Summer dreaming

The sun is starting to shine again in Finland.  As the barometer rises, the days are lasting longer and the smiles are returning to people's faces.  :)  Actually, it's no joke, now that the daylight is lasting past 9pm and the warmth is returning,  I am really noticing a change in my daily interactions with people.  We have lived in Finland now for 9 months and have only met a few of our neighbors.  Now, just in the last couple weeks a few families have stopped by to say  "hello".  Many Finns are an introverted  for let's say 8 months out of the year, but when the sun shines bright, they seem to awaken from their winter slumber and will surprise you with a smile or a "hi".  Nothing like the assistance of long, bright days to bring them out of their shells.

I am starting to get excited by the prospects of the Finnish summer.  I have been teased by a few weeks of Finnish summers while on vacation in the past, but never actually spent an entire summer residing here.  In addition to seeing smiling faces again, the summer terrace culture is kick starting soon.  People tend to avoid most indoor activities and soak in the sun rays at the city's many bar terraces and parks.  They truly relish the short summer season and supposedly frequent the terraces multiple times per week.  In other words, they truly take advantage of the small window of time that is the magic of the Finnish summer.  I for one, having been spoiled by Californian sunshine have taken advantage of every Spring day here where the clouds decide to go on strike and allow the sun to beam bright. It is already light till past 9pm and we are still in April.  Once late June rolls around we will have a few weeks of endless sunlight.  These endless nights are also known as the "White Nights" or "Midnight Sun".

After having completed my first winter in Finland and seeing the weather slowly evolve, I can now truly appreciate the sun I perhaps took for granted in California and now have some insights into the psyche of the Finnish persona and how they truly come back to life like a bear that just woke up from his long winter's nap.

Here's to summer 2012 in Finland and everywhere else in the world, may it be the longest, most magical, summer ever.

There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart.  ~Celia Thaxter

The Finnish Christmas experience

I spent my first Christmas ever away from my family and friends in the Bay Area.  While this was bittersweet, I welcomed the Finnish Christmas experience.  The Finns do celebrate Christmas a little differently from what we are used to in the States, but overall they practice many of the same traditions.  One almost "sure thing" that normally occurs in Finland is a "White Christmas".  However, they must have known I was coming from California, because it has been nothing short of near record warmth.  There was no snow in sight for Christmas in the Southern Finland area, in fact the 2 days after Christmas have been 46-49 degrees Fahrenheit.  That might not seem exactly balmy, but in Finland which is about the same latitude as Alaska it is downright hot for this time of year.  

Most Finns get their tree on the day before Christmas and many of them just cut a tree down in a local forest.  In Finland there is a law that all forests are public, even if someone own the land, others may roam freely across, picking berries or even cutting trees down.  Of course this is different from owning a house  with yard.   Also in Finland, I have not noticed the overblown ostentatious lighting systems in people's yards that you see all over the Bay Area.  People seem to keep their lighting down a minimum, that gets back to the fact that people in Finland are never trying to stand out above the rest.  Showing off is a language that they don't seem to speak.  

The Finnish traditional Christmas meal consisted of a salt-cured ham, potato, carrot, liver and rutabaga casseroles.  Also, carrot, beet and pickle salad (yum!), smoked salmon, Karelian pies and rye bread.  For me,  Finnish food has been an acquired taste, but I think I am slowly getting used to it. They have two spices in their vocabulary, that is salt and pepper.  The main day of Christmas in Finland is Dec. 24th, this is the day that most families open their gifts.  Also many families either rent a Santa or their dads dress up in Santa suits and deliver the gifts early evening on the 24th.  December 25th, traditionally known as Christmas day in the States, is merely a day of rest in Finland, as is the 26th another Holiday in Finland.  Stores are essentially closed on both the 24th and 25th and open for limited hours on the 26th.    People are not known to have those lavish American style huge Christmas dinners in Finland.  They normally prefer a small celebration with immediate family and they do take their relaxing seriously.  Christmas to the Finns should not be a place to get stressed out about going to 3 parties and preparing loads of food for everyone.  Overall, though I missed my large family celebration in the Bay Area, I actually liked the mellow Christmas experience just being around immediate family and taking the time to really relax.