6 incredible news stories that could only ever happen in Finland
With 187 888 lakes, sub 30 degree winters, sauna obsession and insane coffee drinking, Finland is a unique country. This quality is reflected in its news stories. Finnish newspapers contain plenty of articles that mirror life elsewhere, but you will also discover uniquely Finnish stories. These recent headlines provide the evidence.
1. Watch out! There’s a moose on the loose
A young elk recently got loose in central Helsinki. The animal charged down busy streets and crashed through a bank window before it was shot outside the rock church. Tabloids covered the story extensively.
What does this say about Finland?
This shows the strange relationship between Finnish urbanisation and nature. It is easy to find wilderness even from Helsinki. Helsinki-Vantaa airport is encircled by forest. Stories of wolves and bears in towns are standard fare. Many Finns remain attached to nature and live a suburban lifestyle that others would consider utter wilderness.
2. President decrees he’ll act human
In most countries the head of state acts in a stately way. Not in Finland. President Sauli Niinistö calls radio shows and takes selfies with students while jogging. Former president Tarja Halonen lives in the Kallio-Hakaniemi region and has been spotted dumpster diving for vintage picture frames.
What does this say about Finland?
Finland is a relatively classless society where the government is accessible. The president has little actual power but significant symbolic influence and tends to act like an everyday citizen. This trend increased after the 30 year reign of Kekkonen who maintained an air of the chosen one to deal with the Soviets during the Cold War.
3. Thousands of people queue for hours for… free buckets
Store opening events in Finland are usually calm. News outlets frequently report on chain stores opening with limited free giveaways. Sometimes the giveaway is a bucket. People stand in neat lines for hours to get one.
What does this say about Finland?
Branded buckets worth a few euros often contain extras like coffee or gift cards. The store Tokmanni is a master of this phenomenon. People may be seeking a communal event or a sense of accomplishment. Finns love a freebie.
4. 101 ways to discover how much your neighbours earn
Information on taxes paid is public information in Finland. Most income is public. The tax office does not publish this data but the media can file requests. They create searchable databases and lists of the highest earners each year.
What does this say about Finland?
This nominally proves equal treatment at the tax office. It reveals operators who receive a nominal wage padded with capital gains which are taxed less. Finland is influenced by the Law of Jante: do not think you are better than anyone else.
5. The land of 100 thousand speeding tickets
Speeding tickets in Finland are billed based on earnings. Businessman Reima Kuisla vented publicly about a €54,000 fine. In 2002 a Nokia executive received a ticket for €103,000. NHL star Teemu Selänne paid around €39,000 a few years earlier.
What does this say about Finland?
Finland uses progressive taxation. If you earn more you pay more. High speeding fines underline the determination of the state to keep the playing field level.
6. Do you want a sauna with that?
Finns love sauna for relaxation and hygiene. Burger King opened a rentable branded sauna for business meetings at its central Helsinki branch. The chain returned to Finland in 2013 after a brief stint in the 80s.
My Polish friend told me that sometimes there are moose and wild boar wandering Warsaw streets because the have forest nearby. Don’t know if they try and rob banks though :)
The bucket thing is weird to me and I am a Finn! I wish somebody would ask the people who do the queuing what makes a free bucket so great that they wait in line for hours?
I was once in the supermarket and the old president was in the queue in front of me….with one nervous looking bodyguard. Love that about Finland.
Maybe in Hakaniemi? Not exactly in the same queue but just couple of meters away. And nervous bodyguard was following that time as well.
I am little bit of proud of the fact that most Finns after seeing suddenly some one famous quickly look again just to be sure they saw what they saw and then try to appear they didn’t notice this celebrity at all.
Our President Higgins was recently pictured waiting at it ATM in Dublin
I’d wish they’d at least used photos from Finland when writing a news story about Finland. The police with the speedgun is obviously not from Finland. Looks like one of the Eastern Block countries, probably Estonia.
Yeah, pretty poor effort, but it’s an American article, so I guess they thought nobody would notice. What’s more, I think the policeman looks disturbingly like a mannequin…very strange.
Nop, he doesn’t look like our policeman… I think the pic is taken in Russia.
Finns follow a different beat of the piper! Some reserved but
Interesting. The country and its people are certainetly beautiful!
it’s a video game image
I am a finn and my wife is too. In Feb we had a sauna expo over near the U of M, various types of saunas even plexiglass, barrels. Canvas and various woods. Most were not fired at noon but I think waiting for eve and the weekend.