29/01/2013

Greetings from Wintry Finland

Hello, my name is Kessa and I have been invited by Ms Purcell to share a bit about Finland in Winter. I am originally from Singapore (a tropical Southeast Asian country) and this is my second Finnish Winter (though I should add that I only stayed less than a month in my first visit last Winter).

Winter in Finland can be a magical experience. Although it is pretty far up north, it is not terribly cold. Temperatures are usually around -10 degrees Celsius though it goes below -20 on colder days and close to 0 on warmer days. The wind, however, can make it feel much colder than it actually is.

Due to its geographic location, Finland can be quite a dark country in Winter. On the shortest day of the year (that is Winter Solstice), there is 3-5 hours of daylight depending on how far north you go. People here get tired more easily during Winter. Foreigners usually have a bit more difficult time adjusting to the short days, which can mess up the body clock. Although electric lights are common, people generally prefer candlelight in Winter as the soft light makes a room look much warmer and cozier.

There is plenty of snow in the Finnish Winter, which is usually quite welcomed because it makes everything look brighter. 

  However, it is a double-edged sword. At the beginning of Winter, the snow usually melts in the daytime before being frozen into ice at night. Ice can be dangerous to walk, cycle or drive on. Vehicles have to change to winter tyres and switch to winter fuel (which is made of a slightly different composition than summer fuel, in order to run smoothly in the frigid temperatures). Accidents still happen from time to time.

On the other hand, the snow can be a lot of fun. Children enjoy making snowmen, snow-castles, snow-angels and go sledding. There are many snow-related sports such as cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, ski jumping and snowboarding as well.

Snow is a big part of a major event in Winter: Christmas. It does not feel like Christmas without snow in Finland! 

Most birds fly south in the Winter, but some birds, such as these bullfinches, stay.

 Bird feeds are commonly used in Winter. Sometimes the squirrels steal food from the bird feeds too. Although squirrels look small and adorable, they are quite wild and dangerous.

As previously mentioned, candlelight is popular in Winter. The one shown here is an Ice Lantern, which is a lantern made of ice. The method is simple, but the execution can be a little tricky. Usually, a bucket of water is left outside to freeze over 1 (or more) night(s). It has to be removed from the bucket before the water is entirely frozen. A hole is made into the center of the ice where the water is still in liquid state. 

The water is discarded and a candle placed into the center. The ice at the side remains frozen and keeps the wind off the candle.

The days had been steadily getting longer and brighter here. Soon it will be Spring, which is beginning to sound very inviting! I hope you enjoyed the pictures and bits of information. Have a great week ahead!

-Kessa

14 comments:

  1. Kessa, last week some observant students noticed your name on the list of contributors.Who is that? Are we getting a new student? Well today all was revealed.My secret is out. Thank you for a most interesting post. I'm particularly fascinated by the ice lanterns. The directions were also interesting although we would need a deep freeze to make our own.

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    1. You're most welcomed. It will be a fun experiment to make an ice lantern (or a few)!

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  2. I really like snow and I hope it snows here soon. I am making a flip book on Finland and I might add some things you said in your post.

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    1. Hello Jenny, I hope your wish comes true!

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  3. I think your post on Finland is really interesting. I liked the bit about the ice lanterns. But it left me wondering, how does the ice not melt from the heat of the candle?

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    1. Thank you Sinead. The ice do not melt because there is sufficient distance between the ice and the candle. Also, the surrounding temperature is very low (around -10C) so the heat from the candle dissipates very quickly..

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  4. I thought your post was very intresting.I was fasinated by all the snow scenes.I have a question do children still play football in that weather
    Nathan

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    1. Hello Nathan, I'm glad you like the pictures of the snow. I think children can still play football (indoors) but many prefer ice hockey.

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  5. Kessa I am very curious about the picture of the girl with snowflakes on her hair.Is that you? I'm also wondering
    if you are in the picture of the people on a sled in snow?

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    1. Hello Jenny. Yes, I am the girl with snowflakes on my hair and I am the one in the middle in the sledding picture. The sled shown is commonly known as a "stiga" here and it has a steering wheel and brakes.

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  6. Kessa How do you do cross-country skiing? Does all the snow make it feel like Christmas all winter?

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    1. Hello Erica, skiing is a little like attaching sleds to your feet and sliding over the snow. Cross-country skiing is quite similar to downhill skiing except the skis (the long pieces of board attached to the feet) are not as wide as those used for downhill skiing. Cross-country skiing is done over a relatively flat area whereas downhill skiing is done by going down a hill.

      It doesn't really feel like Christmas all winter even though there is still snow all around. Christmas is actually warm with plenty of candlelight, spiced wine, gingerbread, decorated trees and a snowy scenery outside while winter is mostly cold and white/blue with snow.

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  7. Kessa I thought your pictures were really good .I liked the part where you photographed the three squirrels going to rob the birds' food. That was my favourite picture.

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