThe architecture of Finland has a notable history spanning over 800 years and the architecture has contributed to several styles internationally, such as Nordic modernism, through the works of Alvar Aalto.....
- Holidays in Finland, Flag days in FinlandFlag days in FinlandBy law, the Finnish flag must be flown from public buildings on the following days:*February 28, day of Kalevala; the occasion is also celebrated as the Day of Finnish culture*May 1, Vappu, the Day of Finnish Labour*Second Sunday in May, Mother's Day...
, Namesdays in Finland - List of Finns
External links
- What Finland can Teach America About True Luxury by Trevor Corson, The Christian Science Monitor, May 1, 2009
- The Finnuit - Finnish Culture and the Religion of Uniqueness by Edwahird Dutton, 2009
- Discussion about Finnish Culture