Holidays and festivals shape the Finnish year. Learn the names of major celebrations, cultural flag days, and how to wish someone a happy holiday.
Learn Finnish Holidays and Festivals - Lesson 8 | Surfi
📌 Why Learn Holidays?
Celebrating the Finnish Year
Finland has a rich calendar of public holidays and cultural flag days. From major events like Midsummer (Juhannus) and Independence Day (Itsenäisyyspäivä) to everyday celebrations like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, knowing these words connects you to Finnish culture.
In Finnish, you can often wish someone a happy holiday by adding the word hyvää (good) before the holiday name in its partitive form, such as Hyvää joulua! (Merry Christmas!). Let's explore the calendar!
🧭 Essential Vocabulary
Holiday and Festival Words
Listen and repeat these major Finnish holidays and cultural days. Pay attention to the compound words.
🚶 Daily Life Examples
Holiday greetings and sentences
Notice how the word hyvää is used to wish someone a good holiday, and how we talk about celebrating.
Hyvää joulua ja onnellista uutta vuotta!
Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
Mitä teet juhannuksena?
What are you doing at Midsummer?
Me juhlimme itsenäisyyspäivää kotona.
We are celebrating Independence Day at home.
🗣️ Real-Life Conversation
Listen to this full conversation about upcoming holiday plans. Notice how the highlighted festival words are used in context.
👤
Hei! Mitä suunnitelmia sinulla on vappuna?
Hi! What plans do you have for May Day?
🧑
Hei! Menemme ystävien kanssa piknikille puistoon. Syömme munkkeja ja juomme simaa.
Hi! We are going for a picnic in the park with friends. We will eat doughnuts and drink mead.