Discover Finland: A Norse Land of Sisu and Sauna
A land of extremes, Finland has topped the charts as the happiest country in the world for the past five years! Is it their concept of sisu, or resilience? It is due to the practice of taking a sauna, alternated with an icy cold water dip? Is it because of a reformed educational system that places emphasis on a student’s overall quality of well being? Why is Finland happiest country in the world? I think it’s a combination of all these, and more!
Nature is so important to the Finns that there is a law that permits people to respectfully forage on all land, public and private. Finland is the most heavily forested nation in Europe and nicknamed “the land of a thousand lakes.” This emphasis on nature has influenced writers, composers, and artists.
Lapland
We decided to study Lapland along with our study of Finland because the language of the Sámi people is closer to the Finno-Ugric languages than it is to the Scandinavian languages. The first week of this cultural study is focused on learning about the history of Finland through stories. The second explores Finnish Lapland, a few amazing phenomena that occur in the Arctic, and the connection between the Sámi people and reindeer.
Books and Blurbs
Ten out of eleven book recommendations are free to read online at archive.org. I recorded a youtube video of the eleventh, with permission from the authors. This means all of the books are easily accessible from the comfort of your own home!
A new feature of my cultural studies is the addition of daily short blurbs of background information to enhance the stories. Together with carefully chosen videos, this study will make Finland come alive in your home as it has in ours.
Cooking
Related Posts to Finland happiest country:
I dove into a few books for my own reading and you can find my book reviews and thoughts on the blog: