Finland
Here a collection of (fun) facts about the country I'll be staying in!
*06.12.1917
On St. Nicholas Day Finland finally pulled their independence out of their worn out boots. The movement for Finland's independence started after the revolutions in Russia, caused by disturbances inside Russia from hardships connected to the First World War. This gave Finland an opportunity to withdraw from Russian rule. Before Finland became an autonomous grand duchy within the Russian Empire they were part of the kingdom of Sweden since roughly the 13th century. So no wonder the Finns fought for and now protect their sovereignty with a proactive and iron will.
National Symbols from Nature
It's a commonly understood right in Finland that everyone should have access to nature. It's called "Jokaisenoikeudet" or "Everyone's rights". This right is referred to even in the Finnish constitution. But as always, rights come with responsibility. The Finnish law allows anyone living in or visiting Finland the freedom to roam the countryside, forage, fish with a line and rod, and enjoy the recreational use of natural areas – respectfully without leaving a mark, of course. So don't go picking your neighbour's berries from their garden. That's still theft and a crime :P
In the list of Finnish national symbols on Wikipedia there was a section about natural symbols so I decided to dedicate a section of this page to the nature the Finns (and I!) love so much ❤
If you're interested in more symbols, to Wikipedia you go!
National Bird: Cygnus cygnus
en. Whooper Swan
de. Singschwan
fi. Laulujoutsen
Recognizable through their more yellow than black beak. Apparently, they're considered to be amongst the heaviest flying birds. Somehow I can identify with that. They can weigh between 7-14 kg, the heaviest swan weighted was a 15kg male before winter.
National Animal: Ursus arctos
en. Brown Bear
de. Braunbär
fi. Ruskeakarhu
It's so fluffy I'm gonna die! I love bears. The bear plays a central role in Finland's national epic "Kalevala" and is thought of as the king of the forest. They usually avoid people so don't stop singing your favourite song during your hike. Be careful around the time they go into hibernation, they are especially irritated at that time. Make yourself big and move away slowly without losing eye contact. If everything fails play dead and roll into a ball and protect your neck. Forget climbing, even grizzlies can make it up a tree. Or they just fell it. Oh, and maybe start praying to an entity of your choosing :)
National Flower: Convallaria majalis
en. Lily of the Valley
de. Maiglöckchen
fi. Kielo
Also one of my favorite flowers. They bloom during my birthday and my mom always picked some from our garden for me. They are highly poisonous and often mistaken for wild garlic (Allium ursinium) which gives ambulances a bit of a headache during its season. Another old name of the plant is Apollinaris. Now... Some of you will think about a certain Coca cola water brand now.
National Tree: Betula pendula
en. Silver birch
de. Hänge-Birke
fi. Rauduskoivu
"Finland has three types of trees and these are the ones with the white bark" is what a Finn once said to me. Birches are very popular in Finland. Their branches are used in the sauna. Visitors hit their skin with them to promote blood flow. They have also been used for a lot of other things like construction material or basket weaving. One can also make sirup out of the tree sap.
National Fish: Perca fluviatilis
en. European perch
de. Flussbarsch
fi. Ahven
I've fished this one before on summer camp in Germany and also in Finland on summer vacation with my oldest friend's family. It was quite tasty. I was twelve at that time. The red fins are very pretty... Pond memories ;D
The european perch a predatory freshwater fish. They vary greatly in size and can reach an age of around 22 years in the wild. The maximum length recorded was 60cm. The finnish weight record is apparently 2.9kg.
National Stone:
en. Granite
de. Granit
fi. Graniitti
Well, the design of the naming section is off to a rocky start... *badumts*
(no scientific name...) As a child I had a lot of granite in my stone collection. My favorite rock back then was a nice egg-shaped reddish granite like in the picture that fit perfectly into my hands. It's smoothness was on a new level. Sadly I don't know what happened to my collection. Granite is nearly always massive (lacking any internal structures), hard, and tough. These properties have made it a widespread construction stone throughout human history.