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things you should and shouldn't know

things you should and shouldn’t know

Even the modern Christmas season is a time of tradition in Finland
Shoppers walking through the well-preserved old town in the city of Porvoo.
ChristmasChristmas traditions

Even the modern Christmas season is a time of tradition in Finland

We take a brief tour of the cherished customs and events that Finns associate with Christmas.

Tagged in Christmas traditionsFinnishness
Laying claim to Claus: Santa is from Finland
Santa Claus throwing snow in the air.
ChristmasSanta Claus

Laying claim to Claus: Santa is from Finland

Don’t believe the North Pole hype. Everyone knows that Santa and his reindeer live in northern Finland.

Tagged in Santa Claus
Creator of Santa Claus
ChristmasChristmas fun

Creator of Santa Claus

Creator of Claus: Animals, elves and a laid-back Santa populate Mauri Kunnas’s illustrated books, a treasured part of Christmas for kids all over the globe.

Tagged in Christmas fun
Finnish views of the Winter War: Portraying trauma mixed with heroism
A black and white photo of four Finnish soldiers on guard behind a machine gun.
Life & societyHistory

Finnish views of the Winter War: Portraying trauma mixed with heroism

March 13, 2025 marks the 85th anniversary of the end of the Winter War, the name Finland gives to the phase of the Second World War that lasted from November 30, 1939 to March 13, 1940. We talk to Finnish historian Antero Holmila about how that time is seen from a modern perspective.

Tagged in HistoryWinter
Rock begins with J
Arts & cultureMusic

Rock begins with J

One-third of all Finnish young people are into Japanese pop culture, including music, fashion, cartoons and more.

Tagged in Music
Admiring beauty and grit in Helsinki
Life & societySlideshows

Admiring beauty and grit in Helsinki

Photographer Taneli Eskola seeks out the places where city and nature meet for the book Exploring Helsinki.

Tagged in Slideshows
Between memory and forgetting
Arts & cultureLiterature

Between memory and forgetting

Elina Hirvonen talks about her critically acclaimed novel When I Forgot, which offers a mix of Finnish and American perspectives on September 11, Iraq, Vietnam and the Second World War – and on love.

Tagged in Literature
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