Reaction To 20 Weird Things Finnish People Do

[@ronniemokeev3322]

Babies sleeping outside is very safe. You bundle them up for the cold, and Finland is very safe. Especially in apartments you can use your balcony for this too.

[@Kerttis]

and its not like people leave them on the STREET lol

[@T291]

Greetings from Finland man!!! Yes we love new season vegetables especially new potatoes with butter and ofc with meat or stuff like that but new potatoes are a must during summer time ❤️"i'll be back" 😎

[@HORRIOR1]

The whole thing about taking your shoes off in Finland is because the weather is unpredictable and not all roads are paved, so there are a lot of dirt and gravel roads. Meaning it is very easy to get your shoes dirty, and hence you need to take them off when entering clean spaces.

[@valeriaboman8539]

Suomessa kengät riisutaan auto -liikenteen likaantuneesta kadusta.

[@miiru98]

This is not happening in all places. There is also own houses where someones use shoes sometimes inside, common more in countryside. But very usually in many places people get shoes off. In my house I sometimes when I forgot something I just walk with shoes to get that one.

[@SamiVantaa]

Work life balance is def. one of the reasons people are happy in Finland. Its also 'cause of the fact that whatever happens, you'll always have safety nets, so you dont end up homeless and starving. This costs money ofc, but i'm happy to pay a little more taxes, and know that if I need help, I can still live a life worth living in a house, and have enough to get by.

[@ristovirtanen6396]

Typical Finn always thinks twice before he says nothing.🤐

[@williamgallop9425]

Finns are silent in two languages.

[@santtumoilanen3065]

sometimes random people talk to me some nonsense i barely even respond then they think im rude and starts attacking me.... lol i mean i dont even know who you are i dont want to talk to you... just leave me alone

[@Paltse]

Well, depends on your work. If you are working on a factory floor even the engineers keep their steel toe'd or not boots on at the break room, but if you work at the office area of said factory, yes, take your shoes off if it's the company policy. Also indoor shoes have been a thing since the industrial revolution.

[@AnneMLdell]

We are not quiet ... we are telepatic

[@MikkoRantalainen]

Finns use notes for stuff that has intent "I wish you didn't do this" but Finns will say things straight to your face if it's important enough. However, Finns typically expect that wishes are seriously considered and it's considered rude if you don't at least try to behave as other people ask you to behave, or give a rational explanation (note is okay) for not doing that. Silently continuing previous behavior for years despite clear wish expressed by other people to do otherwise will cause unhappy neightbours in long run.

[@miiru98]

I hate many people in Helsinki because they give notes for everything what you are doing. Why people don't be just silent? They can think what they want but their words are not usually nice or even from law. It can be better life in here if many can be just friendly and not complain from everything. They can also ask things not just say straight :/. Why you are walking in here? :/ You can't be here. This is bycycles road, don't walk in here. These are very typical situations in here and are not nice for other people. Do you think that this help other, this guy hate you later.

[@Susirajantakaa]

You walk in all kinds of dirt outside, you don't want to bring that on the floors where you work. So you change to indoor shoes at work. Also, in the winter, you wouldn't want to wear your warm, thick winter shoes indoors for 8 hrs and walk around wearing them. Not to mention carrying all the snow in and leaving melting snow puddles around. Though I have worked only in hospitality, so I wouldn't know how people do in the offices. About the weird competitions, I think the most entertaining are air guitar championship and swamp football. Both have attendees around the world.

[@Anakunus]

I really like this guy. For a Scotsman living in Malaysia, he seems to incredibly "Finnish-minded". I hope he will find even more sensible things from the Finnish culture in the future.

[@larseikind666]

A normal day on a boat on the lake Saimaa in the summer: 7am: "(Good) morning. Coffee?" 3pm: "Hungry?" 23pm: "(Good) night" And that's all we say. The silence is magical. Finns don't care about unneccesary babble. If you ask "how are you?" then they are actually asking how you are, if you're okay, if anything has happened etc. It's a legit question. The "(No) niin" is used for everything. An example of a phone conversation: - "My cousin is in the hospital." - "Niin?" - "He was in a car accident yesterday." - "Niin!?" - "But he's okay. He's going home today." - "Niin!" And I also got a note on my door once complaining about noise after 11am. I have no idea who it was from, but I wasn't the person making the noise. It kept me awake as well. So now I have a neighbour who hates me for something somebody else did.

[@pasiojala3227]

Our company doesn't have a shoe etiquette. Some wear outdoor shoes, some indoor shoes or slippers. I just walk around in my socks (mostly wool socks, all year around). When going to the cafeteria outside of the office (whether in the same building or in another), I put in shoes. It really depends on how much traffic and what kind of traffic the working place has and how much and how often the specific employer walks around during the day.

[@ChristianJull]

The pretty important thing she failed to add about the early-finish work day is that it is very common for people to start work at 7 or 8 in the morning and have lunch at 11.

[@Cyberspine]

Lunch is also typically bigger than it is in other cultures, while dinner is more modest.

[@ChristianJull]

@@MarkoL1977___Fin Mine is often 23-7 with lunch at 3 😬

[@juholaitakari1305]

I don’t agree with the shoes part. While it is true that there are shoeless work places and schools, it is not, however, as common as not wearing shoes at home.

[@laukkuapina]

Yes, maby it doesn’t apply in schools but in kindergarten they definitely won’t wear any shoes. I actually don’t understand why people are wearing shoes inside home and even in bed (what I have seen in murican movies). Just think about that you have stepped on a dog shit…

[@6pakki]

Don’t you come to my house with your shoes on except if it is specifically allowed. I made the priest to took of her, yes a woman priest, to take of her shoes off..

[@juhahonkanen9222]

I use "no niin" when answering on phone, but only when someone who I know calls me

[@jattikuukunen]

vai niin

[@Morhgoz]

Silence think isn't normal in Eastern Finland btw... We Easterners talk constantly, over each other etc. Like Family cathering among Easterners is quite loud, me cousin Southener wife is still shocked by it and she was first introduced to one like 10-15 years ago, still can see small panic in her eyes... ;D

[@satun2091]

I have the opposite experience. Been living in different parts of Eastern Finland for over 20 yrs. and I am from the South of Finland. And still wondering why people don't talk. Must add that people in Lappeenranta and Imatra region and Joensuu are more talkative than going north along our eastern borderline. But that's just my experience.

[@Morhgoz]

@@satun2091 Well, I'm native Northern Savonian with quarter of Ladogan Karelian from me mom's side. That might explain things if you know what I mean..? ;)

[@leina77]

Not wearing shoes at workplaces is uncommon really, she’s just telling her own experience of that, usually we wear shoes at work of course

[@SittingIsImportant]

We wear inside shoes at work, something light and airy or a kind of "summer shoe". And we leave outside shoes somewhere to dry because winter... 😅

[@MsNamutenya]

In all my workplaces people usually have had "sisäkengät" e.g. shoes meant to wear only inside, and change the shoes when coming in.

[@pauliinarusula9646]

Dependes on where you work. I never use shoes if working on places where it is ok.

[@virCottoQ37]

Every 5th finn is somehow related in be member of heavy metal band. I myself have been member of 5 metal bands. Finland have most metal bands, if counting by population.

[@markusmoilanen5869]

Some "no niin" meanings: Alright, here we go! Alright, here we are. Alright, listen up. Alright, come here. Ok, let's try this. Oh, that actually worked! Oh, of course that didn't work... Finally! *sigh* Figures... Yeah, I know what you mean. Nice, there we go! Here it comes, get ready! That's enough!

[@Antony_Oscar]

I haven't worked that much but it really depends on the workplace and type of work. When I worked at a youth community center, we'd either wear no shoes or wear indoor slippers. When working in a kitchen or as a cleaner, you'd definitely wear shoes. As a cashier in a supermarket, shoes too. But I guess in an office space it would be normal to not wear them.

[@ionnmaur277]

Many names have their own day, but not all. My mum had a name that didn't have a day. Her name wasn't super unusual, but special enough for people to have problems remembering it correctly. Every now and then, the calendar is revised, and names are either added or deleted depending on how usual they have become. It has to be said here that Sweden (who has the same system with name days) revise their calendar more often.

[@sleepines]

i think the silence thing is like half true, some are loud some not. for example in gatherings (family/relatives) the ppl clearly divide into those 2 different groups :'D

[@marrus9456]

I used to take care of babies in my house. And both my own and the other babies in my care all slept outside. I use Noniin or noni a lot. Mostly when i trip over or spill something.. clumsy me. But also when i'm happy about someones success.

[@tommy.eklund]

There's an important distinction between being introverted and anti-social. Too often people use those two terms interchangeably, which they aren't.

[@Cyberspine]

Having thought about it, I think no niin is a bit of a 'wildcard' phrase, since it's used when it's appropriate to say something, but the content of what you say isn't important because your meaning is either self-evident or you don't really have anything to say. The intonation of the phrase is used to convey the emotion that you want to communicate (excited, expectant, annoyed, content etc).

[@kuunteletkokuuletko40]

I use only wool socks in the office. No shoes. Never.

[@annuliperheentupa9062]

Absolutely no outdoor shoes at my office! It would be bad manners to walk in wearing your dirty shoes. We have a big box of woolen socks for visitors. I wear my own slippers at the office.

[@rosmu1130]

How I wish that those people that those who make reactions at these videos about Finland would look at the comics: Finnish Nightmares 😂 Everyday life situations that can be relatable to many, not only Finnish but others as well. It would be so good to see what foreigners think about those 😁

[@merjamikkonen4991]

I recommend it!

[@Susirajantakaa]

Also Fingerpori have been translated in English, they are great too :D

[@SamiVantaa]

We decided the name of our daughter after birth. We did not even knew the gender before birth. An ofc she slept outdoors for the first six months or so (during days). BTW, in Finland there is also the mosquito killing World Championships.

[@butterbean9011]

Many have some kind sandals or clogs at only use inside office

[@omenoid]

Wearing shoes at workplaces is still the norm and not wearing them is an exception. That said, in my previous job the office was strictly no-shoes area.

[@arja7579]

The cultural difference of us Finns compared to many other countries is silence, which we sometimes master far too well. 😉 Maybe because of that we are not fans of small talk and we don’t consider silence in conversations awkward. For a Finn I am exceptionally talkative, but I still need and enjoy quitness from time to time.

[@miklark]

Thank you for this video, I like your accent.. There is least one more thing about Sauna, in summer time when temperature is melting allmost everything and you sweat like a pig under christmas, what you do when you get back to home? -Go to Sauna. That is very Finn

[@hiekkaroopi]

Never written a note to anyone and never had a note written to me. I live in a house in a small country town and I don't work in an office. What she is talking about happens in a city where people live in a block of flats and work in an office environment.

[@maryamniord2214]

About how answer on How are you?, about shoes indoors, working/freetime balance, restaurant note, anti confrontations, namedays, babies sleeping outside al the seasons, silence and the slow July I think is a nordic thing. Here in Sweden is same but Finnish are more silence! About sauna and nakedhood and finnish people I need add an anecdote! First time visiting my first boyfriends home outside Stockholm in the 90ties. His whole family was finnish and after dinner they did heat the sauna in the home. His grandparents was there too. And they ask me to join them in the sauna. Al naked. I have no problem with sauna and love sauna. But it was a shock for me to first time meet a family and direct get naked with them! But I agree and it was nice after understand that is was normal for them. 😂❤

[@torpmorp1324]

Well, at least we had to have different shoes for indoor use only. I never saw anyone wearing just socks.

[@aqua3890]

Nowadays almost every grocery store has self-employing cash registers

[@MsMatevo]

No, we dont celebrate name day usually

[@Larvanto53]

If you ask a finn ”how are you?” 98% of the time the answer is ”nothing much”, so no need to worry about some hour long speech about recent history. its a one second question, one second answer and an infinite silence. 😂

[@nio804]

You know, I always considered Chinese to be kind of alien because of the tonality, but "(no) niin" is *literally* a tonal phrase in Finnish. Languages are weird.

[@aztecdune]

I love Varpu. She's very good at explaining things. I am still waiting for these famous "silent" Finns. I keep meeting their opposite everywhere. I'm waiting for a bus, super chatty Finn wants to talk about hockey and the weather. I'm trying to buy fish, a random Finn wants to talk to me about how their grandmother prepared fish. I'm not complaining about it (these people are usually adorable and sweet) but there are chatty people in Finland. Plenty of them. No niin is perfect, but I still say joo more. But that's just me. Yes I inhale when I say it sometimes. I live for summer fruits and vegetables. I just bought several kilos of zucchini for less than a euro. And potatoes, strawberries, and cherries. So fresh and yummy. Being naked in the sauna took some getting used to. I'm an immigrant here in Finland. But I think it's good now that I understand it better. The first day that I met my mother-in-law we went into the sauna naked together. Normal for her, weird for me. But I am getting used to it, and she's wonderful so I am adapting.

[@lapaluuhun]

Hiljaisuus taitona on katoavaa kansanperinnettä, ennen se oli hyve, nykyään tosiaan tullaan enemmän turhanaikaisuuksia kertomaan mitä ennen. Ehkä boomer sukupolvi pilasi tämänkin :D Puhuminen hopeaa vaikeneminen kultaa

[@Doattt]

About the "silent Finns", I think it's more about how we behave with friends and family than talking to strangers. When we meet with friends, it's ok to spend a moment in silence, when the last talking point is finished. Of course, if the silence gets too long, it might get awkward. But I think we tolerate silence for a longer period of time than most other people.

[@paivimarinela2695]

28th of February is the name day for the names not mentioned in the Almanakka.

[@dariauniverse9166]

In my work, we change the indoor shoes for the day

[@NestoriG]

Every day naps outdoors. even when -20C

[@aqua3890]

We don't like to be rude at all

[@topiuusitalo5094]

Yep in the mid summer our country stops, we love our summer and it is wery short so we take ewerything out of it

[@iffyfade]

Just correction: "new potatoes" (uudet perunat) are picked and sold at the autumn, not at summer time. Those are called "earlies" (varhaisperuna) which will be picked up at the early summer.

[@pasiojala3227]

Nope. They are very related names. Uudet perunat are the ones picked early in the summer, with very thin skins, so thin that you don't need to peel them at all. Anything picked later in the year has thicker skins. Varhaisperuna is just a specific potato genus that produces very early in the spring.

[@valeriaboman8539]

Suomessa varhaisperunat nostan maasta Heinä -Elokuu heti kypsennetään.

[@khendricksson]

I've played in the swamp football world championships.

[@marrus9456]

We take our shoes off but we do have workshoes also. And she does know what sheis talking about, because she's finnish.

[@VigilantX9]

No niin is like "Here we go"

[@mastemiller]

I just got a name day few years ago. Nobody remembers it and that is just how i like it.

[@SamiVantaa]

Grats! :D

[@Don_Matteo]

No niin... literally "then this manner" "well then" or "well that way" or "well what do you know!"

[@Staccet]

The names need to be common enough to be added into the name day calendar. If your name is not in the calendar but there are names similar to your name that are more common and have a day in the calendar then that is pretty much your name day. Side note most Finns have more than 1 given name, I have the name that I am called and 2 more, the name of my father and mothers father. I think the maximum is 3 names so people don't go too crazy with them.

[@9Misaki3]

I think the 3 first names rule/law was changed to 4 around 2016-2019 if I remember correctly (could be wrong).

[@Harmitaako]

Guy guy sauna we are always naked. When its mixed we ask others how should we go, naked or in for example in swimsuits. Publics are ofc other thing, never went to one even im way over 30, but things are little different in north :D

[@niles8576]

funnily enough i used no nii when she said no nii. i use it at least few times a day

[@user-si6nr]

Not revealing the name of the baby is actually very old tradition. It was forbidden to say the name of a child before baptism, because then the devil had power over a child by knowing he's/her's name. When it was said in baptism for the first time, it was already too late for the devil. And this goes back to ancient times. In old testament Jacob wrestles with God, and asks for His name, but gets no answer. There was a belief, that if you know someone's name, you have power over him.

[@mouse2641]

I still remember people Who haven't paid me Back around 3,30€ in € because it was borrowed when there Were still markka in use and 26€ to some one Else in high school that liar Never send the money back 😑 so yeah I'm feeling bitter about them still and I'm 34 years old so yeah now I'm only willing to borrow to My family because I Have difficulty to trust people

[@MsElias64]

Kiitos. 👍

[@ruupeni]

Finland is kind of Depeche Mode, enjoy the silence.

[@opa6662]

Extroverts or introverts... No no nooo. Theres on only introverts or silent introverts.

[@santtumoilanen3065]

so first thing thing she does go to frozen lake,,, most finnish people never do that in their lifetime

[@annicaesplund6613]

Weird? Or just different?

[@Genuiini]

oh well

[@unknownentity8256]

2:56 I'd say as a Finn that's definitely "very normal" I literally know nobody who inhales while they speak. Also if I heard my mom say "no niin" in the kitchen it could relate to any number of things happening then that food is ready, without adding the context as well. In my school or any school I've been to people use shoes indoors, and workplaces, some office work might have shoes off but that isn't the case most of the time. 8:07 Never heard of this either, I'm under the impression that we are pretty blunt when we speak, like for example in comparison to Japanese culture it's common to be very sensitive and unconfrontational. Introducing yourself to a new people you meet is definitely a common practise that is weird as well, maybe not when you meet like service workers like gym store employee. 14:33 This isn't a Finnish thing, many countries have this practise in grocery stores.... Few examples, Estonia, Sweden, Norway, Russia, probably a lot more. 16:40 As if you can have an understanding of a newborns personality to fit a name with when they're still under developed? Name based on appearance, wtf? (I'm starting to suspect this woman lives in the very center of Helsinki in the upper class because of some these weird ass examples, they're special kind of bunch there, compared to the common Finn.)

[@moonliteX]

I found out at 45 that i'm autistic. You might want to research that

[@SSavolainen]

Silence is just if ypu don't know the perso and you don't have anything interesting to say or you don't work together on any project or normally in a job

[@immukohonen7871]

I had a girl's name before birth. Those days wasn't looked before is it boy or a girl. And I slept outside too.

[@nemesis1970]

Some do

[@Skege1000]

#20 Like this Finnish guy

[@zamdee]

I think that inhaling while talking is mostly a female thing :)

[@qwertcvbnmm]

COol

[@nemesis1970]

you are scottish

[@saturahman7510]

How are you ? Not so good, I have pneumonia.

[@valeriaboman8539]

Tuo nainen ei näe kaikkea kotimaastani. No ehkä pärjää hieman liiotellen😬😅

[@moonliteX]

Noniin is == allright

[@SamiMälkiä-r4h]

Shoes off is right and only way...nobody want dog shi.t or some kind dirty home all over..usely work use work shoes.i dont understand why some plase use Shoes home same shoes you walk all over and there coming ewerythink your shoes...😅😊

[@panxe1]

heippa lappu

[@tonikaihola5408]

Taking your shoes off at the office is just weird, no one does that in Finland. Maybe in education?

[@SamiVantaa]

Never heard of that either. I bet it's very few places where you do that.

[@jolasu]

They do often wear indoor shoes

[@pasiojala3227]

Probably most do not, but "no one" is an exaggeration. I do take off my shoes and use just wool socks in the office (and even when moving between our offices and our production area through the shared hallways in the same building complex).

[@MikkoRantalainen]

As a Finn in his fourties, I would say that taking your shoes off at the office is an exception. If you want to take off your shoes at office, that's totally okay but that's not expected in 99% of the places. However, if you visit a Finnish home, they do expect you to take off your shoes and they will specifically tell you if there's an exception.

[@Mojova1]

I am a chef and I don't know about this 4pm stuff. I often do over 10 hour days without breaks or even time to eat so this office working thing is just this womans utopia in Finland.

[@tiuhtiviuhti7998]

Quite many people do office work - me included. Office starts to become empty after 3 and by 4 pm there’s usually nobody left. We have our weekly hours digitally monitored and nobody cares when I come or go as long as I attend my meetings, fulfill my weekly hours and get the job done. In my workplace we all have sliding working hours and balance must be kept between -6 hours and + 60 hours. With your plus hours you can get a extra day off or leave at noon on Friday when you want to as long as there are no important meetings that day that especially need you. And definitely no shoes in the office or my children’s school. Most use separate indoor shoes, sandals or slippers. And actually nowadays after Covid I usually go to the office maybe once a week for team meeting. Otherwise I do my sliding working hours from home. The meetings are all in Teams anyway. My situation is not uncommon among office workers in Finland although the specifics vary between employers.

[@toniheikkila5607]

Maybe you should support your union to get some changes? Ive always worked in factories in Finland, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. 50 minutes a day for eating and breaks.

[@mr.meatsoup5639]

"womans utopia", or maybe you just chose the wrong proffession, my dude. My work ends at 15:30 every day, so its all about what you actually do. A chef might still have it easy compared to nurses or other triple shift jobs.

[@MikkoRantalainen]

I do software engineering in Finland and I work for 36.5 hours per week. If you're working in Finland, check the local legislation called "Työaikalaki" which limits the working hours you can legally do. Of course, you can do even more hours as overtime but then there is minimum extra compensation per hour which you should be getting.

[@valeriaboman8539]

Autoilijat kantaa tauteja🤢kadut saasteessa.

[@hiivatti67]

no niin ja niinkun are most stupid sayings that mostly young people use if they dont have anything real to say

[@Pikaxsu]

No niin. (As "Let's start." - calmly, not exited, like in a professional setting you can start a meeting with this.) You also can say "no niin" when you get some task finished. I'm quite sure at least one of us said no niin when we got our dining table put together in our new home. I : ask calming down, order calm down, ask to hurry, ask to stop what they are doing, of my dogs with "no niin". You can also say it several times in a row, to get your point across better. noniinnoniinnoniin! ( With like a million meanigs depending on your tone of voice and how you accent it )No niiN. / no. niin. / NO Niin. NONNNII(H)! "Lets get this thing going!" "I already said you about this issue!" "stopstopstop." "hurry-hurry-hurry." "go-go-go" no-no-no. "yes-yes-yes." "awesome" "Ish just hit the fan" "This is what I did NOT want for this day!") I also use noniin a lot with my husband who is from a area were people take things slow.. I'm from a capital metropolitan area originally so I'm used to everything done quickly. So my husband gets the "hurry now" "get to the point!" "could you in any way, Today (be done what you are doing)..??" noniin's quite a lot ;D - See how I dropped the space between the words making it one? Nobody (from the capital area) has time for that much spaces in their words. Quicker talking, noniin! :D I can sigh from happiness wen i step in home : noniin. Sarcastic no niin's are the best. Husband finished the emptying dishwaser at evening - that he started emptying in the morning : No. Niin! Say it like you would praise somebody sarcastically "Awesome!" (meaning "effing finally! *rolleyes*") I asked my husband how I usually use noniin and he said "Depends, several ways." and I said I maybe have listed 10, or 15, or possibly 20 ways use noniin.. Guess what his answer was ? "No niin. *rolleyes*" meaning "you and your silliness, I'm not taking any part of this." -_-