Suomalainen luonto

Finland's nature is exceptionally beautiful and untouched by European standards. Of the country's surface area, over 70 percent is forest, which is the largest share in Europe. In addition, Finland has more than 180,000 lakes, from which derives the nickname "the land of a thousand lakes". This natural wealth shapes Finnish identity and ways of spending leisure time profoundly.

A special feature of Finnish nature is everyman's right (jokamiehenoikeus). This law allows anyone — citizen or traveller — to move freely in nature, gather berries and mushrooms, fish with a rod, camp for one night. This is not a self-evident thing in the world. In many countries forests and shores are private property, to which there is no access. In Finland nature belongs to everyone, even if the land is in private ownership.

What do Finns do in nature? First it is good to mention berry-picking. In summers the forests fill with people who have buckets in their hands. They gather blueberries, lingonberries, raspberries, and toward the end of summer, cloudberries. The berries are kept in the freezer or made into jam. From them you get vitamins for the whole winter.

Mushroom-picking is another popular hobby. There are hundreds of species of mushroom in Finland, and households most commonly gather chanterelles, ceps and funnel chanterelles. Mushroom-picking requires skill, however, because there are poisonous mushrooms too. Beginners should go on an outing with an experienced person.

Fishing is a traditional way to obtain food, and it is also a hobby. In Finland angling is free and permitted to everyone. For trolling and the use of nets a permit is needed. The most common catches are perch, pike, pike-perch, burbot, and in summer also salmon. My wife's grandfather, who lived a fisherman's life in Finland, taught me the basics. This has been one of the most beautiful shared moments in my new country.

Hiking is increasingly popular, especially in summer. Finland has about 40 national parks, which offer magnificent settings for hiking. Southern Finns' favourite destination is Nuuksio, which is only half an hour from Helsinki. In Lapland, Pallas-Yllästunturi and Kilpisjärvi attract fell-walkers. There are routes from short day-walks to many-week treks.

In winter, nature takes on a completely different appearance. Snow covers the land, the lakes freeze, and daylight shortens — in northernmost Lapland the sun does not rise at all for several weeks. This polar night, which is called kaamos, is hard to imagine for most people who have come from other countries. The first month of kaamos has been for me the psychologically most difficult moment in Finland.

But there is also magic in the kaamos. The darkness is brightened by the northern lights, which further north you can see on almost every clear night. I have seen the northern lights once, when we were in Lapland. Green, violet and red light dances in the sky. Words cannot be found to describe it. You can only experience it.

Skiing is winter's national hobby. Finns ski from when they are small children. Cross-country skiing in particular is almost a national sport. In every municipality there are ski tracks. On a winter evening, when there is snow on the ground, people go skiing after the workday. Those who have time ski dozens of kilometres a week.

Ice-hole swimming is perhaps the most exotic winter hobby. A hole is cut in the ice, and you go into it to swim. The water is from one degree to zero. The jump is short — only a couple of seconds — but the experience is powerful. The first time I was very afraid, but after one minute I was hooked.

Finnish nature teaches humility. It is greater than a human. But it is also present, available, near. Someone living in the city can be alone in the forest within half an hour. This is the Finns' greatest advantage in the world. Even if everything around changes, the forest stays, the lake stays, the rhythm of the seasons stays. Finland endures in nature.

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1. Mitä jokamiehenoikeus sallii Suomessa?
   Vastaus / Answer

   Liikkua vapaasti luonnossa, kerätä marjoja ja sieniä, kalastaa onkimalla ja leiriytyä yhdeksi yöksi.
2. Mitä marjoja suomalaiset keräävät metsästä?
   Vastaus / Answer

   Mustikoita, puolukoita, vadelmia ja lakkoja.
3. Miksi sienestys vaatii osaamista?
   Vastaus / Answer

   Koska metsässä on myös myrkyllisiä sieniä.
4. Mikä on kaamos?
   Vastaus / Answer

   Pohjoisen polaariyö, jolloin aurinko ei nouse lainkaan useita viikkoja.
5. Miksi luonto on suomalaisten suuri etu?
   Vastaus / Answer

   Se on lähellä — kaupungissa asuva voi puolessa tunnissa olla metsässä yksin.