Culture of Finland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Culture of Finland has historically been characterized by the country's position between Sweden and Russia. While it clearly belongs to the Western civilization due to its long history as a part of Sweden, it has nonetheless been a meeting place between West and East and has received influences from both. The Finnish cultural identity as a separate entity was born in the 19th century in a national awakening under Russian rule, culminating in the popular credo, "we are not Swedes, and we do not wish to become Russian, so let us be Finns."
Contents |
[edit] Attitudes
The Finnish national character could be described as a mixture of Germanic industrialism and Slavic melancholy, leading to Finns' reputation as a straightforward and stubborn people. This is popularly referred to with the Finnish term Sisu. In modern Finland this has been tempered by an emphasis on 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.
Until recent times 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.
[edit] Festivities and Traditions
Finnish holidays belong mostly to Christian tradition, and In spite of a thousand-year Christian tradition, thanks to which most Finns even today belong to the Lutheran church, many holidays maintain vestiges of old Finnish pagan traditions.
Notable among these is the Finnish Midsummer festival, Juhannus, that involves burning a large bonfire and drunken revelry. It is also common in particular for young women to practice traditional midsummer 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 one's future spouse in one's dreams.
The Finnish Christmas, Joulu, is generally in line with Middle European traditions, though with an emphasis on the special Finnish Christmas meals, involving, contrary to usual Finnish culinary customs, a number of dishes, many of which are only eaten on Christmas. On the New Year, besides the multinational practice of fireworks, it is a common practice of divination to melt a piece of tin and then drop them into a bucket of cold water; the shadow of the resulting piece of tin is then used to predict the fortunes of the coming year.
During Easter, it is common for Finnish children to embark in virpominen. On Palm Sunday, children dress up as witches and go from door to door, giving a decorated branch of willow and reciting a rhyme spell for good health in exchange for sweets. This tradition that combines elements of paganism and Eastern Orthodox tradition initially belonged to Karelia, but has since spread to all of Finland.
The Finnish Walpurgis Night, Vappu, involves parades and a carnival atmosphere, and is often celebrated by families by going on a picnic. Though initially a labour holiday, it is today celebrated especially by university students as an opportunity for uninhibited drinking of alcohol.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
