Atlantica - 01.07.2004, Side 28

26 A T L A N T I C A
SISU is a Finnish word commonly
used to describe the country’s
national character.
Meaning: The ability to hold on to the
end of a rope while dangling over a
precipice for five seconds longer
than you thought you could. Then
going five more hours.
MOOMINS A Moomintroll is small
and shy and fat, and has a
Moominpappa and a Moomin-
mamma. Moomins live in the forests
of Finland. They like sunshine and
sleep right through the winter. And
these loveable, funny, weird and
mystical tales were created by
Finland’s best-loved children’s
author Tove Jansson.
SAUNA There are two million
saunas in Finland. A Sauna is
Finland’s best-known export before
Nokia phones. Saunas are not about
sex, they are about health, relax-
ation and cleansing. Historically,
saunas have been regarded as pure
places where physical and spiritual
cleansing took place. In former
times, babies were born in saunas
and last rites were performed in
saunas. In Helsinki, there are many
sauna bars, and even a sauna disco.
And yes, everyone gets naked.
FINNISH Is not related to the
Scandinavian languages. It’s
extremely difficult to learn and, a
member of the Finno-Ugric family; it
is only related to Hungarian and
Estonian. A typical Finnish word
seems to consist of endless vowels.
Example of Finnish sentence taken
from a menu: Perintestä ruokaa
ilman turhia trendikotkotuksia
(meaning: traditional food without
useless trendy nonsense).
SERIOUS FUN Finns are famous for
their lack of small talk. Finns mean
what they say. The Finnish idea of
fun is drinking a bottle of schnapps
and listening to melancholic tango
music. One Swedish joke about
Finns says it all: Pekka and Jukka sit
in the sauna together drinking
schnapps. One hour passes, and
Pekka says “skål” to Jukka. Another
hour passes and Jukka says “skål”
to Pekka. The third hour goes by and
Pekka says “skål” to Jukka. To this,
Jukka replies, “Pekka, did we come
here to drink or to talk?”
DESIGN Finnish design is renowned
the world over. Its paramount fea-
tures are function and durability, and
it's synonymous with several names
including visionary architect Alvar
Aalto. His organic functionalist style
is the perfect example of Finnish
design: form follows practical func-
tion. with nature both as an inspira-
tion and a material. Other big design
names are Marimekko, a label
known for colourful sixties-style cot-
ton clothing and fabrics, and Iittala,
a famous glassware label.
HISTORY The first crusade to
Finland was led by Swedish King
Eric IX in 1155, and for the next 650
years Finland was part of Sweden.
In 1809, Sweden lost Finland to
Russia, and Finland became a grand
duchy of the Russian Empire.
Independence was gained in 1917.
During WWII, Finland successfully
defended its freedom from Germany
and the Soviet Union. Finland got
through the heavy financial and psy-
chological tolls of both world wars
and shifted into high gear in the
1950’s when it moved from an agrar-
ian to an industrial economy. Today,
Finland is one of the world leaders in
technology and tops global rankings
in environmental protection, social
security and education.
Finnland Facts
CHILLING OUT AT THE ÅBU BAR
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