| Culture Of Finland |
Article Index for Culture Of |
Website Links For Culture |
Information AboutCulture Of Finland |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT CULTURE OF FINLAND | |
| finnish culture | |
|
The culture of Finland incorporates indigenous heritage, as represented by e.g. the country's rare ). HISTORICAL ASPECTS The area of modern Finland has historically been inhabited by Finnish speakers, Swedish speakers (from Middle Age) and Sami people. Before 1809, Finland was a part of the Swedish kingdom. Although mostly Finnish-speaking, it was ruled by a Swedish-speaking upper class. To the east, there was Karelia , a remote region influenced by Swedish and Russian cultures, where Finnish and related Karelian was spoken, and where the songs of Kalevala originated. It may be argued that the formation of a more defined Finnish cultural identity in the modern sense was accelerated in the 19th century during the period of overall National Romanticism and Nationalism in Europe. The 19th century Finland was an autonomous Grand Duchy annexed from Sweden by imperial Russia in 1809. Enabling support from the Swedish speaking upper strata of the Finnish society for a separate Finnish identity was expressed by the University Docent A. I. Arwidsson (1791 - 1858) in a phrase that, somewhat modified, became an often quoted Fennoman credo: "Swedes we are not / no-longer, Russians we do not want to become, let us therefore become Finns." (Swedish form: "Svenskar äro vi icke längre, ryssar vilja vi icke bli, låt oss alltså bli finnar." Finnish form: "Ruotsalaisia emme ole, venäläisiksi emme tule, olkaamme siis suomalaisia.") PEOPLE Traditionally, Finns have attributed themselves as typically straightforward and stubborn. The idea of achieving by unyielding is still commonly expressed with the term '' Sisu '', sometimes with an emphasis to the nationality as in ''suomalaisella sisulla'' ("with Finnish guts"). The qualities endurance, hardyness and toughness are implied also by the classic characterization ''katajainen kansa'' ("juniperous people") coined in by the writer Juhani Aho in 1899 - 1900. Amidst today's material prosperity and the typical social and financial challenges that a Welfare State of the Nordic model and a typical European Post-industrial Society faces, the average Finn might, however, find these attributes equally corny as the much repeated slogan "it's a lottery win to be born in Finland" formulated a hundred years later. Today, 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. The Protestant Work Ethic remains a significant cultural staple, and free education is a highly prized institution. The traditional occupation of Finns, like most Europeans, is agriculture. This is contrasted to the traditionally hunter-gatherer Sami People further north. Until the second half of the 20th century, Finland was an agrarian society, but in modern times Finns have increasingly embraced an urban lifestyle. Nonetheless many Finns maintain a fondness for a rural lifestyle close to nature, and it is a very typical practice to visit a summer cottage in the countryside during vacations. There is approximately one summer cottage to every five house holds in Finland474300 summer cottages (2005) to 2405000 households (2003) [http://www.stat.fi/til/ktutk/2001/ktutk_2001_2005-07-01_tau_001.html . Of Finland's maritime and boating traditions tells the statistic that there is approximately one boat to every three households in Finlandover 737000 boats (2004) [http://www.fma.fi/media/julkaisusarjat/Veneilyraportti_5_2005.pdf], not surprising in a country with thousands of lakes and a long coast line. FAMILY STRUCTURE Finnish family life is nowadays centered around the Nuclear Family . Members of an extended family typically live apart, and youths seek independence and typically move from their parents' residence around the age of twenty. FESTIVITIES AND TRADITIONS Finnish holidays are mostly based on the Western Christian calendar and Protestant traditions. Uniquely in the Orthodox world, the Finnish Orthodox Church celebrates easter according to the western calendar. As elsewhere, in spite of a thousand-year old Christian presence, many festivities maintain vestiges of old Finnish Pagan Traditions . Notable among these is Juhannus , the Finnish Midsummer which involves seeking one's way to non-urban environments and burning large bonfires and drunken revelry. The midsummer traditions also include different versions of pairing magic, such as collecting a number of different kinds of flowers and putting them under one's pillow, after which one is meant to see the future spouse in one's dreams. The Finnish Christmas , ''Joulu'', is generally in line with the North and Middle European traditions of Christmas Tree s and Advent Calendar s and traditional meals, involving a number of dishes which are typically only eaten on Christmas. Christmas is the most extensive and appreciated and commercialized holiday in Finland. Holidays start from the 23th December and continue through Christmas Eve (24th), Christmas Day (25th) and St. Stephen's Day (26th). Started by the traditional "Declaration of Christmas Peace" at noon most famously from the balcony of the Brinkkala Mansion in the city of Turku , the pivotal Christmas ceremonies, such as the Christmas meal, going to the Sauna and the visit by Joulupukki ( Father Christmas , Santa Claus ) giving gifts take place on the Christmas Eve (24h). The core festivities end on St. Stephen's Day (Fi: ''tapaninpäivä'') when it was traditionally acceptable again to start socializing with the neighbours taking the form of the so called St. Stephen's Day rides (traditionally with horses). In schools and in many workplaces, the vacation continues until the New Year. On the New Year , which is a holiday, besides fireworks, it is customary to foretell one's future by melting a horse shoe shaped piece of tin and dropping it into a bucket of water; either the form itself or the shadow of the resulting casting is then used to jokingly predict the fortunes of the coming year. During Easter , it is common for Finnish children to embark in what today is commonly referred to as ''virpominen'' (verb ''virpoa''). This door-to-door tradition in its present form is a mixture between a western "Easter witching" and an eastern sanctification ritual. On either the Palm Sunday (east) or the Holy Saturday (west), children dress up as witches (''trulli'') and go from door to door, waving and giving away decorated branches of willow while reciting a rhyme spell for good health in exchange for sweets. This tradition is thought to have combined originally pagan elements of both the east and the west with the Orthodox traditions of Karelia . In Ostrobothnia , but not elsewhere, it is common to burn "Easter bonfires". Vappu , a Finnish Walpurgis Night, involves parades, a general carnivalistic atmosphere and a lot of Sparkling Wine . It is typically celebrated by present and former students who traditionally start on the eve at 6 p.m. by putting on their Student Cap . Also, the labor movement celebrates it as the international labor day, and other political organizations follow suit, arranging speeches and parades. In the following morning students, usually with little sleep, and families go on a picnic in common parks. The date of the celebrations is originally probably of pagan origin in Northern Europe. Some locales on Finland's western coast have celebrations to end the summer cottage season around the end of August. These are known as ''huvilakauden päättäjäiset'' (Fi) ''villaavslutning'' (Sw) around Vaasa or ''venetsialaiset'' (Fi) and ''veneziaden'' (Sw) in Kokkola and Jakobstad . The celebrations involve lanterns, bonfires and fireworks. This practice is mostly unknown elsewhere in Finland. The Finnish independence day is the 6th of December and a national holiday. LITERATURE : ''Main article Finnish Literature '' Though Finnish written language could be said to exist since Mikael Agricola translated the New Testament into Finnish in the 16th century as a result of the 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 . After Finland became independent there was a rise of modernist writers, most famously Mika Waltari . 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. MUSIC : ''Main article Music Of Finland '' Despite its relatively short history of art music, Finland today is well respected for its musicianship, with a quality education of classical musicians having produced a high proportion of world-class conductors and singers. Finnish art music came to the forefront as a part of the national romantic movement and Jean Sibelius . Since the 1950's, the modernist movement gained ground, producing a number of notable composers. Modern Finnish popular music has received attention also in foreign countries, especially on the rock and metal scenes, with such bands as The Rasmus , HIM , Nightwish and Stratovarius gaining international acclaim. NOTES AND REFERENCES SEE ALSO
|
|
|