Finnish people have some unique traditions. Here are 7 surprising facts about the world’s happiest country.

• The country benefits from high levels of social trust and a strong connection with nature.

• Finnish culture also has several unusual traditions and social norms.

Finland is known for being the happiest country in the world, according to the World Happiness Report, but there’s a lot more to the Nordic nation than its residents’ satisfaction.

The sparsely populated country is around the size of New Mexico but only a little over 5.5 million people live there — around 3 million less than New York City.

Finns endure harsh winters, drink a lot of coffee, and can be a bit pessimistic. Finland is also packed with saunas and has a strong welfare state. Several unusual traditions and social norms contribute to the country’s culture.

Here are seven surprising facts about the country.

1. Speeding tickets are based on your income.

In Finland, a resident’s wealth plays a factor in how much they’ll pay for driving too fast.

The country’s “day fine” system is based on the offender’s daily disposable income and how far over the speed limit they were going.

The system has led to some eye-popping fines. In 2023, a Finnish multimillionaire received a fine of €121,000, or $129,400, for speeding.

2. There’s around half a sauna per person.

There are an estimated 3 million saunas in Finland, per National Geographic — or the equivalent of just over half a sauna per Finn.

Sauna culture is an important part of Finnish daily life and the country’s heritage. There are ancient versions dating back to the Stone Age.

Today, you can find saunas in apartment blocks, homes, restaurants, and even government buildings.

3. The Finnish government gives all new families a “baby box.”

Finland’s government sends a maternity package — known as äitiyspakkaus, or a “baby box,” — to the parents of newborn children.

The box contains essential items such as clothing, bibs, diapers, and bathing products, among other things. The box is fitted with a small mattress and a sheet, though some health experts have warned it may not be a safe place for babies to sleep.

The concept has become popular in other countries. In 2023, the US Department of Health and Human Services started a pilot program to send kits to new parents in a handful of states.

4. The country is home to a sport called “wife-carrying.”

Wife-carrying is now an international sport, but the world championships are still held in Sonkajärvi, Finland.

In the 1990s, when the event debuted, a male partner would traditionally carry his wife while navigating an obstacle course. The rules have evolved slightly over the years, and competitors don’t have to carry their real spouses. They just need a teammate who fits the age and weight requirements

The course is about 830 feet long and involves fences and a pond that the teams have to splash through. Past winners have claimed victory by completing the race in about a minute.

5. Finns have a word for staying in and drinking in your underwear.

“Kalsarikänni” translates to drinking at home in your underwear, or, “pantsdrunk,” if you prefer, The New York Times reported in 2020.

Other Finnish words include “vahingonilo,” which means to enjoy someone else’s misfortune, and “sisu,” which is a kind of stoic determination or resilience.

6. Heavy metal fans are spoiled for choice.

According to some estimates, Finland has over 50 heavy metal bands per 100,000 people, the largest number per capita of any country in the world.

In 2016, former president Barack Obama gave the Finns’ musical preferences a shout-out during a Nordic summit, saying he was unsure if there was a correlation between the number of heavy metal bands and the country’s reputation for good governance.

While many people assume the long, cold winters fuel Finland’s appetite for the aggressive yet often technically proficient style, Antti “Hyrde” Hyyrynen, singer and guitarist of the Finnish band Stam1na, told Market Place in 2018 that was a cliché. Instead, he said that all students study music in school, creating a vast talent pool.

7. A popular candy is really, really salty.

Lots of people in Nordic countries enjoy salty licorice, but many consider salmiakki, the Finnish variety, to have the most extreme flavor.

It’s a mix of black licorice and ammonium chloride that pharmacies originally sold as a cough medicine. When a Vice reporter bought a package from a Stockholm shop, the owner warned that it wasn’t just strong but “Finnish strong.” The taste was “horrible, painful, and completely unpleasant,” but she finished the whole bag.

Finland loves candy in general — it ranked fifth in consumption per capita in a 2017 study — and salmiakki is “sort of the national candy,” Jukka Annala, the founder and president of the Finnish Salty Licorice Association, told The New York Times Magazine in 2018.

People have described the tongue-tingling taste as bitter, briny, and intense. Sisu, that emphasis on resiliency, might be the reason so many Finns like it, Annala told Eater in 2021.

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