HOW TO BECOME A FINN

ALKO
The state monopoly shops for wines and liquors are nowadays open till eight p.m. in the bigger towns. They are the only places to purchase a bottle of wine to go with the dinner.

AVANTOUINTI
Swimming in a hole in the ice is said to be very healthy. It takes a lot of SISU (see below), but it makes you feel a hero afterwards.

FESTARIT
A new phenomenon in Finland since the 1970s is the large variety of cultural events throughout the country, especially in the summer. There are festivals of dance, music, theater and cinema, art exhibitions in the open air, and new amusement parks of all kinds: adventure playgrounds, dinosaur parks, exotic and luxurious indoor spas, etc. Most villages and towns have their yearly fests with music, folk dancing, traditional food, shooting the rapids, or any other imaginable activities.

HERNESOPPA
A traditional pea and ham soup that you can't miss if you go to any cafeteria on a Thursday afternoon.

HUMPPA AND TANGO
The most popular dance music in Finland. Finnish tango has its roots in Argentina. It came to Finland via Germany in the 30s and the rhythm became more monotonous on the way. HUMPPA is a Finnish version of the fox-trot and is very good exercise.

JOKAMIEHENOIKEUS
Everyman's right is a Finnish concept, which entails the right of anybody to move around freely in forests, fields or lakes and to pick for instance berries and mushrooms, regardless of land ownership. There are restrictions for military areas and private properties such as courtyards and private gardens. However, JOKAMIEHEN OIKEUS doesn't entail the right to cut trees or make a fire, nor to fish with other than a hook and line.

JOULUPUKKI
As everybody knows, Santa Claus lives in Finnish Lapland in a place called Korvatunturi. But nobody knows how he manages to visit millions of homes all over the world during just one night...

JUHANNUS The Midsummer Eve celebration closes up the country. The capital city looks like it has been evacuated. Everybody is out at their summer cottages celebrating by the bonfires. As the saying goes: Christmas comes around every 12 months but JUHANNUS is only once a year.

KAAMOS
There's no such thing as a free lunch - or a free midnight sun. The payment for all those nightless nights is called KAAMOS; it's dark when you go to work and it's dark when you come home. In southern parts of the country there can be some light at noon - if you're lucky.

KAHVI
Finns lead the world in the consumption of coffee. If your stomach isn't armour plated, don't try visiting too many private homes on one day, even if Finnish coffee is not half as strong as Mediterranean coffee.

KANTELE
The national musical instrument is the five-stringed harp KANTELE the old bard Väinämöinen made of birch (in Kalevala, the national epic poem of Finland, which is 150 years old in 1999).

KARJALANPIIRAKKA
A traditional Karelian pasty baked in rye dough with a rice or potato filling. A real delicacy (especially when bought at the baker's), sometimes described as "rice in bedroom slippers" (and also described as the main reason for an exchange year in Finland by a student from the UK!)

KESKIYÖNAURINKO
The midnight sun is a bestseller for Finnish tourism. The best thing about this cliche is that it is true. It is the reason to endure several months of KAAMOS and a good reason to celebrate.

KESÄMÖKKI
Whether you live in a downtown flat or a house of your own on the outskirts of a small town, what you need is a summer cottage to escape the company of other people and take a sauna bath every day.

KIPPIS
Cheers! Prosit! Cin cin! Salud! After saying KIPPIS a sufficient number of times, you suddenly realize what an enormous amount of alcohol you have consumed.

KOKKO
The midnight sun is traditionally accompanied by another light - the bonfires of Midsummer Eve. And don't forget the MAKKARA which is roasted nice and black over the fire.

KÄNNYKKÄ
Finns own more mobile phones per capita than any other nation in the world (just to support Nokia?).

LAVATANSSIT
The traditional outdoor dance halls all over the country drew hundreds of people on Saturday nights to dance to the rhythms of tango, humppa and waltz. Unfortunately many of these places have been closed down since discotheques found their way to Finland.

LOTTOVOITTO
"It is like winning the national lottery to be born in Finland" (one of the most common Finnish proverbs). Whether this refers to the climate or the relative stability of the political life is unclear. Anyway, the Saturday evening schedule in many Finnish homes is to first take a sauna bath, then some beer and MAKKARA, and then check the lucky numbers of LOTTO on prime time TV.

MAKKARA
No cultural festival could be taken seriously without MAKKARA. Along with the potato it is the most common vegetable, especially for the Finnish male. It's a must after the sauna. In English it is called sausage.

MATONPESU
It is a very peculiarly Finnish summer tradition to roll the carpets and take them to the nearest water - any lake, river or seashore will do - and scrub them clean. You'll find special wooden quays built for this purpose for instance on the shores around Helsinki.

METSÄ
The forest is the main source of livelihood for the country. For many people the best form of therapy is to stroll or ski in a forest.

MÄMMI
If you come to Finland over Easter, you must try MÄMMI. Forget your prejudice - it only looks like it has been eaten once.

PESÄPALLO
The Finnish national summer sport is baseball. It's different from the better known American baseball in many ways, so check if you can get a chance!

PITKÄ
A tall one - is what you order in a bar - a pint of beer.

PENKKIURHEILU
The easiest way to become a Finn is to understand sport. To love sport. To watch sport. To take up sport. To follow sport. Any sport will do. PENKKIURHEILIJA - an armchair athlete - is the eager sports lover always sitting on a cozy sofa at home in front of the TV or in a sports hall watching a match. A true sport.

PORTSARI
When entering a restaurant you'll first meet the doorman who will check if you are dressed properly and if you're sober. Then if you pass this test and are lucky you can go in for a drink. But don't get drunk in there, otherwise the PORTSARI will throw you out - and don't forget to tip him, whether you go out voluntarily or not, or you'll have little chance of getting in next time.

PULLA
A special Finnish sweet bread or bun - sometimes in the form of a cinnamon roll, KORVAPUUSTI - that helps the Finns drink so much coffee.

RUOTSINLAIVA
Every day several huge ships sail between Finland and Sweden. Ten or twelve hours on board and you are in Stockholm. Restaurants, shops, swimming pools, cinemas and tropical spa resorts are available. But the purpose of the trip is not always to go to Stockholm - after a short walk in the centre you may come back to the ship and wait for the voyage back home.

RUSKA
In September the leaves start turning into different shades of red, gold and brown. Especially in Lapland it's a fantastic experience on a bright day. Very few languages have an equivalent for it - so take our word for it: RUSKA.

SAUNA
The one Finnish word known all over the world.

SISU
Courage, nerve and heart - these three make up for the Finnish word SISU. It's all it takes to survive in Finland.

VALOMERKKI
Just when you thought you'd have one more for the road, the lights go out for a brief moment - and it is too late. Come back again tomorrow!

VAPPU
Spring starts April 30th, whether it's snowing or not. It's the day of the year when every Finn suddenly becomes very talkative and funny. With either a student's matriculation cap or a paper hat on the head and a bottle of champagne in the hand, people are out strolling in the streets and enjoying the carnival.