Festivals

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

Finns like celebrations and Finland's calendar of official festivals is not very different from that of other European countries. One major difference is that the Protestant Lutheran calendar does not accommodate all the feast days of Catholic tradition. Visitors may find it strange that Finns have calm and serious festivities on occasions that would be boisterous and joyful in continental Europe.

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.

December 6 is Independence Day, an occasion marked with solemn ceremonial observances. It is a day for remembering those who fell in the wars to protect Finland's independence, which was achieved in1917. In the evening, the President of the Republic hosts a reception for some 2,000 guests - including the diplomatic corps accredited to Finland - and watching this reception on TV has evolved into a favourite pastime for the entire nation.

In wintertime, Shrove Tuesday is just about the only festive occasion where public merrymaking can be observed, though even this is not even a pale reflection of the carnivals held in more southerly lands. Logically enough, the most flamboyant annual parties in Finland occur at a warmer time of year. May Day, internationally a festival day for workers and students, can with justification be described as a northern version of Mardi Gras, and Midsummer - the 'night of no night' - is an occasion for uninhibited rejoicing, as for most Finns it marks the beginning of summer holidays and a move to the summer dwelling in the countryside.

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