Greetings from Tallinn!

My family and I visited Tallinn during our summer vacation. Many Finns go to Tallinn for a very spesific reason: to get their nails done, to go to a hairdresser or to buy a new pair of specs, just to mention a few. The reason for this is the fact that for instance these things and services are cheaper in Estonia than they are in Finland. Finns also have a questionable reputation for exporting huge quantities of cheap alcohol from Tallinn to Finland, which has caused queues and  traffic congestions in the port of Tallinn. The scale of this alcohol traffic is so large that the Finnish authorities have been trying to find ways to reduce it.

Anyhow, all of this has led to the unfortunate situation that many Finns don't really see Tallinn as a cultural capital that has a lot to offer. For instance, there are many fine restaurants in Tallinn, and different forms of arts and crafts have long traditions in Estonia. We for instance went for a coffee in
Maiasmokk (which means sweet tooth in English), which is the oldest operating café in Tallinn and entire Estonia. It has been open at the same location already since 1864. It offers a large variety of different kind of pies and cakes, and they also sell delicious handmade marzipan candy.

 According to Internet sources,  the origins of Tallinn date back to the 13th century, which makes Tallinn and its historic centre (or Old Town) genuinely old. There are beautiful, old buildings that have been restored, and some hotels are also located in very old buildings. For instance, the Three Sisters Hotel dates back to 1362. Originally there were three buildings owned by wealthy merchants, and later on they've been joined together and restored. Now the building functions as a five-star hotel.

The Three Sisters hotel in the Old Town of Tallinn.

All in all, we had a very nice time in Tallinn, and I can honestly recommend it to people who appreciate and look for more than cheap booze for their holiday. The Old Town is also small enough to manage on foot, which is why it is possible to wander around with children. In Finnish we have a saying "Matkailu avartaa", which means that travelling broadens your mind and gives you a new perspective to things. I have been to Tallinn a few times, and I must say that my view of this charming city has improved. Let's see when I will go there again!

Minna Canth's Day

Yesterday, on the 19th March, we celebrated Minna Canth's Day and the Day of Social Equality in Finland.

Minna Canth (born in 1884 - died in 1897) was a Finnish writer, a social activist, a journalist, an entrepreneur, a mother... and a tough cookie.

She addressed social issues in her works, and raised different problems into discussion. In her time, for instance, there was no law of the separation of property, which meant that a woman could not govern her own property. If she got married, her money would become his. Minna Canth wrote a play about this, and in Työmiehen vaimo the leading character Johanna's money is wasted by her drunken husband, and there is nothing she can do about it. The play caused a lot of stir when it premiered, but also quite soon afterwards the Finnish Parliament passed a new law concerning the separation of property.
Minna Canth was also a strong advocate for girls' right to education. In the 1800s it was quite common in Finland that even though girls were allowed to have some education, it often was of a 'lighter' sort than the education boys were given. Girls' curriculum quite often included a lot of handicraft, needlework etc., because it was thought that girls did not have the necessary abilities for more difficult subjects and higher education. Minna refused this idea, and was not afraid to speak her mind. Hence, she became a controversial figure in her own time, partly because her ideas differed from the public opinion, and also because she was not afraid to voice her concerns. It is also noteworthy that Minna Canth worked as an entrepreneur and raised seven children by herself after her husband's death in 1879.

I am proud to be named after Minna Canth. I think that this world still needs strong advocates to improve women's position. A lot has been done, and in many parts of the world it is good to be a woman, but still a lot needs to be done. We definitely need all the minnacanths we can get in order to make this world a better place in the future!

Valentine's Day just around the corner

I'm writing this on the 9th February, which means that Valentine's Day is only a few days away. Even though Valentine's Day is not a huge deal in Finland, we also celebrate it in some way. Actually, we send cards also to friends, not only to girl- or boyfriends or husbands and wives here, since the day is called Ystävänpäivä (Friend's Day). Therefore, I suppose the main idea for this day in our country is to remember to tell all the people you love that you love them and care about them.

The stereotypical Finn is a silent, introverted and reserved person who finds it difficult to talk about  feelings. An old anecdote or a joke tells about an old married couple where the wife complains to her husband that he never tells her that he loves her. He looks at her, surprised, and says: "I already told you I love you forty years ago. I promise I will let you know if things change." Although modern Finns are probably a lot more social and outgoing than the husband in the anecdore, Valentine's Day is something that Finns haven't exactly welcomed with open arms. It's often said that all that romantic fuss just doesn't suit us; we like to show our love and affection with actions or small things rather than with flowers or gifts.

Maybe so, but I find it hard to believe that any woman would mind a little pampering. There really is no harm in making someone feel good and happy, and the gesture doesn't always have to be anything grand. A foot massage, a good film, a delicious dinner... I can't think of anyone who wouldn't like to be thought of sometimes. But, having said that, let me be clear that I also don't mind surprises of a bit more grandiose nature...So if my husband decided to pamper me with diamonds instead of coffee and a kiss on Valentine's Day, I definitely would not mind...

Kauneimmat joululaulut -oh dear!

In Finland we have this thing called Kauneimmat joululaulut. It refers to a Finnish custom; people gather in churches around Christmas time to sing or to listen to the kauneimmat joululaulut, i.e. the most beautiful Christmas carols. I like Christmas, but I never attend these concerts. Why? Because I don't want to become depressed and miserable.

You see, Finnish Christmas carols (or the Christmas carols sung in Finland) are extremely sad and depressing. Many people call them solemn; I just call them sad and depressing. The melody is in the minor, and the lyrics are usually melancholic (to say the least). Life is awful and miserable, little children die, people are alone, birds are left without any food etc. How nice! Somehow I thought that the birth of Christ was supposed to be a joyous occasion, and hence, Christmas a happy holiday ...?

Of course, there are also Christmas carols sung in Finland that are more cheerful, but unfortunately, I don't like them either. The problem with these songs are that they go to the other end of the spectrum: they are just too cheerful! Christmas carols like Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer (yes, we do have it in Finnish as well..) or Kilisee, kilisee, kulkunen are such jingles that I have a hard time believing that anyone would actually like them.

Okay, I'm trying to stop whining now. Actually, there are Christmas carols that I like very much; they are just not sung in Finland. I think that the English-speaking countries have succeeded in this field a lot better than we have: there are many English Christmas carols that make you feel like Christmas without sounding like muzak or making you feel miserable.  White Christmas, The First Noël, The Twelve Days of Christmas and Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow fit into this category just fine, in my opinion. So, instead of attending a Kauneimmat joululaulut in our church, I'll listen to my A White Christmas By Bing Crosby and Friends -CD and enjoy my kinds of Christmas carols.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Cross-dressing

Just like hundreds of thousands of people in Finland, I've also been watching the extremely popular TV-series Putous. It is a live entertainment show that combines pre-rehearsed comic sketches, improvisation, different tasks the actors are given, and most importantly, a vote for the best comic character of the year. There are eight characters at the beginning of each season, and every week one character is voted out.

Putous has now been running for several seasons, and I've noticed one common thing about many of  the comic characters that have been victorious or done really well in the show. It is that they have been characters where a woman has been dressed up as a man or vice versa. This year a clear front runner (and who eventually became second) was a character called Kissi Vähähiilari, a male actor dressed up as  a woman working out for a fitness competition.

Kissi Vähähiilari, a fitness-babe

I've been thinking about this phenomenon, and naturally the gorgeous film Some like it hot came to mind. The contrast between Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis' fake-feminine and Marilyn Monroe's ultra-feminine looks is evident, and Lemmon and Curtis show their talents in making their characters seem too masculine to really pass for women. I suppose this view is starting to be a bit old these days; today people don't necessarily want to see clumsy or awkward attempts of a female actress trying to look like a man or a male actor trying to look like a woman. These days people want to experience the "wow-effect" (that is: how does he/she do it?!) I think the main reason for the popularity of Kissi Vähähiilari on Antsku (the winner of the Putous 2013 season) was the sheer talent of the actors. It was said (and rightfully so!) that Antsku was the most beautiful woman in Finland, and it was really amazing to see how cute and adorable the actor Jussi Vatanen was able to make this character. Kissi Vähähiilari was also stunning, and it became obvious to the audience that the actor behind this character, Antti Holma, has been to the gym quite often... It was baffling to see how well these two men were able to capture the essence of femininity in their characters, because both characters were so plausible that you could easily believe they really were women! It makes me wonder if there's something so distinctively feminine in all women that it is possible to take and imitate. Maybe that something is what we call femininity; it's difficult to define but easy to recognize when we see it..