by Kevin Lustig
From language to light shows, Finland has many features to explore.
從語言到北極光，芬蘭有許多特點值得大家探索。
When visiting Helsinki, the capital of Finland, for the first time, it is a good idea to enter by way of the sea. Helsinki is said to make a
dazzling appearance
on the horizon as you
sail towards it, which is why it has been
poetically called "The Daughter of the
Baltic Sea." It is not only the
spectacular sight of Helsinki that makes Finland
distinct from its neighbors, Norway and Sweden. While
the latter countries are in many ways quite similar, Finland has an
altogether different language, culture, and history.
The people of Finland, or Finns,
are descended from nomads who traveled north from Eastern Europe thousands of years ago. Avoiding the fate of other
nomadic groups around Europe, the Finn's ancient traditions survived and
evolved over time. For this reason, the Finnish language sounds very different from other European languages. For example, the Finnish word for Finland is actually "Suomi."
The most famous product that
has its roots in the ancient Finnish culture is probably the
sauna. Saunas are rooms in which water is thrown on heated stones, making the air hot and
humid. Visiting a sauna is a great way to relax and
escape the cold, but it has also been an important social activity for Finns for centuries. In saunas, Finns celebrate a sense of
community;
controversial topics of conversation are avoided and formal titles are
dispensed with.
For ages, Finnish culture has
kept traditions
alive that have disappeared almost everywhere else. Luckily for us, modern Finns aren't going to let their unique culture disappear any time soon.
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