Nothing says Christmas like Finnish emojis

#4 of this occasional series

The Finnish emojis have humorously rebranded some of our Christmas icons.

The series began because Finns claim the original Santa as their own. You didn’t know he is actually from Korvantunturi, in Lapland? And you thought it was the North Pole — silly you. This emoji represents the feeling of never-ending wait for Santa.

At Christmas there’s a special pastry, called joulutorttu. The Finland site This is Finland describes it as the feeling of having one too many. “Every year you burn your mouth on the first one — beware of the plum jam in the middle! The sweet taste and nostalgia make up for it.” (More on this and other Finnish Christmas customs—see my posts in December 2015.)

A pikkujoulut is the Christmas party emoji, in which Finns depart from their quiet selves and become wild party animals.

Rounding out the set are five more, that describe feelings during our long winters.

Wooly socks — the feeling of granny-made warmth — are worn while skiing or while sick, like a Finnish national costume, and even with flip-flops. (Remember Fashionista Finns, in post #3?)

A sleeping bear — wanting to sleep all winter. “Sometimes when the long dark winter seems to stretch endlessly ahead, you just feel the bears have a point in hibernating.”

The feeling of sunless days — that period between December and January is called kaamos.

“Stuck” is that very universal experience of putting one’s tongue on metal when it’s freezing outside. You    know you shouldn’t — but you try it anyway.

Four season BBQ and “Meanwhile in Finland”

both express a sense that temps around 0°C seem warm — and we see folks wearing shorts, even people sunbathing, because we’re sooo tired of winter.

Ahh, yes, winter.

Nikki

And more emojis — which mystify me

#3 in this series of 4

Here are more Finnish emojis — these express characteristics I don’t know much about. Or am I just not seeing the truth?

Torilla tavataan — The feeling when something so great happens you just have to share it with somebody. “Although Finns are not crowd-loving ‘samba people’ by nature, when something great happens, we Finns head for the market square. There’s one in every city. If Finns win an ice-hockey tournament, a singing contest or pretty much anything, the market square is the place to go.”

Matti Nykänen — the feeling of bon voyage. “Matti Nykänen, the world’s most successful ski jumper ever, has introduced some of the well-used catchphrases for Finnish language. We say ‘every chance is an opportunity’ or we estimate the percentages with ‘fifty-sixty’ share. One thing we know for sure: ‘life is life.’ ”

Karjalanpiirakka — the feeling of craving something delicious. “Karjalanpiirakka is a traditional pasty or pie originally from the region of Karelia. It is a rye crust usually with a filling of rice porridge. The original topping is egg butter. Karjalanpiirakka is eaten all over Finland at all times and occasions from breakfast to weddings.” Serious yum.

black gold (has to be chocolate!)

Finnish love — “Finnish love is often quiet. Finns won’t shout about love to the world. Actions speak louder than words. When we do love someone, it’s deep — very deep.” (The old joke — about the couple who hadn’t said the words “I love you” for over 50 years, because it had been said once, and nothing had changed — comes to mind.)

Happiness — the feeling of winning [over] our lovely neighbor Sweden in anything.

Iceman — the feeling of “Leave me alone. I know what I’m doing.” “This Finnish attitude was made famous by the Iceman himself, Formula 1 driver Kimi Räikkönen, who quite nicely sums it all up.

Headbanger — the feeling of banging your head. In Finland, heavy metal is mainstream. “There are more heavy metal bands in Finland per capita than anywhere else.”

Unbreakable — “Finns are tough, almost unbreakable. Finland has produced quite a bunch of unbreakable and long-lasting items such as the old Nokia 3310 phone which is famous for being, well, unbreakable.”

Lost hopes — the feeling of getting your hopes up. Every time. “Finland is

notorious for its lack of success in the Eurovision Song Contest. Each time we wait for a win but get zero points. So to get back at them we entered a band of monsters in 2006 — and won.”

I need a bit of clarification to understand these better —

a trusted friend,

pusa hispidi saimensis, 

the voice, the conductor and the king.

Nikki

xmas.finland.fi

More Finnish emojis--is that me?

On August 15, 2016, I wrote about sauna-and-summer-related Finnish emojis, which This is Finland began sharing last Christmas. 

I admit to being slow on the uptake here — I downloaded them on my phone but have to reset something to make them operable (Rats!).  

This post continues  #2 in the emoji series, with two more posts after this. The traits these emojis catalog are not hidden very deep in me, as family and friends will attest.

 With white clouds and blue skies, summer lakes and snow drifts — the Finnish flag, of course.

Handshake — the feeling of trust. “Finns can be almost ridiculously law-abiding and trust others to do the right thing. We say what we do and do what we say. We shake hands on it. It’s a deal.”

Peacemaker —Martti Ahtisaari, the former President of Finland from 1994-2000 and United Nations diplomat, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008 for his efforts to resolve international conflicts on several continents and over more than three decades.

Reindeer — for mixed feelings. “Finns love reindeer — in all forms. Reindeer are useful animals in many ways. They are cute — but reindeer stew is delicious. You eat it with mashed potatoes and lingonberries.” That describes “mixed feelings” pretty well, I’d say.

Girl power — Finland was the first country in the world to give women both the right to vote and to be elected. Finnish women are highly educated and full-time employment is the norm. The pronoun ‘hän’ means both she and he.

Suomi mainittu — “the feeling when someone mentions Finland abroad. Finns are always excited when someone — anyone — mentions Finland abroad. When you come to Finland, be prepared to tell what you think about Finland and Finns.”

Coffee — Turns out Finland consumes more coffee in the world than anyone else.

Waiting — “Finns respect the privacy and personal space of others, and expect the same in return. We tend not to sit down next to anyone if another seat is available. When talking to a Finn, don’t stand too close — unless you want to see a Finn slowly edging backwards.” This is why we sit so far apart in church, then?

Fashionista Finns —  socks with my sandals seem so practical... 

And a few more — Moomin Mama (of course you've read the Moomin books),

baby in box (extensive baby supplies which Finland provides to all new parents in a sturdy box which the parents often use as a first crib!),

kokko (one amazing bonfire)

and the cap (to honor graduates).


Aren’t they fun!! Visit This is Finland to download them.

Nikki

Sauna emojis—plus others that celebrate summer

In December 2015, This is Finland unveiled nearly three dozen emojis, poking fun at themselves with a wry sense of humor. No other country has followed suit.

Since making them available one each day for a month in an “Advent calendar” style, they have added another dozen and a half.

Of course “sauna” (with both genders) was included — it’s the one word from the Finnish language that’s part of our dictionary. Both sauna-goer emojis show the individual steaming up on a wooden bench, holding a ladle with a handy bucket of water nearby. They look fairly alert — maybe because they’re only on the first round of their three-round löyly.

The country has 3.2 million saunas for its 5.4 million people. Every one of them has her/his own way of going to sauna, which will cleanse both body and mind and body. Spirit too, amazingly — sauna is a holy place as well for Finns.

Sauna whisk (which I wrote about on this blog in great detail from June 29, 2014, through August 10, 2014, — nine posts altogether!)




Because it’s summer, here also are:

Forest — the longing for fresh air and silence.
With millions of forested acres with mushrooms and berries, people are allowed to pick at will. “It’s called ‘Everyman’s right.’ ”


Dad’s favorite superfood — Blueberries, 

White nights — in the land of the Midnight Sun,

 

Out of office — lazing in the lake,

and
Pesapallo (see my entry for August 14, 2015, on the Finns’ way to make this game uniquely theirs.)

And don’t forget sisu, which they describe as the feeling of perseverance.

“In Finland, as the saying goes, we ‘go through even a grey rock.’ Arctic nature has given us guts — or ‘sisu’ as we call it. It’s about not giving in — even when it might be wiser to do so…”

I do identify with this trait, probably to the chagrin of my loved ones.

These emojis are so much fun, I will share more of them in later posts. They’re free to download — check your app store for “Finland emojis.”

#1 of this series — there’s a lot more to share!

Nikki

An emoji for "Eating one too many Joulutorttu"

Recently I learned that Finland has produced emojis that explain, and subtly poke fun at, themselves. In fact they are the only country to do so, and made about 30 emojis to explain some of the unique but hard-to-describe customs.
 
This emoji, for Dec. 18 is a joulutorttu, a Christmas pastry. (It looks like ones we ate, not knowing which ethnic group should get the credit.) 

This emoji of the joulutorttu is meant to exemplify "the feeling of having (eaten) one too many." 
 
According to the website This is Finland  "Every year you burn your mouth on the first one – beware of the plum jam in the middle! The sweet taste and nostalgia make up for it."

After stocking up at two church bake sales featuring Scandinavian treats and a cookie exchange at work, I understand the feeling. I have eaten more than one too many!

Nikki