Finland is a bilingual country. Finnish and Swedish are both national languages according to the constitution, and approximately five percent of the population has Swedish as their mother tongue.
Where do the Swedish-speaking Finns live?
Most live along the coast in four regions: Nyland (Helsinki, Espoo, Porvoo, Ekenäs, Loviisa), Åboland (Turku, Pargas, the archipelago), Ostrobothnia (Vaasa, Jakobstad, Nykarleby, Kristinestad) and Åland, which is autonomous and exclusively Swedish-speaking.
Culture and famous names
Swedish-speaking Finns have shaped Finland's culture far more than their numbers suggest. National poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg wrote "Vårt land" in Swedish, Jean Sibelius had Swedish as his mother tongue and Tove Jansson wrote her books in Swedish.
Holidays
- Runeberg Day, February 5. – with Runeberg cake, of course.
- Åland's Autonomy Day, June 9.
- Midsummer – maypole, flowers and light nights.
- Crayfish party in August – hats, lanterns and snap songs.
- Swedish Day, November 6. – the day of Swedish-speaking Finnish culture and a general flag day in Finland.
The language
Swedish in Finland is Swedish – with its own words, pronunciation and dialects. Ostrobothnian, Åland Swedish and the urban Swedish in Helsinki all sound different. That is part of the charm.