Category: Curiosities

Finnish Beer: the strange classes and levels

I am spoiled in this aspect and I think many other people throughout Europe are as well. In most EU countries – that is, every country that isn’t a Nordic (or Scandinavian) country – beer and wine have low(er) taxes. Finland, on the other hand, is a bit different. And you will want to know how the Finnish Beer is different. In some places like…

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The Finnish Armed forces abandon the Swastika as a symbol

Yes, that’s right. The Finnish armed forces used the swastika as a symbol up to 2020. There was of course an explanation: they adopted it before the Nazi regime and for that reason they had never believed they had to change it. This reason seems insufficient to us in this blog. There is simply no reason to wear it today because they need to spend…

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Takatalvi – when the winter is back during Finland’s spring

Where I am from we have an idiom. I’ll write it in Spanish: “hasta el cuarenta de Mayo no te quites el sayo“. This translates to “until the 40th of May, don’t take the coat off”. Yes, May doesn’t have 40 days, but if you say “June 9th” it doesn’t rhyme. Anyways, in Finland – with the same spirit – they have the Takatalvi: the…

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Personal space in Finland (compared to other countries)

It is well known that personal space is sacred in Finland. If you have been in the country and have not seen a bus stop where each person is at least three meters away from the next, you haven’t been in Finland long enough. And this happens under rain or snow – literally. Perfect illustration of the phenomenon. Source: reddit. But does this happen only…

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