Language and the idea of a nation
Finnish belongs to the Uralic family and is unrelated to the Germanic and Slavic languages around it. For centuries Finland was part of the Swedish realm, and from 1809 an autonomous Grand Duchy within the Russian Empire. In that period, language became the foundation of national identity. Finnish gained official standing alongside Swedish in the nineteenth century, and Finland declared independence in 1917. Swedish remains a national language today, and the Sámi, Romani and sign-language communities are all part of the cultural picture.
The Kalevala and oral poetry
The Kalevala, compiled by Elias Lönnrot from folk poetry collected in Karelia and first published in 1835 (with an expanded edition in 1849), became the national epic. Its poems were traditionally sung in a distinctive trochaic meter, often by two singers facing each other. The text shaped Finnish literature, music and painting and still inspires composers, illustrators and designers. Finland marks Kalevala Day on 28 February.
The epic was not written by one hand; it was gathered from many singers over many years, and then given a shape.
Sauna
There are millions of saunas in Finland, a number that rivals the population itself. The sauna is a place for washing, resting and conversation rather than spectacle, and it traditionally marks life events from birth to farewell. In 2020 UNESCO recognised Finnish sauna culture on its list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity, noting the role of the sauna as a place of calm and social equality.
The kantele and Finnish music
The kantele, a plucked string instrument, is closely associated with the Kalevala, where it is played by the hero Väinämöinen. Older five-string versions sit alongside modern concert instruments with many more strings. Finnish music runs from folk and rune-singing to the symphonies of Jean Sibelius, whose work helped define the sound of the early independence movement, and on to a contemporary scene that spans choral music, metal and electronic production.
Seasons and festivals
- Juhannus (midsummer) – bonfires, lakeside gatherings and a few nights without darkness.
- Vappu (1 May) – a spring festival of students, picnics and street parties.
- Joulu (Christmas) – candlelit, quiet, and often combined with a visit to the sauna.
- Everyman's right – the long-standing freedom to walk, ski, swim and pick berries in the countryside, a cultural principle as much as a legal one.
Reading and libraries
Finns are among the most active library users in the world, and public libraries are treated as civic spaces: places to borrow books, but also tools, games and studio equipment. Literature from Aleksis Kivi's nineteenth-century novel Seven Brothers to Tove Jansson's Moomin books and contemporary crime writing is well represented in translation.