What does a typical Finn look like to us? Residents of border towns are likely to list the qualities of culturally unintelligent tourists craving cheap alcohol and entertainment, something like: "drunk on skis and with beer in hand." Residents of Petrozavodsk, Moscow and St. Petersburg have more worthy examples, but they are also likely to remember the prevailing stereotypes about "hot guys" - innocence, slowness, frugality, unsociableness, touchiness. However, all of the above describes the character traits of a “separately taken” Finn or a small group of people, but has nothing to do with the whole people.

Finns as a nation are distinguished, first of all, by a special attitude towards themselves, towards others and towards their country. And the basis of the Finnish national mentality was their religion - Lutheranism. And even though 38% of Finns consider themselves non-believers, and 26% attend church out of respect for tradition, this religion is so successfully intertwined with the national traits of the Finns and the historical foundations of society that all Finnish citizens, without exception, involuntarily profess Lutheran values.

The teachings of Martin Luther fell like a fertile seed on the fertile soil of the Finnish character and grew up an amazing, modest and strong northern flower - the Finnish people.

Everyone knows that Finland has a peculiar teaching methodology - the more non-standard the task, the better. At one of the classes, Finnish students were offered fun - to play associations and think, “if a Finn were a tree or a flower, what would it be?”. The guys approached the task with all the Finnish thoroughness, drawing up an extended portrait of the “real Finnish character”, which they subsequently shared on the Internet:

• If a Finn were a tree, he would be an oak.

Just as firmly standing on his "two" and confident in the future.

• If the Finn were a flower, he would be a cornflower: the flowers are modest, but beautiful, a favorite Finnish color. And also a little prickly, surviving on dry land and among rocks.
• If a Finn were a drink, it would be…” My classmates shouted in unison – beer! This is more of a stereotype than an association: Finns really do drink a lot of beer. But I have an association with vodka. Bitter, heavy and gloomy, which you drink, and it will become fun and easy for a moment, and then sad again.

“Perhaps the Finn would be coffee,” smiled my Finnish friend, with whom I shared this association game. – Coffee is as dark as our autumn-winter days, bitter as the history of our country, strong as our character and invigorating as our taste for life. Maybe that's why Finns drink so much coffee?

• If the Finn were an animal, he would be... “First, the guys suggested a bear or a wolf. But then they decided that he would still be an elephant. Behind the thick skin and impenetrability lies a vulnerable, impressionable core.
• If Finn were a book, he would be a good quality detective. So, when it seems that you seem to have guessed everything, and the answer lies on the surface, only at the end it turns out that everything is far from it - the deeper, the more surprising.
• If the Finn were a machine, he would be a heavy tractor. Finn, at times, like a tractor, rushing in a straight line to his goal. The path may turn out to be wrong, but he will not turn off it.
• If Finn was a sport, it would be hockey and skiing. In hockey, the team atmosphere and the ability to unite for the sake of victory are important. And the Finns know how. On the other hand, you can ski alone, slowly, enjoying thoughts and nature.

And this is how most Finns not only ride, but also live, imperceptibly forming a wonderful people, descended either from the Ural tribes (judging by the language), or from the pro-Germans (judging by the genes), or maybe even altogether from a tribe with superpowers, which was called the white-eyed Chud (according to ancient legends). True, if the Finns inherited from their distant ancestors a tendency to extra abilities, then they hide them well, in ordinary life showing completely human “miracles”.

The Finnish people are distinguished primarily by:

• Autonomy, independence, honesty

From childhood, Finns are taught to stand up for themselves and rely only on their own strength. Parents do not rush to help their stumbled child, there is no mutual assistance in the teams, and friends do not cover each other's faults. Finn "is to blame for everything and he can fix everything." And if not, the society has created a wide network of organizations providing professional assistance.

Since the Finn is left to himself and God (if he believes) and does not report to anyone, even to God (according to the Finnish religion), he has no desire to lie. “You lie to yourself for the rest of your life,” says a Finnish proverb.

Well, if the Finn has achieved everything himself, he does not need approval from the outside. Finns understand that other people are just as good if they put in the effort.

Everyone is equally good - one of the main ideas of Lutheranism.

• Equality

The Finns do not endow people with an aura of "holiness" or "sinfulness", they do not divide them into "elites" or "servants". Even a priest is the most ordinary person, only more enlightened in matters of religion. Hence the equality of all people, regardless of titles, ranks, official position and popularity. Everyone knows that the Finnish president rides an ordinary bike to an ordinary supermarket and stands in a regular queue.

• Modesty is another national trait

It is combined with honesty and directness - be yourself, do not pretend and do not splurge. Therefore, the Finns do not try to embellish themselves outwardly with the help of clothes and cosmetics.

• Special attitude to work and wealth

Since everyone is equal, every work is equal. There is no shameful work or elite. Work is the most important thing in Lutheran teaching. It's embarrassing not to work. And in Finland, “the country of granite and swamps,” it took a lot of effort to grow something, on which it depended whether the family would survive until spring. Because the Finns from time immemorial - hardworking people. The Lutheran worldview supplemented the popular truth with the fact that it is permissible to be rich. For labor must be rewarded: “where there is honest labor, there is wealth”, “everyone will be rewarded according to his deeds”.

On the other hand, the Finns work without fanaticism, without going beyond what is necessary. They know that a tired person is a bad worker, so the Finns have one of the longest holidays - 40 days a year, and work on weekends or in the evenings is paid at double the rate.

• Tenacity "sisu"

Life among stones and swamps has forged another trait of the Finnish character - determination and perseverance in completing what has been started, no matter how difficult it may be. “The ability to make bread from stone” is one of the main features of the Finnish people.

• Propensity to think, thoroughness, slowness

Lutheranism is the teaching of consciously believing people who must be able to think. The main thing in Luther's sermons is a call for a reasonable, critical attitude towards faith. Every Finn in his youth goes through the rite of confirmation, deliberately accepting or refusing the faith. They have been preparing for this since childhood, teaching them to say “yes” or “no” responsibly. And it takes time to think. Therefore, Finnish procrastination is actually a mental decision-making process: “It’s better to think about it for a day than to do it wrong for a week.”

• "Where there are few words, they have weight." Shakespeare

Finns are talkative when it comes to “nothing”, and turn into deep thinkers when it comes to answering personal questions: “The bull is taken by the horns, but the person is caught at his word”, “promise is the same as doing”. It is not customary to criticize here: if you know how to fix it - fix it, no - do not say an empty “should”.

• law abiding

Lutheranism professes the freedom of choice of man. But, respecting someone else's territory, the Finns know: "the freedom of one person ends where the freedom of another begins." In addition, the Finns are well aware that in order to preserve their beloved land, it is necessary to comply with the laws: “Where the law is powerless, there is omnipotent grief”, “laws are made to be observed,” people say. Therefore, the Finns do not discuss the high taxes, fines and other “strictness” adopted by the state, they take it for granted, in response to their law-abidingness, demanding from the state to maintain and develop the achievements of the Finnish people: an environmentally friendly country, where half-empty transport runs on schedule, cleaning is done during streets and quality roads are being built. The Finnish state does not object, on the contrary, it accounts for every euro spent and successfully raises funds to effectively support poor citizens. However, the Finns do not demand reports from the state, relations are built on equality and trust.

After all, the state is the same Finns, brought up on conscientiousness, loyalty to the word, honesty, a developed sense of dignity and responsibility.

• Self-esteem is not just a feature of the Finnish character, it is one of the main assets of the country

A Finn who has mastered all 8 of the above points, who has coped independently (with a little support from the state and society) with all life's difficulties and has grown into an honest, responsible, stubborn, hardworking, modest and successful person, has every right to be proud of himself. The same applies to itself and the whole country. Finland has a difficult and bitter history. In just 50 years, a poor, dependent, ruined, “wretched” land has turned into a prosperous, high-tech state with a high standard of living, the cleanest environment and “prize” places in world rankings for the best country.

The Finns really have something to be proud of.

• Patriotism

Deserved pride and the preservation of traditions underlie Finnish patriotism, which, in turn, has a number of features.

Features of Finnish patriotism

Patriotism for the Finns is not to defend their homeland and give their lives for it. This is the duty of a Finnish citizen. What is patriotism, students of the Helsinki Business College (Suomen Liikemiesten Kauppaopisto) tried to express, helping their classmate to collect material for scientific work. Each Finn has his own concepts, but together they make up the patriotism of the Finnish nation.

“For me, this is love, attachment to my small homeland”

Finns love their country not at all. They love their house, yard, street, city. Moreover, this love is practical - they decorate their homes, equip yards, and not only their own. Finn feels responsible for the order, he is the owner who will clear the common paths in the winter, collect the garbage scattered in the forest by careless foreigners in the summer, and in the spring will go out with all the neighbors for a “subbotnik”. Finns love to live in cleanliness and they know: “they don’t do cleanliness, but observe it.” They don't criticize the state for "not cleaning up", they just don't litter. And if they litter, for example, on May Day, then they immediately organize points for the paid collection of garbage from the population, and by morning the city is clean again.

Finns love and cherish nature very much, they not only rush about with cameras, capturing wonderful moments, and spend their holidays by the water, they are looking for new sources of energy, widely use the possibilities of waste recycling and massively “invest” in the environment.

“Patriotism is also complicity and helping people who live next to you”

The Finns, for all their isolation and non-interference in other people's lives, are very sympathetic and ready to help where their care is really important. 73% of Finns have done charity work at least once (2013), and 54% do it regularly. Responsiveness and mercy in society are part of the state policy.

There are no homeless people, animals, orphanages for orphans in the country, and nursing homes are more like rest homes for the elderly. A normal, full-fledged life has been created for the disabled in the country. One of the sages said: "The greatness of the spiritual development of a nation can be judged by the way it treats animals, the elderly and children." In this sense, the Finns are a highly spiritual nation.

Patriotism starts with your family

The Finnish kid watches how his parents, grandparents behave, and tries to do the same. But in order for the kid to imitate the elders, he must respect them. The Finns have tried to prioritize correctly: family is the most important thing, patience and friendship are the basis of family relationships. The older generation does not interfere in the life of the younger, and the whole large family is happy to get together on holidays and on vacation. Young people imitate their elders, sometimes simply because of tradition. How many of us go to church out of respect for our grandmother and play the piano out of respect for our mother? And the Finns go and play.

"Patriotism is the preservation of one's history"

To respect the past generation, you need to know why. Finns keep and respect the history of the region and the traditions of the people. Here it is not shameful to sing in the choir, manual labor is held in high esteem. The country has countless variety of museums and museums. Finns can create a colossal scientific center "Eureka", telling about Finland, or they can sing the most ordinary thing - for example, a chainsaw and create a "Chainsaw Museum": you will learn so many interesting things about this prosaic tool that you will become a chainsaw patriot. And there is also a museum of buns, a museum of chains and handcuffs, and much more that helps the Finn to feel his own peculiarity, to find something that he can rightfully be proud of.

"Patriotism is caring for the future generation"

The Finns treat the younger generation with respect: they are the smartest and most talented. They are patient with all the liberties of youth, they only direct them to the true path - study, work, comprehend the world. But take your time, choose what you really like, we will tolerate. Finnish youth who leave to study abroad return 98% to their native country. Not because they feel bad in a foreign world, but because they are very comfortable in their homeland. "My country gives me everything - education, medicine, an apartment, financial assistance, a secure future and a confident old age."

“Patriots are ready to serve the Fatherland without asking for anything in return”

For Finnish boys, it is an honor to serve in the army, and boys and girls are specially prepared for work in the Finnish police or for a military career, earning positive characteristics and strenuously playing sports. Although the work is not easy, and the salary is ordinary, the competition for such institutions is very high.

And yet, patriotism does not arise in the souls of people suddenly. This is a painstaking educational process, woven from little things. These are Finnish flags on holidays, which are hung in all yards and on all private houses.

These are "Christmas lessons" - 4 candles that parents light every week before Christmas, presenting a fairy tale lesson to a child, for example, love for one's country, pride in one's people.

This is Independence Day - a beautiful, quiet, solemn holiday that everyone wants to celebrate by dressing their houses in blue and white colors, because they honor not a “great state”, but ordinary people who have achieved success and invited to the Presidential Palace.

These are ordinary lessons at school, which can be replaced by watching a live broadcast of a hockey match, or performing at Eurovision - because it is very important to watch and rejoice at the success of the country all together, but physics can wait.

Patriotism penetrates the Finnish souls slowly, thoroughly, taking root in the genes, being passed on to future kids, who will never think of destroying everything that their ancestors created with such diligence.

Finns are patriots not only of their country, but also of their people and nationality.

Finns

residents of the state in Northern Europe, Finland. However, they themselves do not call their country that. This is a foreign name for them of Germanic origin. Finnish doesn't even have the "f" sound itself. For them, their country is Suomi, and they themselves are suoma-laiset (the people of Suomi). True, both Finland and Suomi mean essentially the same thing - "a country of swamps." So it has long been called by both aliens and indigenous inhabitants.

Finland is often called the country of granite, lakes and swamps. Water is one of the most important elements of the landscape. Moreover, the main place is occupied by lakes. This is in the full sense of the country of thousands of lakes. In fact, there are about 100 thousand of them. As a rule, Finnish lakes are shallow. Marshes are much more widespread than lakes, and cover 30% of the country's territory. But Finland is also a huge amount of forests. They still cover two-thirds of its territory. The forest is the greatest gift nature has given Finland.

Like neighboring Scandinavian peoples, most Finns are blond with straw or blond hair, with light blue or gray eyes. But in terms of face type, language, and especially mental make-up, the Finns differ significantly from the Scandinavians. The Finns are not as expansive, more reserved, methodical than their neighbors. A distinctive feature of the Finns is, first of all, the stubborn determination to carry out the work begun at all costs, no matter how difficult it may be, "the ability to make bread from stone," as the Finnish proverb says. Without this trait, perhaps, the very development of Finland by this people would have been unthinkable. Conscientiousness, fidelity to a given word, honesty, a highly developed sense of self-worth and responsibility - these are other nationally unique qualities that have been formed and rooted in the psychology of the Finnish people.

By their nature, the Finns are businesslike and energetic people, striving to bring any matter to the end, penetrating into the very essence of any issue. In the fight against the harsh nature, they settled in the northern forests, plowed up and built up hard-to-reach lands, and created considerable material wealth. The Finns work without fuss and slowly, but they do their work only within the framework of the necessary. They never overwork, do not show independent initiative, act strictly in accordance with the instructions. At the same time, performers do not seek to take on excessive responsibility. Finns try to do all household and other work on weekdays, leaving Sunday free for rest.

Their other most important national psychological features are: frugality, thrift, but not greed; independence with their inherent individualism, firmness in the performance of their duties; a weak degree of emotionality, restraint, isolation and caution in behavior.

The independence of the Finns stands out in particular. They believe that a man should personally cope with difficulties. Complaining is a disgrace. On the other hand, they are characterized by pronounced individualism, the desire to personally solve various problems. Disturbing neighbors is avoided to such an extent that any cooperation and mutual assistance is practically nullified. A farmer can save up money for years to buy equipment, although it would be much cheaper to rent it. And this is not so much the desire to own private property and competition as the desire to be independent from others. Finn can help a neighbor, but only so that it is not to the detriment of himself. Individualism is manifested even in treats, when they pour wine for themselves, not caring about the guest.

In Finland, a lot of attention is paid to the family. A strong family here is the key to a successful activity and career. Relationships in the family are built on democratic principles: husband and wife are quite independent, primarily in economic terms, and have separate bank accounts. In the family, at least outwardly, the basic requirements of morality and decency are observed: they strive to save the family, but at the same time, men are free to establish intimate extramarital affairs. Finns are very fond of their children, of whom there are at least two in a family, they carry photographs of their family with them.

In money matters, Finns shy away from any risky offers, do not invest in dubious enterprises. As such, the passion for profit is not typical for them. At the same time, almost all of them are characterized by the desire to save money "for a rainy day", to make deductions to the bank. In this regard, they strive to reduce costs as much as possible, for example, those associated with the reception of guests. Welcoming them at home, the Finns set a modest table, without an abundance of dishes typical of Russian hospitality. For the same reason, they also give purely symbolic gifts, which almost never include expensive items. Finnish clothing in winter and summer is the most varied, unpretentious, but at the same time comfortable, light, neat and tidy.

Outwardly, the Finns are seasoned, patient people who try not to show their emotions. In the event of conflict situations, they are resolved in a narrow circle, "without taking dirty linen out of the hut." Outsiders are not initiated into the complications that arise both in personal and official life. They shy away from characterizing their acquaintances to any third party. They hold a grudge in themselves, although there is no vindictiveness as such. It is very difficult to piss them off, and if this happens, then it does not resemble violence, but rather rage, especially in cases where the Finn feels he is right - "you are to blame, you answer."

Finns in communication are quite democratic. Regardless of age and position, they address each other mainly as "you" and by name. Democracy is also manifested in the fact that the Finn considers it possible to speak out about anything, while demonstrating freedom of action and views. In communication, they value accuracy and accuracy. In their opinion, the most important virtues of a person should be simplicity, calmness, friendliness, restraint and a sense of humor.

The Finns have a heightened sense of national pride, but in relation to representatives of other ethnic communities, they are not characterized by an outward expression of their national superiority, except perhaps some distrust of the representatives of the superpowers - the Americans and Russians. There is also a sometimes wary attitude towards the Germans and Swedes among them, which is a consequence of previous historical experience. At the same time, they enthusiastically perceive people who show a sincere interest in Finnish culture and who know the Finnish language.

Ethnopsychological dictionary. - M.: MPSI. V.G. Krysko. 1999

Synonyms:

See what "Finns" are in other dictionaries:

Finns- Finns ... Wikipedia

Finns- chukhna Dictionary of Russian synonyms. Finns n., number of synonyms: 1 chukhna (4) ASIS synonym dictionary. V.N. Trishin. 2013 ... Synonym dictionary

FINNS- (self-name suomalayset) nation, the main population of Finland (4.65 million people), the total number of 5.43 million people (1992), including 47.1 thousand people in the Russian Federation (1989). Finnish language. Believing Protestants (Lutherans) ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

FINNS- FINNS, Finns, unit. finn, finna, husband 1. The people of the Finno-Ugric group, inhabiting the Karelian Finnish SSR and Finland. 2. The common name of the peoples of the Finnish branch of the Finno-Ugric peoples. Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov

FINNS- FINNS, ov, units. finn, a, husband. The people that make up the main population of Finland. | female finca, i. | adj. Finnish, oh, oh. Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 ... Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov

FINNS- (self-name suomalay set), people. There are 47.1 thousand people in the Russian Federation living in Karelia, the Leningrad Region, and others. The main population of Finland. Finnish is a Baltic-Finnish branch of the Finno-Ugric family of languages. Believers ... ... Russian history

FINNS- The people living in the northwestern region of Evropeysk. Russia and mainly in Finland. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910 ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

FINNS- FINNS, see Cysticercosis. FISTULA, see Fistula ... Big Medical Encyclopedia

Finns- ov; pl. Nation, the main population of Finland; representatives of this nation. ◁ Finn, a; m. Finca, and; pl. genus. nok, date nkam; and. Finnish, oh, oh. F. epic. F. language. F. knife (a short knife with a thick blade, carried in a sheath). Fie sleigh, sledge (sleigh, ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

FINNS- in a broad sense, a number of Ural Altai peoples. They were divided into four groups: a) Finnish in the close sense (Finns, Ests, Livs, Korelas, Lopari); b) Ugric (Magyars, Ostyaks, Voguls); c) the Volga (Meshcherya, Merya, Murom, Mordva, Cheremisy, Chuvash) and ... ... Cossack dictionary-reference book

Books

• Finns in the Service of the SS Troops during the Second World War, V. N. Baryshnikov. The monograph, based on Russian, Finnish and German sources, examines key events relating to Finland's relations with Germany in the 1920s-1930s, as well as the period of the so-called…

There are many different countries and nationalities in the modern world. Each nation, state has its own history, culture, customs and many more interesting things. If you get together and travel to all countries of the world, it will take a lot of time, but the journey will be very interesting.

One of the most beautiful historical countries is Finland, which is close to us. The inhabitants of Finland are one of the happiest people on the planet, as in recent years the country has been confidently leading the list of the happiest countries. All conditions for a good life of people are created here!

Population and features of mentality

Finland is not a big country and the population is also small compared to Russia. The current population is five and a half million.

Like any nation, the Finnish have their own characteristics and customs. Any Russian person immediately comes to mind sauna, thinking about Finland. But there are many interesting moments that many have not heard of.

Here are some of them:

1. Finns are very fond of reading newspapers. The country occupies a leading position in terms of the total circulation of the press to the population. In addition, the Finns are the complete opposite of the chatty Italians, they are silent lovers.
2. The inhabitants of this state are very fond of coffee and, according to statistics, drink one liter per month. Perhaps the reason for this is the climate, in this country from autumn to spring there is a very short daylight hours, besides, most of the year is cold - the release of coffee will warm and give cheerfulness.
3. The Finns are a reserved and modest people, they do not recognize familiarity, familiarity.
4. Almost all of the Finnish people love to sing - in chorus! This is a national trait of this people since the 12th century. Choirs here are a variety of male and female, mixed, children's, student, church, military, professional and amateur.
5. A feature that is inherent in the Finns is that they easily tolerate frost and cold. If a slight thaw sets in, the population is in a hurry to undress immediately, without fear of a cold.
6. An exceptionally national Finnish delicacy is licorice lozenges. They are black in color and are made from licorice root.

It can also be added to the characteristics of the Finnish mentality that the inhabitants of this northern country do not like to rush - everyone knows the Finnish slowness!

An extra point in favor of this nation for pedantic punctuality. In the blood of this people - a bad tone, if you are somewhere late.

The people of Finland are very responsible and reliable. And this is a very valuable quality for business relationships in business.

Name of people in Finland

And how to write "inhabitant of Finland" Finn or Finn correctly? Inhabitants of Finland are correctly called - Finns, and a man and a woman: Finn and Finn. That's what it says on Wikipedia.

Previously, the inhabitants of the country were called by the name of the country - Finnish and Finnish and Finnish.

Finns call their country Suomi. Suomma - there are several versions of the translation of this word: a swamp or fish scales, or even the name of a small people living in Lapland and in northern Norway.

The inhabitants of Suomi are nomadic tribes of reindeer herders with their own language and customs. From the Swedish translation finnland is a beautiful land.

Language composition

It will be very unexpected to find out that until the beginning of the 19th century only Swedish was spoken in the state. For almost seven hundred years Finland was ruled by Sweden. And after joining the Russian Empire in 1809, the Russian language was added. After the issuance of an imperial decree in 1863. before the revolution of 1917. There were three official languages ​​in the Principality of Finland:

• Swedish;
• Russian;
• Finnish.

After gaining independence in 1922. and there are still two official languages: Finnish and Swedish.

Nowadays, almost all of Finland, the main part of the country - about 92% speaks Finnish. Slightly more than 5% are native Swedish speakers, while 1% each speak Russian and Estonian.

Culture and art

Finland is a country where traditions and national customs are loved and respected. In culture, however, there is the influence of Sweden, and there is very little Russian culture.

After secession from Russia, national patriotism intensified in Finland. Finns love everything domestic: from manufacturers to ethnic folk holidays.

Popular and interesting in culture:

1. Many literary works have received worldwide fame. The most popular of them is about the fairy-tale creatures Moomins, the wonderful writer, artist Tove Janson. Mummy troll fan clubs exist all over the world, and there is even a park of the same name in the country.
2. The pride of the country is the famous Kalevala epic, based on which filmmakers and artists have been inspired for their work over the past century. And the country hosts the beloved Kalevala carnival, with an ethnic theme.
3. Finns of the 21st century adore everything related to the Middle Ages, Scandinavian myths. And of course, that's why there are many themed festivals on the Middle Ages.
4. The pride of the Finns is the founder of the Scandinavian style - designer Alvar Aalto, who created the famous Paimio chair in 1933. It is relevant to this day. Ero Aarnio, another famous designer in the 60s of the last century, conquered the world with his ball chair. And now Finnish furniture, design is popular and respected in the world.
5. Fashion designers are also popular in Europe and the US. Original things with traditional thematic ornaments are always in demand!
6. The culture of Finland is well developed, only in the capital of Helsinki it is possible to visit twenty theaters with classical and modern repertoire, as well as opera. As a rule, in any large city there is a symphony orchestra.
7. Finnish museums exhibit canvases by domestic artists, and painting in the country began to develop only in the middle of the 19th century.
8. Finns are very musical people. There are annual festivals of both classical and rock, jazz, pop music. Among the Finnish contemporary musicians, Apocalyptica is famous for playing metal on the cellos!

Education. Religion

Finland has a very high level of education. According to OECD research in 2013, the Finnish population over school age ranks second in terms of knowledge after Japan and Sweden. But, unfortunately, fourth-grade students began to read much less (possibly due to gadgets), which corresponds to 45th place among countries, and these are the bottom lines of the ranking.

Education in a general education school lasts nine years, the academic year is from August to May inclusive.

Interesting! In Finland, there is a law that says that when a child (up to the age of 6th grade) gets more than two kilometers to school. He must be transported back and forth by taxi at the expense of the municipality.

Religion is not very widespread in the country. The bulk of believers are more than 75% Lutherans, no more than 1% Orthodox, and the same percentage for other religions.

It should be noted that among Lutherans a large percentage of Laestadians (conservative direction). Due to the large migration of Muslims, the construction of mosques is now planned.

Composition of the population

Currently, the state is inhabited by approximately equal numbers of both men and women.

The average life expectancy for Finns is quite large, it is:

• in women under 83;
• in men under 77 years of age.

In recent years, the number of centenarians of 100 years of age has increased.

A large number of Finns, up to 70%, live in cities and adjacent areas. This area represents 5% of the entire territory of Finland.

Population census

Since the middle of the twentieth century, the population has grown at a rapid pace, over the past 65 years, the increase has amounted to one and a half million people.

In recent years, according to statistics, the number and birth rate of Finns has been declining, while the increase in migrants has been increasing.

Video: interesting features of the inhabitants of Finland

Faces of Russia. "Living Together, Being Different"

The Faces of Russia multimedia project has existed since 2006, telling about the Russian civilization, the most important feature of which is the ability to live together, remaining different - this motto is especially relevant for the countries of the entire post-Soviet space. From 2006 to 2012, as part of the project, we created 60 documentaries about representatives of various Russian ethnic groups. Also, 2 cycles of radio programs "Music and songs of the peoples of Russia" were created - more than 40 programs. Illustrated almanacs have been released to support the first series of films. Now we are halfway to creating a unique multimedia encyclopedia of the peoples of our country, a picture that will allow the inhabitants of Russia to recognize themselves and leave a picture of what they were like for posterity.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Faces of Russia". Ingrians. 2011

General information

F'INN-INGERMANL'ANDS, Petersburg Finns, a people in the Russian Federation, a sub-ethnic group of Finns. The number in the Russian Federation is 47.1 thousand people, including in Karelia - 18.4 thousand people, in the Leningrad region (mainly Gatchinsky and Vsevolozhsky districts) - about 11.8 thousand people, in St. Petersburg - 5, 5 thousand people. They also live in Estonia (about 16.6 thousand people). The total number is about 67 thousand people. According to the 2002 population census, the number of Ingrian Finns living in Russia is 300 people.

The language (a number of slightly different dialects) belongs to the eastern dialects of the Finnish language. The literary Finnish language is also widespread. Self-name - Finns (suomalayset), inkerilaiset, i.e. residents of Inkeri (Finnish name for the Izhora land, or Ingria - the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland and the Karelian Isthmus, the Germanized name is Ingria).

The faithful Finns-Ingrian are Lutherans. In the past, there was a small group of Orthodox among the Evrimeiset. Sectarianism (including the "jumpers"), as well as various pietistic currents (Laestadianism) were widespread among the Savakos.

The mass resettlement of Finns to the territory of Ingria began after 1617, when these lands, under the terms of the Stolbovsky Peace, were ceded to Sweden, which at that time included Finland. The main influx of Finnish colonists occurred in the middle of the 17th century, when the Swedish government began to force the conversion of local residents to Lutheranism and close Orthodox churches. This caused a mass exodus of the Orthodox (Izhora, Votic, Russian and Karelian) population to the southern lands that belonged to Russia. The empty lands were quickly occupied by Finns-settlers. Settlers from the nearest regions of Finland, in particular from the parish of Euryapää and neighboring parishes in the north-west of the Karelian Isthmus, were called Evrimeiset, i.e. people from Euräpää. The Savakot ethnographic group, formed by settlers from Eastern Finland (the historical lands of Savo), was more numerous: in the middle of the 18th century, out of 72,000 Ingrian Finns, almost 44,000 were Savakot. The influx of Finns to the territory of Ingria also occurred in the 19th century. Ingrian Finns had little contact with the indigenous population of this region.

In the late 1920s and 30s, many Ingrian Finns were deported to other regions of the country. During the Great Patriotic War, about 2/3 of the Ingrian Finns ended up in the occupied territories and were evacuated to Finland (about 60 thousand people). After the conclusion of the peace treaty between the USSR and Finland, the evacuated population was returned to the USSR, but did not receive the right to settle in their former places of residence. Since the late 1980s, there has been a movement among Ingrian Finns to restore cultural autonomy and return to their old habitats.

N.V. Shlygin

F'INNS, suomalayset (self-name), people, the main population of Finland (4650 thousand people). They also live in the USA (305 thousand people), Canada (53 thousand people), Sweden (310 thousand people), Norway (22 thousand people), Russia (47.1 thousand people, see Ingrian Finns) and etc. The total number of 5430 thousand people. According to the 2002 census, the number of Finns living in Russia is 34 thousand people.

They speak the Finnish language of the Baltic-Finnish subgroup of the Finno-Ugric group of the Ural family. Dialects are divided into Western and Eastern groups. The modern literary language is based on Western dialects with the inclusion of Eastern vocabulary. Writing based on Latin graphics.

Believers are mostly Lutherans. Various pietist movements are widespread: Hernguters (from the 1730s), "prayers" (from the 1750s), "awakened" (from the 1830s), Laestadians (from the 1840s), evangelists (from the 1840s 1990s), free church, Methodists, Baptists, Adventists, Pentecostals, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, etc. There are a small number (1.5%) of Orthodox in the southeastern regions (and immigrants from there).

The ancestors of the Finns - the Baltic-Finnish tribes - penetrated the territory of modern Finland in the 3rd millennium BC and settled most of it by the 8th century, pushing the Sami population to the north and partially assimilating it. The Finnish nationality was formed in the process of merging the southwestern tribes of the Suomi (in the ancient Russian chronicles - sum), hyame (Old Russian em), who lived in the central part of Finland, the eastern Savo tribe, as well as the western (near Vyborg and near Saima) Karelian groups (see Karelians). The eastern regions of the country were characterized by contacts with the Ladoga region and the Upper Volga region, and the southwestern regions - with Scandinavia and the Baltic states.

In the 12th-13th centuries, the Finnish lands were conquered by the Swedes. The long Swedish domination left a noticeable imprint on the culture of the Finns (agrarian relations, public institutions, etc.). The Swedish conquest was accompanied by the forced Christianization of the Finns. During the Reformation period (16th century), Finnish writing was created. Nevertheless, the Finnish language remained only the language of worship and everyday communication until the 2nd half of the 19th century, when it received formal equality with the Swedish language. In reality, it began to be carried out already in independent Finland. Swedish remains the second official language of Finland.

In 1809 - 1917 Finland with the status of an autonomous Grand Duchy was part of the Russian Empire. In December 1917 the independence of Finland was proclaimed; in July 1919 it became a republic.

The folk culture of the Finns shows differences between Western and Eastern Finland. The ethnographic border between them runs along the line of the modern cities of Kotka, Jyväskylä, further between Oulu and Raahe. In the west, the influence of Swedish culture is more noticeable. Until the end of the 19th century agriculture was dominated by farming. In the east, in the Middle Ages, slash-and-burn agriculture was the main form; in the southwest, a fallow arable system developed early; since the end of the 19th century, multi-field crop rotation began to take root. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, dairy farming became the leading one. Traditional crafts are marine (fishing, seal hunting, sailing), forestry (tar smoking), woodworking (including the manufacture of wooden utensils). More than 33% of modern Finns are employed in industry, in agriculture and forestry - about 9%.

Peasant settlements in the south-west of the country until the 16th-17th centuries were cumulus villages, since the 18th century, with the spread of farm land use, the scattered planning of villages began to prevail. In the east, in connection with the slash-and-burn system of agriculture, small settlements predominated, often single-yard, villages arose only where there were large areas of land suitable for permanent cultivation. The traditional dwelling is a log house of elongated proportions with a gable roof covered with shingles. The south of Pohjanmaa has been characterized by a two-storey house since the 18th century. The most important outbuildings are a shed, a bathhouse (sauna), cages (in the southwest they are often two-story, the top floor was used for sleeping in summer). In the south-west of Finland, a residential building and outbuildings formed a closed quadrangular yard, in the east the yards have a free layout. Dwellings in the west and east of the country differed in the design of the oven: the west is characterized by the combination of a heating and bread oven and an open hearth for cooking food, the early appearance of chimneys; in the East, an oven is common, close to the so-called Russian oven. The interior of a western peasant house is characterized by bunk and sliding beds, cradles on bent runners, and a variety of cabinet shapes. Polychrome painting and carving covering furniture and utensils (spinning wheels, rakes, clamp tongs, etc.) are widespread. The living quarters were decorated with woven products (blankets, festive bedspreads, curtains for bunk beds), and ruyu pile carpets. In the East, archaic forms of furniture were preserved for a long time - wall benches, fixed beds, hanging cradles, wall shelves, cabinets. The traditional architecture and decor of the east of the country had a great influence on the architecture and art of the Finns during the period of the so-called "national romanticism" of the late 19th century.

Traditional women's clothing - a shirt, blouses of various cuts, a skirt (mostly striped), a woolen sleeveless bodice or jacket, an apron, for married women - a linen or silk headdress on a hard basis with lace trim; girls wore open headdresses in the form of a crown or bandage. Men's clothing - shirt, knee-length pants, vests, jackets, caftans. In the east, a women's shirt with embroidery and an oblique cut on the chest, a white homespun or linen semi-long sundress (viita), a towel headdress, and caps were preserved for a long time. The embroidery ornaments reflected the Karelian and Northern Russian influence. Folk forms of clothing disappear early, especially in the west of the country. Their revival and the formation of the so-called national costume takes place at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century, during the period of the national movement. This costume retains its festive and symbolic role even today.

There were differences in the traditional food of the Western and Eastern Finns: in the east, high soft bread was regularly baked, in the west, bread was baked 2 times a year in the form of round flat dry cakes with a hole in the middle and stored on poles under the ceiling. In the east they made lumpy yogurt, in the west they made stretchy forms of sour milk, they also made homemade cheese. Only in the east were baked closed pies (including rybniki) and pies like "gates", only in the extreme southeast was daily consumption of tea accepted. In the western regions it is traditional to make beer, in the east - malt or bread kvass.

The family is small. Large families, both paternal and fraternal, survived until the 19th century in the northwest of the country in Pohjanmaa, in the northeast - in Kainuu, in the southeast - in Karjala, where they existed until the 20th century.

The wedding ritual in Western Finland was distinguished by Swedish influences and borrowings from the church rite: wedding at home, "gate of honor", "wedding pole" in the yard, wedding under the canopy ("himmeli"), the wedding crown of the bride, etc. The Eastern Finns retained an archaic a form of wedding, with a three-part ritual of the bride's "departure" from her father's house, moving (wedding train) to the groom's house and the actual wedding-hyat in his house. Many rituals were aimed at protecting the bride from evil spirits (when moving to the groom's house, they covered her face with a veil, took a knife into the wagon, etc.) and ensured the fertility of the marriage.

Of the calendar holidays, the most important are Christmas and Midsummer Day (Juhannus, Mittumaarya). During their conduct, various pre-Christian rites were preserved, for example, making fires on Ivan's Day. There was a belief in guardian spirits, troll witches, various protective actions, etc.

In folklore, epic songs of runic size occupy a special place. On the basis of the runes collected in Karelia, Eastern Finland and Ingermanland, E. Lennrot compiled the Kalevala epic (1835), which became a symbol of the Finnish national movement.

N.V. Shlygin

Essays

Own land - strawberries, foreign land - blueberries / Oma maa mansikka; muu maa mustikka

Finland is called the Land of a Thousand Lakes. In fact, there are many more: about 190 thousand! Lakes occupy almost 9% of the entire territory of the country.

What happened to the lakes? To the forests? Before when there was no land at all?

Initially, there was only an endless ocean. A lone bird flew over it looking for a nest. Which one exactly is unknown. Ancient runes differ on this issue. It could be a duck, a goose, an eagle and even a swallow. In a word, a bird.

It was the bird that saw the knee of the first human being that stuck out of the water. It was the tribe of the wise old man Väinämöinen or (in another rune) of his mother, the heavenly maiden Ilmatar.

The bird laid an egg right on its knee... From this primary material, the creator bird created the world. In some runes, the world is created by the first man Väinämöinen, and the firmament is forged by the blacksmith Ilmarinen.

The sky was created from the top half of the egg. From the bottom - the earth, from the yolk - the sun. From the protein - the moon, from the shell - the stars.

So, with the creation of the universe, it is more or less clear, but how did it happen that the Finns became exactly the way they are at the present time?

Finn counts only on himself

The question is difficult, but it can be answered. The national character of the Finn, so to speak, was forged from the confrontation with nature. This is where the primary characterization of Finnish consciousness begins. Everything in it is determined by the desire to conquer nature. And what is most interesting (causing respect): in the fight against the natural elements, the Finn relies only on himself. Therefore, he attaches such importance to himself, convincing himself of his abilities. In the Finn's view, a person is a truly powerful being, designed to conquer the elements. We see this in the Kalevala epic.

In fairy tales, this theme of knowing the secret codes of nature is also reflected, sometimes even slightly in a comical form. Here, for example, is the "Peasant's Prediction".

There once lived a king and a peasant, and the peasant meadows and fields were so close to the royal palace that the owner had to pass through the courtyard of the royal castle each time on the way to his lands. Once a peasant went on a horse for a vein. When he was returning from the meadows through the royal court, the king happened to be in the courtyard of his castle, and he began to scold the peasant.

How dare you, you idiot, drive your hay through my yard, aren't you ashamed?!

Sorry, gracious king, - the peasant answered. - But the fact is that soon there will be a thunderstorm, a downpour will begin, and if I drove along the long ring road, I would not have time before the rain poured down, and my hay would get wet. That's why I hurried straight with the hay.

Well, said the king, how do you know that?

Great sovereign! replied the peasant. - I know by the tail of my mare. See how the gadflies crawl under the tail. And this is a sure sign that there will be bad weather.

That's how ... - said the king and allowed the peasant to pass.

After that, the king went to the tower of the palace astrologer and asked the soothsayer if it would rain today. The stargazer took a telescope, looked at the sky and said:

No, sir, there will be neither today, nor tomorrow, nor even the day after tomorrow, not a single tear, not a single drop, but then, maybe, there will be.

I understand, - said the king and descended from the tower to head to his chambers. But on the way to the palace, such heavy rain and a terrible thunderstorm overtook the king that the king was soaked to the skin. Finally, he reached his palace, all soiled, and immediately called the soothsayer to him.

You, unfortunate astrologer, will have to make room, since you do not understand anything about the weather, while a stupid and uncouth peasant, looking at the tail of his mare, sees - when it will rain, and when it will be a bucket, - the king said to him and fired him from positions, sending manure to the stable to clean.

And the king summoned the peasant to himself and gave him the tower of the astrologer and the proper title, putting him in the same salary as the former soothsayer received. So the peasant became a friend of the king thanks to horseflies and a gadfly, to the envy of all the courtiers.

Finns love themselves

The Finns love themselves in a way that few nations love themselves. In general, there are few peoples who love themselves, and the Finns are just one of them. In the minds of most peoples, there is a certain ideal image of their own, or related to the golden age in the past, and their own inconsistency with this image is acutely felt.

The Finns have almost no such dissatisfaction. Finn, in essence, does not need the highest sanction, he achieved his exclusive position in the world himself. This explains the emphasized respect of the Finns for themselves, which surprised many researchers. Finn behaves with dignity, never begs for tea, even avoids a hint of it, although he will not refuse to take an increase on occasion, but he will not hint at it, and whether they add something to him in the calculation or not, he will equally thank, having received the agreed fee.

Finn is extremely little dependent on the team. A Finnish peasant lives on a farm. He does not often communicate with his neighbors, is closed in the family circle and does not see a special need to open this circle. After Sunday dinner, the owner will not go to visit. And why would he run away from home? His wife is his best friend, his children respect him. Finn is almost entirely focused on himself. His eyes, sometimes beautiful and expressive, look somehow into the depths of himself, he is closed and silent. Finn goes to fight nature one on one.

At the end of the 18th century, Finland was called the country of sorcerers. The sorcerers themselves firmly believed in their art and, as a rule, passed it on to their children, which is why it was considered the property of entire families.

Enchant nature to conquer

Since ancient times, the Finns have considered the knowledge of the hidden forces of nature to be the greatest wisdom, believing that the word can make nature act as a person wants. The wiser a person, the stronger the influence of his word on the surrounding nature, the more it is subject to him. Since ancient times, the Finns have been more famous than others for their sorcerers. The Finns tried to enchant nature and thus conquer it. This is one of the adequate expressions of the content embedded in the mind of a Finn. The sorcerer is like a superman. He is lonely and proud. He is closed in and on himself. He can go out to duel with nature. His goal is to force the alien forces of nature to obey his word, his desire.

Finns have an almost contractual relationship with God. They are streamlined and extremely rationalized. Lutheranism is a purely individual religion. There is no catholicity in it, each for himself. There is no mysticism in it either. Its rules are strict and simple. Strict and simple liturgical rite. Man must work. Must be a respectable family man, raise children, help the poor. All this the Finn does with the greatest zeal. But in this very correctness and moderation passion shines through. This rationality itself acquires magical traits.

The focus on conquering nature has been and remains the main content of the Finn's consciousness. Even today, Finn continues to recognize himself as a lone fighter, who owes everything to himself and counts on his own strength or God, but not on God's mercy and pity, but on God as a reliable employee with whom the Finn enters into a contract, pledging to lead a virtuous life in return for His patronage.

Finn honors the contract to the smallest detail. His religious life is very regular and orderly. It was considered an unforgivable crime for a Finn to miss a church service. Even at the post station there was a sign with the rule: “No one, except in extreme need, has the right to demand a horse and set off on a journey during worship on Sundays.”

As a religious obligation, the Finns consider the ability to read. After all, every Lutheran should know the text of Holy Scripture and be able to interpret it. Therefore, literacy in Finland already in the twentieth century was one hundred percent.

Finns read everywhere: in cafes and on trains. It is the Finnish character that can explain the Finns' love for the harsh and uncompromising poetry of Joseph Brodsky. It is this poet who enjoys incredible success in the Land of Blue Lakes.

Laugh at yourself

This is another feature of the Finnish character. It turns out that Finns love jokes about themselves. And they are willing to compose them themselves. And when they meet, they exchange novelties. And this, too, can be seen as a healthy start. People who can laugh at themselves are really capable of a lot. Finns can even joke about their favorite sauna. "The sauna can be used by anyone who is able to walk to it."

And here are a few anecdotal stories that have become a kind of classic of the genre.

Three Finn brothers are sitting on a fishing trip in the Gulf of Finland. Morning, the sun begins to rise, the younger brother says: - Nee kluyett.

Well, it's already daytime, the sun is high...

The middle brother says: -Taa, it doesn't peck at the bite.

Well, it's already evening here, the sun has already set, well, the elder brother says:

Chatting a lot of votts and pecking at her ..

Raaime, are you married?

Natt, I'm not married.

But tippya has a kaaltso on the floor!

ABOUT! Already married! Like a latitt framing!

Toivo means hope

Finnish names... do they mean something? Finnish names adopted in the Lutheran Finnish calendar are heterogeneous in origin. A significant place is occupied by ancient, pagan names. These are names that still retain a connection with the words from which they came.

For example: Ainikki (the only one), Armas (beloved), Arvo (dignity, honor), Ilma (air), Into (inspiration), Kauko (distance), Lempi (love), Onni (happiness), Orvokki (violet), Rauha (peace), Sikka (grasshopper), Sulo (charm), Taimi (sprout), Taisto (struggle), Tarmo (energy, strength), Toivo (hope), Uljas (brave), Urho (hero, hero), Vuokko ( snowdrop).

Another part of the names is borrowed from the Germanic and some other peoples. But these borrowed names have undergone such significant language processing on Finnish soil that they are now perceived as native Finnish, although they are not associated with any meaning.

With Finnish surnames, the situation is different. All Finnish surnames are formed from original Finnish significant words. Surnames of foreign origin are perceived by native speakers as foreign.

Finnish names are placed before the family name. Very often a child is given two or even three names at birth. The names before the surname are not declined - only the surname changes. For example: Toivo Letinen (Toivo Lehtinen) - Toivo Lehtiselle (Toivo Lehtinen). The stress in names, as in general in Finnish, falls on the first syllable.

It is interesting to find out which Finnish names correspond to Russian ones. In fact, there are not so many of them. For example, such names as Ahti or Aimo have no correspondences in Russian. But the name Antti corresponds to the Russian name Andrei.

Let's list a few more Finnish names along with Russian counterparts: Juhani - Ivan, Marty - Martin, Matti - Matvey, Mikko - Mikhail, Niilo - Nikolai, Paavo - Pavel, Pauli - Pavel, Pekka - Peter, Pietari - Peter, Santeri - Alexander, Simo - Semyon, Vihtori - Victor. The women's list will be as follows: Annie - Anna, Helena - Elena. Irene - Irina, Katri - Ekaterina, Leena - Elena, Liisa - Elizabeth, Marta - Martha.

The Russian language has close ties with Finnish, or rather, with a group of Finno-Ugric languages. It just so happened historically that the lands of northern Rus' (and then Muscovy) were practically surrounded by peoples who spoke Finno-Ugric languages. This is the Baltic region, and the northeastern forests, near the Arctic Circle, and the Urals, and many nomadic tribes that lived in the southern steppes.

Until now, linguists are arguing which words passed from whom to whom. For example, there is a version that the word "tundra", which has passed into Russian, comes from the Finnish word "tunturi". But with the rest of the words, everything is far from being so simple. Did the Russian word "boots" come from the Finnish word "saappaat" or vice versa?

Aphoristic boom in Finland

Proverbs and sayings, of course, are in Finland. Books are also published in which these proverbs are collected.

The sauna is a pharmacy for the poor. Sauna öä apteekki.

Own land - strawberries, foreign land - blueberries. Oma maa mansikka; muu maa mustikka.

Finns honor not only folk wisdom, but also modern, that is, aphorisms. In Finland there is an association that brings together authors working in the genre of aphorism. They publish books and anthologies. They have their own website on the Internet (.aforismi.vuodatus.).

The 2011 anthology "Tiheiden ajatusten kirja" (Closely Thoughts on Paper) collected aphorisms from 107 authors. Every year in Finland there is a competition for the best author of aphorisms (the Samuli Paronen competition). Not only writers, poets, journalists, but also people of other professions take part in this competition. It can be said without any exaggeration that the whole of Finland is passionate about both reading aphorisms and composing them. With great pleasure we introduce the works of modern authors of aphorisms.

Each person is the smith of his own happiness. And if someone wants to forge eternal chains for himself, then this is his personal right. Paavo Haavikko

The most common type of classification: me and the rest. Torsti Lehtinen

When you get very old, you are not afraid to be young. Helena Anhava

Slowness (slowness) is the soul of pleasure. Markku Envall

Don't confuse God's sycophants with angels. Eero Suvilehto

It may very well be that some modern Finnish aphorisms will go to the people and become proverbs.

Statistics

X. FINNISH NORTH AND NOVGOROD THE GREAT

(Start)

Northern nature. - Finnish tribe and its subdivision. - His way of life, character and religion. - Kalevala.

From the Valdai plateau, the soil gradually descends to the north and northwest to the shores of the Gulf of Finland; and then it rises again and passes into the granite rocks of Finland with their spurs going to the White Sea. This whole strip represents the great lacustrine region; it was once covered with a deep layer of ice; water accumulated over millennia from the melting of ice filled all the depressions of this strip and formed its countless lakes. Of these, Ladoga and Onega, in their vastness and depth, can be called inland seas rather than lakes. They are connected to each other, as well as to the Ilmen and the Baltic by such high-water channels as the Svir, Volkhov and Neva. The Onega River, lakes Lache, Vozhe, Beloe and Kubenskoe can be considered approximately the eastern edge of this great lake region. Farther east from it to the very Ural ridge there is a strip of low, wide ridges, or "ridges", which is cut through by three majestic rivers, the Northern Dvina, Pechora and Kama, with their numerous and sometimes very large tributaries. The ridges make up the watershed between the left tributaries of the Volga and the rivers of the Northern Ocean.

The immeasurable pine and spruce forests covering both of these strips (lake and ridges), the further north, the more they are replaced by small shrubs and finally turn into wild, homeless tundra, i.e. low-lying marshy spaces, covered with moss and passable only in winter, when they are bound by frost, Everything in this northern nature bears the stamp of tedious monotony, wildness and immensity: swamps, forests, mosses - everything is infinite and immeasurable. Its Russian inhabitants have long given apt names to all the main phenomena of their nature: dark forests "dense", winds "violent", lakes "stormy", rivers "fierce", swamps "stagnant", etc. Even in the southern half of the northern space, the poor sandy-clay soil, with a harsh climate and full expanse for the winds blowing from the Arctic Ocean, could not contribute to the development of the agricultural population and feed its inhabitants. However, the enterprising, active character of Novgorod Rus managed to subjugate this stingy harsh nature, bring life and movement into it. But before Novgorod Rus spread its colonies and its industry here, the entire northeastern strip of Russia was already inhabited by the peoples of the vast Finnish family.

When our story begins, we find the Finnish tribes in the same places where they live until now, i.e. mainly from the Baltic Sea to the Ob and Yenisei. The Arctic Ocean served as their northern boundary, and their southern limits can be approximately marked by a line from the Gulf of Riga to the middle Volga and the upper Urals. According to its geographical position, as well as according to some external differences of its type, the Finnish family has long been divided into two main branches: western and eastern. The first occupies that great lacustrine region, which we spoke about above, i.e. country between the Baltic, White and upper Volga seas. And the country of the Eastern Finns embraces an even more extensive strip of ridges, the middle Volga and the Trans-Urals.

Ancient Rus' had a different common name for the Finns; she called them the Wonder. Distinguishing it by individual tribes, she assigned the name of Chud to some of them primarily, namely those who lived on the western side of Lake Peipus, or Peipus (Ests), and on the eastern side (vods). In addition, there was also the so-called Chud Zavolotskaya, which lived near lakes Ladoga and Onega and apparently extended to the Onega River and the Northern Dvina. All, which, according to the chronicle, lived near Beloozero, but, no doubt, spread south along the Sheksna and Mologa (All Egonskaya) and southwest to the upper Volga region, adjoined this Zavolotskaya Chud. Judging by its language, this entire and the neighboring part of the Zavolotskaya Chud belonged to that particular branch of the Finnish family, which is known as the Em and whose dwellings stretched to the shores of the Gulf of Bothnia. The northwestern part of the Zavolotskaya Chud was made up of another branch close to the Yemi, known as the Karely. One Karelian people who lived on the left side of the Neva River was called Ingrov or Izhora; and the other, which has also advanced to the Gulf of Bothnia itself, is called the Kvens. The Karelians pushed further to the north into the tundra and rocks the tribal but wilder people of the wandering Lapps; some of the latter, however, remained in their original places and mingled with the Karelians. There is a common native name for this western Finnish branch, Suomi.

It is difficult to determine what were the distinguishing features of the Finns of the west from the east, and also where the first ended and the second began. We can only say in general that the former have a lighter color of hair, skin and eyes; already Ancient Rus' in its songs marked the western branch with the nickname "White-eyed Chud". The middle between them, in terms of their geographical position, was occupied by the once significant (now Russified) Meri tribe, who lived on both sides of the Volga, especially between the Volga and Vyazma. Part of this tribe that lived on the lower Oka was called Muroma. And further to the east, between the Oka and the Volga, there was a numerous Mordovian tribe (Burtases of Arab writers), with its division into Erza and Moksha. Where the Volga makes a sharp turn to the south, Cheremis lived on both sides of it. All these are Finns of the Volga region proper. To the north of them, the Perm tribe (Zyryans and Votyaki) settled widely, which covered the river regions of the Kama with Vyatka and the upper Dvina with Vychegda. Going further to the northeast, we meet Yugra, i.e. Ugric branch of the Eastern Finns. Part of it, which lived between the Kama and Pechora, the Russian chronicle calls the name of the last river, i.e. Pechory; and its own Yugra lived on both sides of the Ural Range; then she became known more under the names of Vogulov and Ostyakov. The Bashkir tribe (subsequently almost Tatarized), which roamed in the Southern Urals, can also be attributed to this Ugrian branch. From the Bashkir steppes, in all likelihood, came the ancestors of that Ugrian, or Magyar, horde, which was driven out of its homeland by Turkish nomads, wandered for a long time in the steppes of southern Russia and then, with the help of the Germans, conquered the Slavic lands on the Middle Danube. The Samoyed people, who ethnographically occupies the middle between the Finnish and Mongolian families, in ancient times lived further south than in our time; but by other tribes he was gradually pushed back to the Far North into the homeless tundra, stretching along the coasts of the Arctic Ocean.

The ancient destinies of a vast Finnish family are almost inaccessible to historical observations. A few fragmentary and obscure reports from classical writers, in medieval chronicles, Byzantine, Latin and Russian, from Arab geographers and Scandinavian sagas - that's all we have about the peoples of the Finnish North, who became part of Ancient Rus' and from ancient times underwent gradual Russification . Our history finds them at the low levels of everyday life, however, far from being the same for different tribes. The more northerly peoples live in dirty huts, in dugouts or caves, eat grass, rotten fish and all kinds of carrion, or wander after herds of deer, which feed and clothe them. Meanwhile, their other tribesmen, Volga and Estonian, already have some signs of contentment, are engaged in animal trade, cattle breeding, beekeeping and partly farming, live in large villages in log huts, get themselves various items of utensils and jewelry from merchants who visited their lands. These merchants came partly from Kama Bulgaria, but mainly from Rus', Novgorod and Suzdal, and exchanged their own and foreign goods with the inhabitants mainly for the skins of fur animals. That is why in the Chud burial mounds we often find not only native, Russian and Bulgarian products, but even coins and things brought from such distant countries as Muslim Asia, Byzantium, Germany and England. For all their rudeness and savagery, the Finnish peoples have long been known for their blacksmithing, i.e., metalworking. The Scandinavian sagas glorify Finnish swords, which are credited with magical powers, since the blacksmiths who forged them, however, were reputed to be skilled in witchcraft. However, the language of the Finns and the monuments found in their country show that the glory of their blacksmiths should be attributed to the "copper age", i.e. to the art of working copper, not forging iron. The latter art was brought to the North by more gifted peoples.

The traits inherent in the Finnish tribe have always sharply distinguished it from the Slavs, Lithuania and other Aryan neighbors. It is unenterprising, unsociable, does not like change (conservatively), inclined towards a quiet family life and is not without a prolific imagination, which is indicated by its rich poetic fictions. These tribal qualities, together with the northern gloomy nature and distance from the educated peoples, were the reason why the Finns could not rise to higher levels of social development for so long and almost never created an original state life. In the latter respect, only one exception is known, namely the Ugro-Magyar people, who received an admixture of some Caucasian tribes, found themselves on the Danube in the neighborhood of Latin and Byzantine citizenship and founded a rather strong state there due to the enmity of the Germans to the Slavs. In addition, from among the Finnish peoples, the Perm, or Zyryansk, tribe stands out, more than others distinguished by its ability to engage in industrial and commercial activities. It would be possible to attribute to him the Scandinavian legends about some rich flowering country of Biarmia, if its coastal position did not indicate rather Chud Zavolotskaya.

The pagan religion of the Finns fully reflects their gloomy character, limited worldview and the forest or desert nature that surrounded them. We almost never meet among them a bright, sunny deity, who played such a prominent role in the religious consciousness, in the festivities and traditions of the Aryan peoples. Terrible, unkind creatures here decisively prevail over the good beginning: they constantly send various misfortunes to a person and require sacrifices for their propitiation. It is a religion of primitive idolatry; the anthropoid idea of ​​the gods prevailing among the Aryan peoples was little developed among the Finns. The deities appeared to their imagination in the form of either obscure elemental images, or inanimate objects and animals; hence the worship of stones, bears, etc. However, among the Finns already in ancient times there are idols that had a rough likeness of a person. All the more important events of their lives are entangled in a multitude of superstitions, whence the veneration of shamans, i.e. sorcerers and fortune-tellers who are in communication with air and underground spirits can call them with wild sounds and frenzied antics. These shamans represent a kind of priestly estate, which is at the first stages of development.

The worship of a formidable unkind deity was most dominant among the Eastern Finns. It is mainly known under the name of Keremeti. This name also began to be called the very place of sacrifice, arranged in the depths of the forest, where sheep, cows, horses were slaughtered in honor of the deity; moreover, part of the sacrificial meat is set aside for the gods or burned, and the rest is used for a feast, along with a stupefying drink prepared for that occasion. The Finns' concepts of the afterlife are quite unpretentious; it seemed to them a simple continuation of earthly existence; why with the dead, as in other nations, part of his weapons and household utensils were buried in the grave. A somewhat less gloomy religious mood is found among the Western Finns, who have long been in contact with the Germanic and Slavic tribes and have been subjected to some of their influence. They are dominated by the veneration of the supreme elemental being Ukko, however, better known under the common Finnish name Yumala, i.e. god. He personifies the visible sky and commands the air phenomena, which are clouds and wind, thunder and lightning, rain and snow. The Scandinavian sagas tell a curious story about the sanctuary of Yumala in the legendary Biarmia. In the first half of the 11th century (1026), therefore, during the time of Yaroslav I, the Norman Vikings equipped several ships and went to Biarmia, where they exchanged expensive furs from the natives. But this was not enough for them. Rumors about a sanctuary nearby, filled with various riches, aroused in them a thirst for prey. It was the custom among the natives, they were told, that part of the property of the dead should be given to the gods; it was buried in sacred places and barrows were piled on top. Such offerings were especially hidden around the idol of Yumala. The Vikings made their way to the sanctuary, which was surrounded by a wooden fence. One of them, named Thorer, who knew Finnish customs well, climbed over the fence and opened the gate to his comrades. The Vikings dug up the mounds and collected many different treasures from them. Torer seized a bowl of coins lying on the knees of the idol. Around his neck hung a golden necklace; to remove this necklace, they cut his neck. At the noise that had come from here, the guards came running and blew their horns. The robbers hurried to flee and managed to reach their ships.

Väinämöinen defends Sampo from the witch Louhi. An episode from the Finnish epic Kalevala. Painting by A. Gallen-Kallela, 1896

Scattered on the vast plains of North-Eastern Europe, the Finnish family lived in separate clans and tribes in the wilderness of primitive forests on the steps of a patriarchal way of life, i.e. ruled by its foremen, and, apparently, only in some places these foremen received such importance that they could be equated with Slavic and Lithuanian princes. Despite their non-enterprising, non-warlike nature, the Finnish peoples, however, were often in hostile relations with each other and attacked each other, and the stronger, of course, tried to enrich themselves with prey at the expense of the weaker ones or take away from them a less barren strip of land. For example, our chronicle mentions mutual attacks by Karel, Emi and Chud. These internecine fights, as well as the need to defend oneself from foreign neighbors, gave rise to a kind of native heroes, whose exploits became the subject of songs and legends and reached later generations in very fantastic images. At the same time, a folk Finnish trait is fully revealed. Whereas among other peoples their national heroes are predominantly distinguished by extraordinary physical strength, fearlessness and dexterity, and the element of magic, although it occurs, does not always play a major role, Finnish heroes perform their feats mainly with the help of witchcraft. Remarkable in this respect are the recently collected fragments of the West Finnish and Karelian epic itself, called Kalevala (the country and together the offspring of the mythical giant Kalev, i.e. Karelia). In the songs or runes of the Kalevala, by the way, memories of the previous struggle between the Karelians and the Lopars have been preserved. The main person of this epic - the old Veinemeinen - is a great sorcerer, at the same time an inspired singer and player on the "kantele" (a kind of Finnish bandura or harp). His comrades also have the gift of magic, namely the skillful merchant Ilmarinen and the young singer Leminkenen. But their opponents are also strong in witchcraft, although, of course, not to the same extent; on both sides they are constantly fighting with prophetic words, spells and other spells. In addition to the inclination to engage in witchcraft and compose runes, this epic also reflected a favorite feature of the Finns: an attraction to blacksmithing, the personification of which is Ilmarinen. It cannot be overlooked, however, that such inventions, for all their fruitfulness of imagination, suffer from a lack of vivacity, harmony and clarity, which distinguish the poetic works of the Aryan peoples.

Although the Finns were sometimes able to stubbornly defend their independence from foreign conquerors, as we saw in the example of the Estonian Chud, but for the most part, with their fragmentation into small tribes and possessions, with a lack of military enterprise, and, consequently, of the military squad class, they gradually fell under dependence more developed neighboring nations. So, already in the first centuries of our history, we find a significant part of the western and northeastern Finns either completely subordinate, or paying tribute to Novgorod Rus; part of the Volga and Pooksky peoples is part of the lands of Vladimir-Suzdal and Muromo-Ryazan, and another part of the Volga and Pokam natives is subordinate to the Kama Bolgars.