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WORLD CULTURES & FOLK CUSTOMS

SIMO JELAČA, Ph.D.

FOREWORD

This book summarizes information about culture and customs of different nations. Noticeable differences in customs are among Christian, Islamic and Buddhist’s nations, although in all prevails intention for nice and greatest.  

It will be too much to include every country, as there are similarities among many nations of the same or close nationalities. Characteristic are Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, Belarus, Croatia, Montenegro, Macedonia, or as well as Germany and Austria. The similar conclusion values for Latin nations, among themselves too.

Readers will find basic information about each country, such as its location and size, population and Ethnic Make-up, Religion, Climate, Language, Etiquettes and others. 

This book can equally be used for travelers, either as tourists or business people, therefore everyone will find necessary information about Etiquette of people at their homes as well as at the business.

My intention was to find as much good information as possible. How much I have succeeded readers will judge it. 

Author

FINLAND

CULTURE AND FOLK CUSTOMS

Facts and Statistics

Location: Northern Europe, Scandinavia, bordering  Norway 729 km, Sweden 586 km, Russia 1,313 km.

Size: 337.030 square km.

 Capital: Helsinki 590.000

Government: republic.

Climate: cold temperature; potentially subarctic but comparatively mild because of moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current, Baltic Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes 

Population: about 5.5 million 

Ethnic Make-up: Finn 93%, Swede 6%, Sami 0.11%, Roma 0.12%, Tatar 0.02% 

Religions: Evangelical Lutheran 89%, Russian Orthodox 1%, none 9%, other 1%

 Government: Republic

Identity Finns have a strong sense of national identity. They would be happy if visitors knew something about the achievements of well-known Finns in sports and culture. This is rooted in the country’s history – particularly its honorable wartime achievements and significant sporting merits – and is today nurtured by pride in Finland’s high-tech expertise. Being realists, Finns do not expect foreigners to know a lot about their country and its prominent people, past or present, so they will be pleased if a visitor is familiar with at least some of the milestones of Finnish history. 

Language in Finland

Of the two official languages of Finland, Finnish is the first language spoken by 93% of the country's 5 million inhabitants. Finnish, unlike Scandinavian languages, is not Germanic but in a class of its own. Theoretically, it is related to Hungarian but in practice the two are not mutually comprehensible.
The other official language, Swedish, is spoken by around 6% of the population, most of whom live in the south west and are also speakers of Finnish. Sami is a minority language in Scandinavia that is spoken by around 2,000 people living in the north of Finland, which is 0.03% of the Finnish population.

 Finnish Culture & Society 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 Behavior

. Finns believe there is a proper way to act in any circumstance and always expect courteous behavior.

. 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.

Etiquette and Customs in Finland

Finnish Meeting Etiquette

. Greetings are formal, with a firm handshake, direct eye contact, and a smile.

. It is common practice to repeat your first and surname while shaking hands.

. When greeting a married couple, the wife should be greeted first.
        Finnish Gift Giving Etiquette

. If you are invited to a Finn's home, bring flowers, good quality chocolates or wine to the host. 

. Flowers should not be given in even numbers. 

. Do not give white or yellow flowers since they are used at funerals. 

. Do not give potted plants.

 . Gifts are opened when received. 

Finnish Dining Etiquette

If you are invited to a Finn's home: 

.  Arrive on time. Finns are punctual in both business and social situations. 

. Remove your outdoor shoes before entering the house. 

. Contact the hostess ahead of time to see if she would like you to bring a dish. 

. Offer to help the hostess with the preparation or clearing up after a meal is served. 

. If you are invited for coffee and cake, there may be as many as 7 cakes to sample. 

. Do not discuss business. 

. Thank the hosts for the hospitality before saying good-bye to the other guests. 

Table Manners

. Wait to be told where to sit. 

. Table manners are Continental -- hold the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right while eating. 

. Always keep your hands visible when eating. Keep your wrists resting on the edge of the table. 

. Do not begin eating until the hostess invites you to start. 

. Bread and shrimp are the only foods eaten by hand. Even fruit is eaten with utensils. 

. Accept second helpings. 

. When passing salt and pepper shakers, put them on the table within the person's reach. Do not give them directly.

. Men should keep their jacket on at meals unless the host removes his. 

. Finish everything on your plate. Finns do not appreciate waste.

. When you have finished eating, place your knife and fork across your plate with the prongs facing down and the handles facing to the right.

Gender

There is a high degree of equality between the sexes in Finland, as can be seen in the relatively high number of women holding advanced positions in politics and other areas of society.

There are numerous women in academic posts, and in recent years visiting businessmen have also found increasing numbers of ‘the fairer sex’ on the other side of the negotiating table.

Finnish Business Etiquette and Protocol

Relationships & Communication

. Finns are transactional and do not need long-standing personal relationships in order to conduct business. 

. The basic business style is formal - i.e. there is relatively little small talk and Finns prefer people to speak succinctly and to focus purely on business.

 . Finns do not require face-to- face contact and, in fact, are quite comfortable using e- mail. 

. Finns are excellent time managers who prefer to organize their workday in order to accomplish as much as possible. 

. Finns are interested in long- term relationships.

 . Relationship building often takes place outside the office: in a restaurant or the sauna.

. Never turn down an invitation to use the sauna, as it is an entrenched part of Finnish culture.

. Finns place a great value on speaking plainly and openly.

. What someone says is accepted at face value and this is a culture where "a man's word is his bond" and will be treated as seriously as a written contract, so verbal commitments are considered agreements.

. Finns are direct communicators. Expect your colleagues to tell you what they think rather than what you want to hear. 

. Professional differences are not viewed as personal attacks. 

Business Meeting Etiquette

. Appointments are necessary and should be made in advance by telephone, e- mail, or fax.

 . It is extremely difficult to meet with people without a formal appointment. 

. Do not schedule meetings between June and August as many Finns take vacation during the summer.

 . You should arrive at meetings on time or slightly early.

. Telephone immediately if you will be detained for more than 5 minutes. Being punctual is a sign of respect and efficiency.

. Expect a bare minimum of small talk, if any, before getting into the business discussion. 

. Send an agenda before the meeting as well as the biographies of your team. 

. Meetings begin and end on time.

 . Avoid hype, exaggerated claims, or bells and whistles in your presentation.

. Finns seldom ask questions. The presenter is expected to make his/her case with sufficient detail that their Finnish colleagues do not need to ask questions.

 . There is no taboo on humor in the business environment. 

Dress Etiquette

. Business attire is stylish and conservative. 

. Men should wear dark coloured, conservative business suits.

. Women should wear conservative business suits, trouser suits, or dresses. 

Business Card Etiquette

. Business cards are exchanged without formal ritual. 

. Present your business card so it is readable to the recipient. 

. Treat someone's business card with respect as it symbolizes the way you will treat them.

Names and titles

When introducing themselves, Finns will say their forename followed by their surname. Women who use both their maiden name and their husband’s surname will state them in that order. Although Finns are conscious and proud of any official titles they may have, they rarely mention these when introducing themselves. In contrast, they do expect to be addressed by their title in professional and official contexts. Foreigners, however, are not expected to follow this practice, with the exception of the titles “doctor” and “professor” if these are known to the speaker. Otherwise, foreigners can safely address Finns using the English practice of calling them Mr., Mrs., Miss, Ms, Sir or Madam, as appropriate.

Greeting

When meeting, Finns shake hands and make eye contact. Handshakes are brief and firm, and involve no supporting gestures.

When greeting, the parties shake hands and make eye contact. A deep bow denotes special respect – in normal circumstances, a nod of the head is enough. A Finnish handshake is brief and firm, and involves no supporting gestures such as touching the shoulder or upper arm. When greeting a married couple, the wife should be greeted first, except on a formal occasion where the hosts should first be greeted by the spouse to whom the invitation was addressed. Children are greeted by shaking hands too. A man greeting someone in the street should raise his hat; in the cold of winter, a touch of the hand to the brim of the hat is enough.

Finns can kiss as well, but they rarely do so when greeting. Hand-kissing is rare. Friends and acquaintances may hug when meeting, and kisses on the cheek are not entirely unknown, although this habit is not generally found in rural areas.

Eating

Finnish cuisine has western European, Scandinavian and Russian elements. Table manners are European. Breakfast can be quite substantial. Lunch is usually eaten between 11.00 and 13.00, a typical lunch break at work lasting less than an hour. The once common long business lunches have shrunk to 90 minutes or two hours. Evening meals at home are eaten around 17.00-18.00. In most restaurants, dinners are served from 18.00 onwards. Many restaurants stop serving food about 45 minutes before they actually close. Concerts and theatre performances usually begin at 19.00, and audiences adjourn to restaurants at around 22.00.

The Finnish diet is lighter, and the better restaurants can cater for a variety of dietary requirements. Ethnic restaurants, constantly increasing in number, have added to the expanding choice. Beer and wine are drunk with restaurant food in the evening, but at lunchtime these days they feature very little, if at all. At a dinner party, the host determines the seating order if necessary. The guest of honor is seated to the right of the hostess.  A meal normally concludes with coffee. 

Visiting

The home is to a great extent the focus of social life in Finland. 

A greater cultural challenge for the visitor is accepting an invitation to one of the innumerable summer dwellings that dot the seashores and lakeshores of Finland. At the summer residence, since not all of them have electricity, running water, a flushing toilet or other urban amenities many families consider that even a TV set is incompatible with genuine summer cabin life. A guest is expected to dress casually but practically when going to a summer cabin. 

With the advent of winter, Finns close down their summer dwellings, store their boats in dry dock, put snow tires on their cars, stash their golf gear in the basement and check their skis. 

Finns move to their vacation homes after Midsummer. One in four Finns owns a “mökki”, a holiday cabin. Finns take a dip in the lake after sauna, and finish the bathing session with sausage and beer. 

Finns move to their vacation homes after Midsummer. One in four Finns owns a “mökki”, a holiday cabin. Finns take a dip in the lake after sauna, and finish the bathing session with sausage and beer.

Finns move to their vacation homes after Midsummer. One in four Finns owns a “mökki”, a holiday cabin. Finns take a dip in the lake after sauna, and finish the bathing session with sausage and beer.

Festivals

Christmas, and Christmas Eve in particular, is very much a family festival in Finland, usually spent at home or with relatives. Customs include lighting candles by the graves of deceased family members. Finns wish each other ‘Merry Christmas’, but equally often they say ‘Peaceful Christmas’. Christmas Day is generally a quiet day and Christmastide social life does not restart until Boxing Day.

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