Buzz
It is claimed that there have been no reports of Finnish individuals having fins like a land-dwelling whale. This myth likely emerged as a quirky introduction to this week's compilation of fascinating details, which indeed centers on Finland, the land of the fin-free Finns.
Despite the lack of whale-like people, Finland remains a fascinating country brimming with wonders. Known for its countless lakes, a vibrant heavy metal scene, and a language full of lengthy words. And, of course, there's beer.
10. Finnish Holds the Record for the Longest Palindromic Word
Guinness World Records states that palindromic words—those that read the same forward and backward—must be commonly used to qualify. While Mytour isn’t sure how many caustic soda vendors exist in Finland, the word saippuakivikauppias (referring to a soapstone vendor) is frequent enough to hold the record.
Some claim that saippuakippokukkakivikakkukoppikauppias is a longer palindrome, and that’s true. However, Guinness doesn't consider a “merchant of stones used with cakes made from lye flowers” to be in common use, if used at all. What could stones used with lye flower cakes even look like? Regardless, it’s safe to say that those who love tongue-twisters and the letter “K” will feel right at home in Finland.
9. The Country With More Than Just a Few Lakes
At some point, the Finns perfected the art of understatement or simply revealed their complete ignorance of numbers. Finland is often called the “Land of a Thousand Lakes,” but that’s a misnomer. The truth is that Finland has one lake for every 26 citizens, which adds up to nearly 187,000 lakes, making up about 10% of the country’s land area.
The lakes were formed during the Ice Age when massive glaciers pummeled the Earth with the intense force of freezing water that turned to solid ice. Through the mysterious process known as “melting,” the glaciers vanished, leaving behind indentations that filled with water. And that’s how Finland ended up with so many lakes. This abundance of lakes helps maintain fertile farmland and provides underwater mining resources and a thriving tourism industry.
8. Home to the Largest Archipelago in the World
Sticking with natural formations, imagine taking a blue sheet and sprinkling some dry bread crumbs (or perhaps some stale toast) on it. You’d have quite an accurate representation of the Finnish archipelago, stretching from the mainland toward Sweden. With so many islands that even the Finns can’t agree on the exact number, the general consensus is that there are over 40,000 islands.
Naturally, most of these islands are tiny, rising only a few feet above the water, and you'll need a boat and plenty of warm clothes if you wish to explore. Just half an hour’s drive from Finland’s former capital, Turku, lies the village of Herrankukkaro, which serves as a departure point for trips westward. Numerous small villages rely on archipelago tourism and fishing, with a few hardy residents living on the larger islands, accessible only by boat. Consider this a great spot to hide out during a zombie apocalypse.
7. A National Day for Embracing Failure
Acknowledging that you’re bad at being a human and destined for alcoholism, premature aging, and a future as a writer for Mytour is a tough pill to swallow. Not everyone handles it well. To address this, Finnish university students established the first Day for Failure in 2010. Now an annual event, successful people join in, sharing their stories of failure that held them back on their way to wealth and success. Despite the irony of the situation, the Finns seem to embrace it.
Surprisingly, despite being raised in a harsh environment with a culture that generally frowns on failure, the Finns have warmly accepted the idea of laughing at their own blunders and missteps. As the event organizers put it, “Encouraging people to try new or difficult things without worrying about the consequences gives them the confidence to step out of their comfort zone and enjoy an activity.”
6. Carry Your Wife, Win Her Weight In Beer
Interestingly, Wife-Carrying as a sport doesn’t require you to carry your actual wife or even be married. The tradition harks back to a time when Finnish men would abduct a new wife from a neighboring village. Since the Finns wisely skipped over Tinder, they celebrate their old-school methods of courtship by holding the annual Wife-Carrying World Championship.
Though Estonians have dominated the sport in recent years—causing much frustration among Finns—the sport’s creators have their own legendary figures. Taisto Miettinen and Kristiina Haapanen conquered the 253-meter (830 ft) course in just one minute in 2012, leaping hurdles and navigating a water pool along the way. Striking the right balance between the man’s speed and strength and the wife’s optimal weight is key to success—and a good alcohol reward.
5. Grant Your Wife the Vote, Lose All Your Beer
Perhaps it was a mistake to grant suffrage after all. That would have certainly crossed the minds of many Finnish men between 1919 and 1932, during a period of strict alcohol prohibition. Considering the brutal winters, it's safe to assume that these 13 years were among the worst in human history.
So, what does this have to do with women voting? Well, Finland learned an important lesson early on. Finnish women were the first in Europe to earn the right to vote, and one of their first actions was to implement temperance laws to sober up their husbands. This led to kieltolaki (“ban law”), a prohibition on alcohol that spurred bootlegging, “fortified” teas, and hidden hooch houses. A staggering 85 percent of crime during this period stemmed from resistance to the alcohol ban. The lesson? Let men drink. They’ll do it regardless, so you might as well accept it.
4. Most Metal Country of All
Some claim that Finland is “the only country in the world where metal is mainstream,” a surprising notion for those who are currently roaming Swedish forests wearing corpse paint and setting churches on fire. Sorry, folks, you’re still on the fringes. Not in Finland! Metal is universally adored. Kids love it too, with even dinosaur-themed bands for the little ones, singing about the most metal things, like eating cookies and drinking milk.
With 53.2 metal bands per 100,000 people, every metal band in Finland should be able to claim a share of 1,879.6 headbanging fans, assuming every Finn, woman-Finn, and child listens to metal as Satan intended. This sets a high standard, so if you’re a Finnish metal band with fewer than 1,879.6 fans, you’re considered a failure by impeccable science. And let’s not forget Lordi, who clinched the Eurovision Song Contest victory in 2006 by dressing as monsters and shredding on flying V guitars. Brutal.
3. They Can See Into The Future
Unlike many governments, who focus on blaming Russia and restricting citizens' rights, the Finns look further ahead. In Finland, the government is legally bound to produce an official future review every parliamentary term, and the nation was the first to offer a degree in future studies. Some might think the Finns already know when we’ll get flying cars, but it seems those practical Suomalaiset used their foresight to transform from one of the poorest European nations to one of the most successful countries in the world.
“The core of our foresight expertise is in bringing key actors and stakeholders together through co-creation,” said Aleksi Neuvonen, head of research at Demos Helsinki. Today, this mindset is one of Finland’s key exports—the creativity and expertise of the Finn is seen internally as “soft power,” enabling the Finnish to “solve wicked problems and benefit humanity.” Which is pretty nice.
2. Glow-In-The-Dark Reindeer
Rudolph is now out of date, thanks to advanced Finnish spray-painting technology. To reduce the number of reindeer killed in car accidents on Finnish roads, the Reindeer Herder’s Association of Lapland has started spray-painting the antlers of reindeer with reflective paint. Anne Ollila, the executive director of the Association, explained, “The goal is to prevent road accidents. The spray is being tested on their fur, but it may be more effective on their antlers because the reflection can be seen from every direction.”
Whether this method is better than giving reindeer glowing red noses or perhaps genetically modifying them to create Rudolph clones is a question the Association hasn’t yet answered, and likely won’t, for ethical reasons. Regardless of their failure to embrace a more festive approach to Lapland, the experiment continues to make reflective antlers increasingly common. With 200,000 reindeer in Lapland alone, the Reindeer Herder’s Association better start stocking up on paint.
1. Just Box Up The Baby; It’s A Gift
Contrary to the stereotype that all socialists are evil, baby-eating fiends, since the 1930s, the Finnish government has been providing new mothers with a gift box. This box, made from cardboard, comes packed with useful items like winter clothes and more. The initiative was originally designed to reduce the infant mortality rate, a goal that has been successfully achieved.
In the 1930s, 65 out of every 1,000 babies died in Finland. However, due to this program, which also encouraged expectant mothers to visit their doctor in order to receive the gift box, the infant mortality rate dropped to just 1.7 by 2015. The best part? In Finland, the maternity package comes in a box that doubles as the baby’s first crib. Long before your child tosses aside pricey gifts to play with a box, they’ll be peacefully sleeping in one.
