Finnish Culture & Society

Finland is made up of:
Finnish 93.4%
Sweden 5.6%
Russian 0.5%
Estonian 0.3%
Roman (Gypsy) 0.1%
Sami 0.1%
(https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/fi.html)

Nordic but not Scandinavian
. Finland along with Iceland is Nordic rather than Scandinavian.
. This is reflected in their language which is not Germanic in origin.
. While many social values are the same, there are subtle differences with Scandinavians.
 Finnish Egalitarianism
. Finland is an egalitarian society, which is reflected in their language, which employs gender-neutral words.
. Finns are very modest and downplay their own accomplishments.
. They view being humble and modest as virtues.
 Finnish Behaviour
. Finns believe there is a proper way to act in any circumstance and always expect courteous behaviour.
. Talk in moderate tones and do not do anything to call attention to yourself.
. Serial conversation is the rule - i.e. listen to the speaker, wait for them to finish and then reply. Interrupting is rude.
  Fancy a Sauna?
. The sauna has a special role in the domestic life of Finns.
. It is an experience shared with family and friends.
. Important business meetings may be followed by a sauna in which the conversation is continued on a more informal basis.
. Saunas are found everywhere: At the end of calendar year 2002, there were 1,212,000 saunas in private apartments and another 800,000 in summer cottages and public swimming pools. This translates to more than 2,000,000 saunas for a population of 5.2 million.