Question for Finns

[montrith]

Does Finland have any crazy Christmas characters like Black Peter or Krampus?

Actually a bit after Christmas, but we do have this thing called Nuuttipukki, although he's not really a part of modern Christmas celebrations.

On Tjugondag jul, there has been a tradition a bit monster cockogous to modern Santa Claus, where men dressed as a goat (Finnish: Nuuttipukki) would visit houses. Unlike Santa Claus, Nuuttipukki was a scary character (cf. Krampus). The men dressed as Nuuttipukki wandered from house to house, came in, and typically demanded household residents for food and especially alcoholic beverages.

There's also some folklore that indicates that the first version of Santa in Finland was actually a goat that brought you gifts, mainly because Nuuttipukki and Joulupukki (Santa) both include the Finnish word for a male goat (pukki).

Here is a picture of a Nuuttipukki.



Here is a Something Awful article that actually has quite a few facts in it, though it is slightly sensationalized.

Another Christmas tradition that's much more Christian in nature is the inclusion of a band of singing men in company Christmas parties etc. These men are known as Tiernapojat, and they sing the story of the Three Wise Men. When I was a little girl I actually played one of the characters, the so called "the king of the Moors", in the show. I was picked for the role because I was the only person willing to wear shoe-polish on my face. Yes, I did blackface, shut up, I was 9 and nobody told me better. I understand they've pretty much given that up though these days.

[Goose Goose Honk At Me Now]

I was picked for the role because I was the only person willing to wear shoe-polish on my face. Yes, I did blackface, shut up, I was 9 and nobody told me better.

I think the joy you've provided to the internet at large is more than making up for unintentional blackface on a karmic level. (Besides, I knew a cosplayer once who STILL sees nothing wrong with making up his pasty white self to be the same shade of brown all over as the guy who played the Cat on Red Dwarf.)

[Schumin Capote]

Does Finland have any crazy Christmas characters like Black Peter or Krampus?

Actually a bit after Christmas, but we do have this thing called Nuuttipukki, although he's not really a part of modern Christmas celebrations.

On Tjugondag jul, there has been a tradition a bit monster cockogous to modern Santa Claus, where men dressed as a goat (Finnish: Nuuttipukki) would visit houses. Unlike Santa Claus, Nuuttipukki was a scary character (cf. Krampus). The men dressed as Nuuttipukki wandered from house to house, came in, and typically demanded household residents for food and especially alcoholic beverages.

There's also some folklore that indicates that the first version of Santa in Finland was actually a goat that brought you gifts, mainly because Nuuttipukki and Joulupukki (Santa) both include the Finnish word for a male goat (pukki).

Here is a picture of a Nuuttipukki.

Nuuttipukki is interesting. I dressed up as Krampus last year for Christmas and wasn't sure what to do next, other than spend way too much money on a better costume. I like the idea of a giant goat-like creature with two people in the costume and may need to deploy that at some future Christmas.

[Baldr]

Wow, that picture looks like concept art for an Ice Pick Lodge game.  Also, over in the Kickstarter thread you wrote:

Or you could live in a country that values education and doesn't require you to pay to get it /smug.

So all higher education is free in Finland, or just college?  There's no need for scholarships or anything?  Are there open-admissions colleges, or if you fuck up in high school is your academic career over?

Also, what about textbook costs?  This is what textbook costs have been doing in the states:

[Runic]

I know that this is Montrith's thread, but I would just like to note that textbook manufacturers can go fuck themselves. Every single one of them.

[montrith]

All education is free from primary school up to university level. The state also gives out a small monthly stipend to all students who can prove they are advancing in their studies at the required speed. The state also acts as a guarantor for all student loans.

Textbooks at higher level are expensive as fuck, but luckily most major bookstores have a program where they buy and sell used coursebooks. You also get a 10% discount in most places if you have the Students Union card. In primary schools textbooks are provided by the schools up to 9th grade, after which the students divide into those who seek vocational schooling and those who continue with academic studies. Both options offer the opportunity to continue into universities and upper vocational schooling, provided you pass the tests and fill the requirements. There is a thing known as General Applying Period each spring, where students can basically use the same paper to apply to several schools of their choosing. Some of the schools have a separate test you have to take if you want to be admitted, but even the special schools are free. For example, I went to a music based upper secondary school, where apart from academic qualifications you also had to demonstrate knowledge of an instrument and the ability to sing in tune.

There are ways to make up missing high school credits by doing Open University courses and many towns also have things called "Folk high schools" which offer individual courses in various subjects from languages to quilting and computer skills. Both Open University and Folk high school courses usually cost a little bit, but there are different state aids you can apply for and usually the course payment includes the cost of teaching materials. Missing high school credit is hardly ever an issue though, as almost everyone finishes 9th grade and after that you can pick what you want to study.

[Tiny Prancer]

I would be lying if I said I haven't had wistful thoughts before about going to finland just to get in on the free schooling. I would be happy to move there and pay taxes just for the sake of free college. (unfortunately I am terminally incompetent at learning a second language.)

[Baldr]

This is going to be a weirdly specific series of questions.  But they stem from the fact that I'm unhappy with how we do things, and I'm looking for a better solution.

All education is free from primary school up to university level. The state also gives out a small monthly stipend to all students who can prove they are advancing in their studies at the required speed.

Does university-level mean just the first four years of college, or graduate education as well?  If it means graduate education, does it include masters programs or just doctorates?  How much is the stipend?  If you picked 100 classmates at random, how many of them could be super-frugal and build up a modest savings of one month of livings expenses after three years?  Can you pay rent and buy food with the stipend?

The state also acts as a guarantor for all student loans.

If you default on a loan, does that mean the government pays it back?  Where I teach, some people will sign up for multiple student loans, never attend classes, and regularly run off with the money.  I'm not sure you'd notice as a student, but have you ever heard of anything like this happening?

Textbooks at higher level are expensive as fuck,

Have you ever chosen not to buy a textbook as a result of its cost?

[montrith]

All education is free. There are some educational facilities that charge a fee for those doing classes without being primarily students at the institution, but the fee is usually quite reasonable. Those type of situations are mostly for adults who seek to get a professional qualification or a degree while working, so the modest fee is usually not a problem. The stipend is not great, but if you're very frugal it's enough to live on. The exact amount is decided on individual basis, according to your other sources of income and living situation. I don't think it'll stretch for savings, but you won't starve either.

I honestly don't know much about student loans. I've never known anyone to take the money and run, and I imagine it would be quite difficult. You have to register through Kela (which is the institution for all welfare) and by running you'd pretty much make yourself ineligible for any type of state support ever again. There are several fail-safes to ensure the money is paid back, but if you're having trouble repaying your loan you can apply for a payment plan at the bank or at Kela. I do know some people who'd live on the student stipend and take a loan for luxuries like travel, but I'm pretty sure those people still had to pay their loans back. You don't want to be on Kela's black list.

There are times when I've chosen not to buy a textbook. Most of the teachers at my faculty were pretty aware of the price of books and just made us handouts that only cost the price of materials. Other times I'd go to the university library and study for a test there. It's worse for IT students, my roommate used to curse teachers who made her buy expensive books. I've also relied on my magical Google skills to find books I was supposed to read. Did you know you can pass a test by only reading the Google preview of a textbook, if you have enough creative writing skills?

[Isfahan]

Hi Montrith!

Straight up, what is the general Finnish impression of Americans? Are the stereotypes embraced? As a firearms enthusiast, I know I'm doing my part, but I need to know if I should get started on trending #NotAllAmericans.

[montrith]

Well, if we're talking stereotypes there are a few depending on various things. There is a youth culture thing where USA is the holy land of all popular culture. Teens and Preteens especially embrace American music, TV and even fast food culture. On the other hand, among adults the stereotypes are sadly a bit more negative. "Stupid" is usually the first word when people talk about you good folk, along with "noisy" and "warmongering". Gun issues don't really get that much attention here aside from major incidents, since we have a quite rich hunting tradition and many people in rural parts have guns as heirlooms from the wars. On a more personal scale, the word that gets thrown around my small circle of friends is "melodramatic". In Finland public displays of emotion are usually frowned upon and considered something only drunks do, so your Jerry Springers and TV evangelists are really strange for us culturally speaking. Likewise, personally I don't really get the hysteria exhibited by people in shows like American Idol. Everyone is crying and screaming all the time, even the adults. Of course, I don't expect that real life in USA is like the TV shows, but even in Finnish TV there are things people just won't do. This is why Finnish versions of American format shows usually flop, or end after one of two seasons.

Still, at least you're not Russians.

[Runic]

To be fair, there's a pretty good chance that both the people on Jerry Springer and the TV Evangelists are in fact drunk.

[crow]

Well, if we're talking stereotypes there are a few depending on various things. There is a youth culture thing where USA is the holy land of all popular culture. Teens and Preteens especially embrace American music, TV and even fast food culture. On the other hand, among adults the stereotypes are sadly a bit more negative. "Stupid" is usually the first word when people talk about you good folk, along with "noisy" and "warmongering". Gun issues don't really get that much attention here aside from major incidents, since we have a quite rich hunting tradition and many people in rural parts have guns as heirlooms from the wars. On a more personal scale, the word that gets thrown around my small circle of friends is "melodramatic". In Finland public displays of emotion are usually frowned upon and considered something only drunks do, so your Jerry Springers and TV evangelists are really strange for us culturally speaking. Likewise, personally I don't really get the hysteria exhibited by people in shows like American Idol. Everyone is crying and screaming all the time, even the adults. Of course, I don't expect that real life in USA is like the TV shows, but even in Finnish TV there are things people just won't do. This is why Finnish versions of American format shows usually flop, or end after one of two seasons.

Still, at least you're not Russians.

Is that the reason why Finland's suicide rate is do high despite economic and social safety?

[A Meat]

In secondary education in public schools in Finland, are students divided into classes where a group of 30-40 students take all their classes together, or do they take all their different classes with different people? How many kids are usually in a classroom during a lesson? Are after-school clubs/sports teams a thing in Finland?

[montrith]

Repression might be a reason for high suicide numbers, especially when it comes to men. The fact that there's so much dark and drink is probably an influence too.

Students from grades 1 to 9 usually stay in the same ap. 30 person groups, apart from electives. From 1st to 6th grade they usually have an assigned class teacher who does most of their classes. After school activities are not really tied to schools like they are in the USA. Usually the city/town/municipality organizes sport clubs and whatnot. There are some classes that you can take as electives in some schools that kinda double as after school activities, like band or choir or computer classes, but at least when I was young we didn't have anything like school teams for anything.