<p>December. What’s the first thing you think of? I bet many of you said “Santa Claus” and “holidays”. Hold that thought… How about a holiday to Santa’s village? “Rubbish!” you say? Within the Arctic Circle in the country of Finland, is Rovaniemi, the official home of Santa Claus. You can actually visit his house and say hello to his elves. In pictures it almost seems like something out of a Christmas card. A winter wonderland replete with pristine white snow (it snows most of the time, of course!) and evergreen trees. </p> .<p>But I’m racing ahead. There’s much more to Finland than Santa’s village. </p><p>Around 8000 BC as the ice sheet covering all of northern Europe began to melt away, people started arriving in what we now call Finland. The original inhabitants were the Sami, hunter gatherers. Soon, people from the south and the east also began to populate the area. By the 12th century, Sweden began to consider ‘Finland’ as a part of itself. Several battles later, Finland became a Grand Duchy with the Russian Czar as the constitutional monarch. A movement swept over Finland in the 19th century called the Fennoman nationalist movement. Its call was “Swedes we are not, Russians we do not want to become, let us, therefore, be Finns.” In 1917, the declaration of independence was made on December 6 — the Finnish Independence Day. </p><p>In 2024, for the 7th consecutive year, Finland has been adjudged the happiest country in the world. Wow! It’s freezing cold and the Finnish character is by and large considered reserved. So, what is it that makes people the happiest? Is it the high level of freedom — in politics and in civil life? Or the high level of trust in social systems? Finnish society does not believe in social classes and abhors disparity in wealth. Perhaps Finnish folklore has something to do with it too. The tales tend to be about different kinds of elves and the themes mostly focus on how to be nice to each other and how to be courteous. Finland has one of the best educational systems and of course, the cleanest air! Finns love to be close to nature. </p><p>Around 75% of the country is covered by forests. There are 40 national parks and the Archipelago National Park is often described as the most beautiful in the world. There are over 200 different names for a bear in Finnish. No wonder it’s the national animal though we might wonder why the reindeer isn’t! Finland is known as the land of a thousand lakes — quite an understatement as it actually has 1,87,888!</p> .<p>Helsinki, Finland’s capital, with a population of about 6,80,000, is its oldest city, founded in the 13th century. There’s plenty to see here and understand about the nation’s history and culture through its architecture, churches and museums.</p><p>Apart from its number one status on the happiness index, Finland is also number one in the consumption of milk and coffee per person. I might just about consume a litre of milk a week if I include curd, but Finns consume approximately that amount every day. If we did that, we wouldn’t be able to keep up supply, considering that Bengaluru alone has more than twice the population of the entire nation of Finland.</p><p>When you think Northern Lights — that spectacular display across the heavens at certain times of the year — most of us think Norway, but Finland also gets to see this display. Finland too, again like Norway, has times of the year where the sun never sets. Imagine never going to bed until you fall asleep on your feet. </p><p>One of those classical ‘must experience’ things on a Finnish holiday is the sauna. You know how it feels to take a hot shower on a cold day? Now multiply that experience a hundred-fold and you can see how a sauna must feel in Finland. Not only is it a luxurious feeling but it soothes aching muscles and soothes minds. The Finns believe that a sauna must never be rushed. It’s a time for reflection — almost a spiritual experience. A smoky sauna is considered the best. Water is poured on scorching hot stones and the vapour (loyly) that rises, naturally raises the temperature in the room.</p> .<p>Finland celebrates National Sleepy Head Day on July 27 every year. Sounds fun? Hmm… not so much. It was originally meant to be a religious festival memorialising the 7 sleepers of Ephesus (in Turkey) who hid in a cave to escape their Roman persecutors. They fell asleep and awoke to realise that the Roman empire had turned Christian and their tormentors were long gone. Today, the Sleepy Head Day legend threatens that anyone who sleeps too long on this day would be lazy and unproductive for the rest of the year. </p><p>No exploration of a new culture is complete without finding out what they like to eat. The Finns have a decidedly sweet tooth. Expat Finns will ask anyone coming from Finland to bring them Salmiakki, a salty licorice native to Finland that lays claim to being the best chocolate ever! Then there’s Karelian pie to try out. It’s made with a thin rye base and a rice filling accompanied by egg butter (a mix of egg and butter). Does it sound like happiness? Even a bit like Christmas? </p>
<p>December. What’s the first thing you think of? I bet many of you said “Santa Claus” and “holidays”. Hold that thought… How about a holiday to Santa’s village? “Rubbish!” you say? Within the Arctic Circle in the country of Finland, is Rovaniemi, the official home of Santa Claus. You can actually visit his house and say hello to his elves. In pictures it almost seems like something out of a Christmas card. A winter wonderland replete with pristine white snow (it snows most of the time, of course!) and evergreen trees. </p> .<p>But I’m racing ahead. There’s much more to Finland than Santa’s village. </p><p>Around 8000 BC as the ice sheet covering all of northern Europe began to melt away, people started arriving in what we now call Finland. The original inhabitants were the Sami, hunter gatherers. Soon, people from the south and the east also began to populate the area. By the 12th century, Sweden began to consider ‘Finland’ as a part of itself. Several battles later, Finland became a Grand Duchy with the Russian Czar as the constitutional monarch. A movement swept over Finland in the 19th century called the Fennoman nationalist movement. Its call was “Swedes we are not, Russians we do not want to become, let us, therefore, be Finns.” In 1917, the declaration of independence was made on December 6 — the Finnish Independence Day. </p><p>In 2024, for the 7th consecutive year, Finland has been adjudged the happiest country in the world. Wow! It’s freezing cold and the Finnish character is by and large considered reserved. So, what is it that makes people the happiest? Is it the high level of freedom — in politics and in civil life? Or the high level of trust in social systems? Finnish society does not believe in social classes and abhors disparity in wealth. Perhaps Finnish folklore has something to do with it too. The tales tend to be about different kinds of elves and the themes mostly focus on how to be nice to each other and how to be courteous. Finland has one of the best educational systems and of course, the cleanest air! Finns love to be close to nature. </p><p>Around 75% of the country is covered by forests. There are 40 national parks and the Archipelago National Park is often described as the most beautiful in the world. There are over 200 different names for a bear in Finnish. No wonder it’s the national animal though we might wonder why the reindeer isn’t! Finland is known as the land of a thousand lakes — quite an understatement as it actually has 1,87,888!</p> .<p>Helsinki, Finland’s capital, with a population of about 6,80,000, is its oldest city, founded in the 13th century. There’s plenty to see here and understand about the nation’s history and culture through its architecture, churches and museums.</p><p>Apart from its number one status on the happiness index, Finland is also number one in the consumption of milk and coffee per person. I might just about consume a litre of milk a week if I include curd, but Finns consume approximately that amount every day. If we did that, we wouldn’t be able to keep up supply, considering that Bengaluru alone has more than twice the population of the entire nation of Finland.</p><p>When you think Northern Lights — that spectacular display across the heavens at certain times of the year — most of us think Norway, but Finland also gets to see this display. Finland too, again like Norway, has times of the year where the sun never sets. Imagine never going to bed until you fall asleep on your feet. </p><p>One of those classical ‘must experience’ things on a Finnish holiday is the sauna. You know how it feels to take a hot shower on a cold day? Now multiply that experience a hundred-fold and you can see how a sauna must feel in Finland. Not only is it a luxurious feeling but it soothes aching muscles and soothes minds. The Finns believe that a sauna must never be rushed. It’s a time for reflection — almost a spiritual experience. A smoky sauna is considered the best. Water is poured on scorching hot stones and the vapour (loyly) that rises, naturally raises the temperature in the room.</p> .<p>Finland celebrates National Sleepy Head Day on July 27 every year. Sounds fun? Hmm… not so much. It was originally meant to be a religious festival memorialising the 7 sleepers of Ephesus (in Turkey) who hid in a cave to escape their Roman persecutors. They fell asleep and awoke to realise that the Roman empire had turned Christian and their tormentors were long gone. Today, the Sleepy Head Day legend threatens that anyone who sleeps too long on this day would be lazy and unproductive for the rest of the year. </p><p>No exploration of a new culture is complete without finding out what they like to eat. The Finns have a decidedly sweet tooth. Expat Finns will ask anyone coming from Finland to bring them Salmiakki, a salty licorice native to Finland that lays claim to being the best chocolate ever! Then there’s Karelian pie to try out. It’s made with a thin rye base and a rice filling accompanied by egg butter (a mix of egg and butter). Does it sound like happiness? Even a bit like Christmas? </p>