The fashionable Finnish brand Ivana Helsinki was presented at Paris Fashion Week<\/em><\/p>
1. Finland has few attractions<\/strong><\/p>
Tourists who have had their fill of Rome and Paris will not be disappointed when visiting Suomi (as Finns call their country). 'Finland has a huge number of both natural and man-made monuments. Among them are Rauma – an ancient wooden Swedish town from the 18th century, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, the unique Rock Church in Helsinki, several remarkable medieval castles (Hämeenlinna, Raseborg, Savonlinna, Turku), and magnificent examples of Nordic Art Nouveau architecture in Helsinki and Tampere,' says Sergei Shkurov, marketing coordinator at the Finnish Tourism Development Center.<\/p>
2. The sauna is not like a Russian banya<\/strong><\/p>
Every second home, that is, half of all apartments and private houses in Finland, has its own sauna. The rest use public saunas. All 2 million saunas are not steam rooms without a drop of water, as neighbors imagine them: Finns willingly splash water on hot stones and happily beat themselves with birch branches. There is even a separate word for the steam in Finnish – löyly. Isn't that proof of its existence?<\/p>
3. Finland has no distinctive cuisine<\/strong><\/p>
Finnish cuisine is not as famous as, say, Georgian cuisine, but it also contains true masterpieces. Actor Ville Haapasalo considers fish soup with milk or cream to be the signature dish, the country's calling card. Vendace is also underestimated, and it is a unique fish. Besides fish, you should try reindeer meat, for example, sautéed with mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam.<\/p>
4. Mushrooms are not collected in Finland<\/strong><\/p>
'You go into the forest, and there they are in abundance,' tourists are surprised. 'So, mushrooms are not collected and eaten in Finland?' That's not true, and proof awaits you at markets, where there are plenty of chanterelles we know, and on culinary websites you can find recipes for delicious pies and soups with mushrooms. According to the 'Everyman's Right,' mushrooms can be collected everywhere in Finland.<\/p>
5. Finns don't know how to dress<\/strong><\/p>
This myth is promoted by Finnish streets, where people dress sportily and casually. But that is a deceptive impression: Finns know perfectly well how to dress; there is simply a place and time for everything. Strict suits reign in government offices and banks, evening gowns and high-heeled shoes at weddings and presidential receptions. And Finnish designers are widely known in the world; just think of Marimekko or Paola Suhonen, who created the brand Ivana Helsinki, which was the first Nordic brand to be presented at Paris Fashion Week.<\/p>
6. Finnish is the most difficult language in the world<\/strong><\/p>
15 cases and more than a hundred conjugations and personal verb forms, consonant gradation, postpositions, and verb government that is difficult for foreigners – enough to make one despair. But St. Petersburg entrepreneur Olga Pavlova advises against it: 'Most of the cases are a complete analogue of our prefixes. And verb government also exists in Russian. In other words, there are very few differences from Russian if you don't nitpick over grammatical terms.' The Guinness Book of Records agrees with her, as it does not list Finnish among the most difficult languages.<\/p>
7. Prohibition is in effect in Finland<\/strong><\/p>
Prohibition, in Finnish kieltolaki, did once exist in Finland. From June 1, 1919, Finns legally consumed alcohol only for medicinal, scientific, and technical purposes. But already in 1932, the law was repealed, and on April 5, 1932, at exactly 10:00 a.m., the doors of Alko stores opened in Finland. And in the 1950s-60s, when the story was forgotten, Finnish old-timers would win a couple of beers from the younger generation by simply asking: 'What is 54321?' Now you also know the answer.<\/p>
8. Finland is the land of a thousand lakes<\/strong><\/p>
But that is a significant understatement. If we take into account bodies of water with an area of at least 500 square meters, then Finland can be called the land of 187,888 lakes. Thus, there are 28 Finns per lake.<\/p>