Cultural Handout

Alison Olsen and Audrey Hamill

FINLAND~SUOMI
THE LAND OF 5 MILLION PEOPLE AND 3 MILLION SAUNAS

Facts about Finland

Before becoming a sovereign
nation in 1917, Finland was a
part of Russia. Before that?
Sweden.
In 1918, Finland erupted in a
Civil War fought between
socialist Reds and conservative
Whites. During 3 months of
conflict, 36,000 Finns were
killed at a time when the
countrys entire population
totaled only 3 million. The
Whites won, but the war left the
country highly divided.
For 3 months between 1939
and 1940, Finland fought
against Soviet invasion in The
Winter War. While the war
ended in a loss of Finnish
territory, it helped to unify the
nation and repair some of the
division created by the Civil
War. This resulted in a greater
sense of national identity which
can still be felt today.

Who are the Finns?

First and foremost, Finns are from FinlandFinland being that
small country just east of Russia and west of Sweden. About 5.5 million
Finns live in Finland today while you can expect to find about 700,000
Finnish Americans living in the US.
So what are Finns like? As an old Finnish joke goes, An
introverted Finn looks at his shoes when talking to you; an extroverted
Finn looks at your shoes. The Finns are often consideredand often by
themselvesa quiet, reserved people. As fans of self-deprecating humor
who are not-so-much fans of small talk, many Finns are quick to
embrace this national stereotype. In reality, Finns are incredibly genuine
people who feel pauses are natural parts of conversation that need not
be filled.

Words to Know
Moi Hello

Moi Moi Bye

Kiitos Thank You

Joo Yes

Ei No

Cultural Handout

Alison Olsen and Audrey Hamill

Finnish Contributions
Above all else, Finland gave the world
the gift of sauna and for that we
should be eternally grateful.

The Finnish Flash

& Other Famous
Finns
Teemu Selnne (1970-), known as
the Finnish Flash is a retired
professional ice hockey winger.
He played for the Finnish
National Mens Ice Hockey team
and for the Anaheim Ducks in the
National Hockey League (NHL).
He played a total of 21 NHL
seasons and is the highest
scoring Finnish NHL player in
history.
Alvar Aalto
(1898-1976)
was an
architect and
designer. He
designed
Finlandia Hall
which is a
prominent
landmark in
the capitol city,
Helsinki.
Joulupukki
(age not
known), is
perhaps the most famous Finn of
all. Ask any Finn and theyll let
you know, Santa is from
Rovaniemi in Lapland (northern)
Finland.

Developed during the Winter War, the

Finns also gifted warfare the Molotov
Cocktaila bottle full of flammable
liquid which is sometimes called the
poor mans grenade.

Finnish inventor Maiju Gebhard

further contributed to the world,
the dish draining closet and while
this innovation is not yet
commonplace in the US it really
should be. Its incredibly handy.

Resources
Websites
yle.fi YLE, Finlands most prominent news source, has an
outstanding website where you can find news about Finland in
both Finnish and English along with a host of additional
resources.
finland.fi, a website produced by the Ministry
for Foreign Aairs, is also an excellent source
of information.
Books
The Moomin series is one of the most popular
childrens books series in Finnish history and
makes an excellent addition to any classroom
library.
Organizations
The Finlandia Foundation which celebrates and
supports Finnish culture within the United States is a great
source of information. Their website can be found at
finlandiafoundation.org.

Cultural Handout

Alison Olsen and Audrey Hamill