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| (c) Scandinavia and the World |
For those of you who are not up to date on Finnish politics (Go and
check out Helsingin Sanomat's International Edition), 'Perussuomalaiset' are
pretty right-wing, comparable to the FPÖ in Austria. This is obvious in their
name, which translates roughly as 'True Finns'. What do they want? Well, Timo Soini,
the party’s leader, is Finland’s version of Rick Santorum; I guess that about
says it all.
As Finland is a traditionally open and liberal country, the Election
results were a shock to all of my friends (Finnish and foreign alike). Even
though the party had received strong results in the polls prior to the
Elections, everyone had hoped that the trend would blow over. I also guess most
people simply did not want to believe that many of their countrymen and -women
would actually vote for Persut, regardless of what they might tell a pollster.
The vocal debates that ensued after the elections easily refuted one of
the big stereotypes about Finns. In most books or articles about them, you will
read that they are very shy and don't talk much (unless they’re drunk).
As with every stereotype, there is a kernel of truth at the center of
this.
Finns don't like small talk, but once you befriend a Finn, the reserve
vanishes quickly. To be honest, Finns are probably not more quiet or shy than
any other people, they're just more quiet around strangers than, say, Italians
or Americans.
Another event that proved the stereotype of the quiet and shy Finn wrong
(or at least showed that Finns can party if there is a good reason) was the
Finnish victory in last year’s World Championship in Ice Hockey. Finland
defeated their eternal rival Sweden 6-1 after a truly gripping game. This is a
feat the Finnish team (also called ‘Leijonat’ (‘The Lions’) by their fans) last
accomplished in 1995 (back then, they hijacked the Swedish tournament song “Den Glider In”, which was also a favorite with
people this time around.) I was watching the game in a Pub with
a few friends, and when it became clear that Finland was going to win we were
wondering whether there would be public celebrations. We were inclined to think
not.
Boy, were we wrong.
The game had just finished, and already the streets were filling with
screaming, dancing and singing people. The chant of choice that night was
“Suomi on uusi maailmanmestari!” (which translates as “Finland is the new world
champion!”) accompanied by bursts of the National
Anthem,
and the already mentioned “Den Glider In”. Masses of people were meeting at Keskustori (Tampere’s main square),
and more than one young gentleman spontaneously ripped off his shirt and jeans
and jumped into the fountain.
Until then, I’d never seen anything like it.
Until then, I’d never seen anything like it.
The streets in Tampere are normally pretty quiet at night, even if one
of the big student parties is taking place. The only two times I can remember seeing
a comparable number of people at Keskustori was on Finnish Independence Day and
the May Day celebrations. But those might as well have been funerals compared
to what happened that Sunday.
Another stereotype that has partly come up already is that of the Drunken
Finn. (According to a Swedish Comedian, there are five stages to this
Drunkenness, which can be checked out here
(with subtitles, of course). He nails it pretty well.) It is true that at least
Finnish students like a good party and a good buzz, but as far as I can tell
that’s true of students in most countries.
Some things, however, are different in Finland when it comes to getting alcohol
for parties. Forget walking into a supermarket and just buying a bottle of good
red. Or a bottle of vodka. Or a bottle of whiskey. The only alcoholic drinks
available in any supermarket are beer, cider, and alcopops as long as they don’t
have more than 4.7% alcohol. For everything else, you will have to go to an Alko.
Alkos are state-maintained liquor stores and the only ones – besides bars and
pubs and so on - licensed to sell hard liquor.
And something else is different in Finland. Compared to Austria or Germany,
ID controls are very strict. Most of the time I buy alcohol in a German or
Austrian supermarket, I am not asked for my ID. Most of the time I bought
alcohol in a Finnish supermarket I was asked for my ID. (I remember only one
time when the lady at the register did not ask me, and I remember it because I
had gotten so used to the strict checks that not being asked puzzled me a lot.)
When I bought alcohol at the Alko, I was always
asked for my ID.
The salespersons’ insistence on asking me for identification was not due
to me looking extraordinarily young. A friend of mine (25) once went into an
Alko with his girlfriend and their young son because they wanted to buy a
bottle of wine to go with dinner. Unfortunately, he had forgotten his ID at
home, and without him having an ID, they were not able to buy the bottle. In
the end, they all left, his girlfriend went back in on her own and bought the
wine.
Oh, and if you're thinking something along the lines of 'Why didn't he use
his Student ID?', forget it. Student ID's are not accepted anywhere, not even
at bars or clubs (a friend of mine once had to walk back to our student house at
around one p.m. in February (I'd guess it was -20°C outside) to get her ID,
because the bouncer would not accept her Student ID). When it comes to that,
the Finns are absolutely no-nonsense.
A Fun Fact about Finland: Once a week, YLE Radio 1 broadcasts the news in Latin on their news service Nunti Latinii.
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