After Finn the exonym for the Sámi people group, early migrates to the region; of Germanic origin, related to finthan = find/ notice & fendo = pedestrian/ wanderer & Old Norse finn (plural finnar)† = hunter-gatherer. It's likely a reference to the hunter/ gatherer nature of the original, pre-reindeer herding Sámi. The Finnish endonym for themselves is Suomi which likely also shares a common etymology with Saame (the Sámi.)
In the earliest sources (12/ 13c) Finland refers only to the SW coastal region around Turku (later known as Finland Proper in distinction from the full country.) But by the end of the Middle Ages, the term Finland was extended to the east as well.
† Still used in Norway up to early 20c, (Finnmark e.g. means Sámi country) but is now generally considered a derogatory term.
From modernist Helsinki’s to prehistoric cave art, reindeer, dog sledding & the ancient Sámi of Lapland under the Northern Lights - there is no better place to enjoy the magic of a Nordic winter than Finland!
@ a glance essentials:
.
Language:
Finnish
-
-
Water safety
Safe to Drink - Among the Cleanest in the World
+ Swedish. Most Locals can speak English.
Currency:
€ Euro
Local Transport
Metro, Bus, Tram & Trains are sufficient for the cities. Remote areas require a car
Much of Finland is wild - bears & wolves roam free away from the cities. When driving, watch for reindeer (the Porokello app warns of high-risk reindeer-crash areas) Ice is also a big danger and surprisingly bugs are abundant in summer, so bring bug spray or even a head net for camping/ hiking.
Hot Tip:
The region that would become Finland was first settled around 9000 BC, after the last Ice Age, with people very similar to the people groups in neighboring Estonia & Russia, with Finno-Ugric peoples, including the ancestors of the Sámi, migrating to the region in the Bronze age. During this time the tribes in Finlandia et partes orientales or Österland (= 🔎Eastland) as it was called by other Scandinavians, were independent but never unified into a nation state🔍.
a bit of background...
.....................In 1906 Finland was the 1st in Europe to grant universal suffrage & 1st in the world to allow all citizens to run for public office. (Sadly, suffrage was virtually meaningless in practice, as the territory was under Russian overrule and the Tsar was under no obligation to approve any laws passed by the Finnish parliament.)
FUN FACT:
The 12 & 13c were marked by a series of Northern Crusades into the Baltic region during which the future Finland began gradually being absorbed by the 🔎Kingdom of Sweden. (with the whole of Österland incorporated by the 15c) They were then occupied by the Russians twice in the 18c until being officially captured as a result of the Finnish War of 1809, becoming the Grand Duchy of Finland, an autonomous state of the Russian Empire.
A Finnish nationalist, or Fennoman movement, began in the 1860's as Russia began to restrict the Duchy's autonomy, and after the Russian Revolution (1917), Finland declared independence which lead to a civil war and Finland's status, first, as the Kingdom of Finland, and then soon after as the 🔎Republic of Finland in 1919.
In 1939 Finland was again annexed by the now Soviet Union in the Winter War, briefly becoming the Finnish Democratic Republic, but it was able to regain independence for 90% of it's territory in 1940. Though it lost some territory to the USSR throughout the 1940's Finland survived WWII as one of the only nations that took part in the war, other than Great Britain, to preserve its democracy and never be occupied by another nation.
Must Try Local Cuisine:
Paistetut Muikut - fried vendace (small freshwater whitefish) ∞ Lohikeitto - salmon soup 🍲
Karelian Pasties - small, crusty pastries filled with potato or rice eg. ∞ Reindeer Sautéed w' Lingonberries
Lihapiirakka - meat pie w/ doughnut-like dough ∞ Leipäjuusto† - sweet baked cheese w/ Cloudberry†† Jam
Kanelbulle - cinnamon & cardamom bun & Korvapuusti ("a slap on the ear") - sweet crescent pastry resembling ears
Salmiakki - Finnish licorice seasoned with ammonium chloride
➿➰➿
† Called squeaky cheese because when you bite it it makes a squeaky sound †† Bright orange berries unique to Scandinavia found only in high altitude bogs
I haven't yet had the opportunity to visit
Finland
(but it's on the list!) - So I don't have any personal
(If you get there first send me your best finds !)
recommendations yet, but you can start with the most popular spots
below, and I'll update with my favorites, hopefully soon!
Most Known For:
♦️ Finish saunas, like community run Sompasauna or the Sauna on the Skywheel
🔸 Helsinki - with 330+ islands archipelago🔍 including Pukkisaari - with replica Iron Age village,
Suomenlinna with it's Lighthouse Church† & a 1700's Sea Fortress with Temppeliaukio a
subterranean Church🔍 carved in bedrock
♦️ Arctic🔍 North winter adventures like skiing, ice-climbing & dogsledding 🛷 in Lapland
Santa Claus' Village | Rovaniemi - with snow-shoe safaris or Salla Reindeer Park- with
🦌 reindeer competitions, late night canoe trips (beneath the midnight sun) & sleigh-rides
🔸 Hell of Lapland - giant’s kettle & meromictic Pakasaivo Lake an indigenous Sámi
worship site, believed to tunnel to hell; the realm beneath the 60m deep lake
♦️ Northern Lights (particularly clear on endless nights; November- January across ) best viewed from inside
glass igloos & Ice Hotels- where everything is ice; beds (with furs,) restaurants with frozen plates & cups and
the hotel itself - built from snow & ice, decorated with carved ice sculptures. There's even a Snow Castle at Kemi
🔸 Raanua Wildlife Park - northernmost nature reserve in the world with 🐻❄️ polar bears, lynx & 🐺 wolves
♦️ Treriksrøysa Cairn - the only place where Central European, Eastern European & Far-East European Time meet
🔸 Prehistoric sites like Lake Lappajärvi - one of the largest crater lakes in Europe, Jääkäri's 5,000 years old -
Astuvansalmi Rock Paintings, a shamanistic site near lake Yövesi - over 70 paintings depicting hunting rituals
or Kirkkonummi's Vitträsk Rock Paintings - some of the oldest pictograph artwork in Finland and near by
Högberget "Womb of Mother Earth" Cave famous for looking strikingly similar to rock 'lady parts'
♦️ Turku with the Turun Linna (Turku Castle) dating to the 1200s AD
👀 NOTABLE FINNISH:
🎩 Moomins†† 🎬 Aki Kaurismaki | Film Director 🎤 Lordi | Masked Rocker
† Built in 1854 it's central dome was turned into a beackon in 1929, light, blinking a Morse code "H" for Helsinki
†† ✏️ Tove Jansson | Author
👣
🌀 Juhannus/ Midsummer (June) - celebrated w/ bonfires, music, saunas & midnight swims under the midnight sun
🌀 Walpurgis Night (April 30th) & Vappu / May Day - in Helsinki university students parade in colorful overalls
representing their field of study followed by the “capping” of the Havis Amanda statue
🌀 Kekri / Harvest Festival (Autumn) - celebration of the end of harvest & honoring of ancestors that predates
Christianity. Traditionally a lavish feast w/ special foods for the spirits of ancestors. Kekripukki 👹(a Krampus
like creature) visits homes w/ people offering food to appease it. Today it's celebrated w/ harvest fairs & music
🌀 Lucia Day (December 13th) - festival of light w/ a procession by 'Saint Lucia,' represented by a young girl
dressed in a white w/ a crown of candles, leading children w/ candles through the town
🌀 Joulut / Christmas - celebrated with Christmas markets, Christmas Eve Saunas &
Joulupukki (Finnish Santa who resides in Korvatunturi | Lapland & delivers 🎁s in person Christmas Eve)
🌀 Arts Festivals like: Helsinki Festival, the island Savonlinna Opera Festival - in the 1475 medieval Olavinlinna,
castle, Tampere Theatre Festival, Pori Jazz Festival & Seinäjoki Tango Festival
Site Key:
Five Star Recommend
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