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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/32844100
Finnish independence day ritual - the shaking of hands.
Picture of a widely shared ritual in modern Finland: people gathering to family homes on Finlands independence day December 6, to watch in TV how our president and his/her's spouse shake hands with all the people invited to their official independence day party.
It takes about 2-4 hours, people drink and eat while discussing the outfits and persons shaking hands.
Finland wasn't always independent? Were they part of the Soviet Union?
Yeah, there's some history there:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_of_Finland
Most recently Russia, pre-USSR, but also the Swedes were kind of dicks back in the day. I've heard that to this day, speaking Swedish in a Finnish bar might get you ignored by the bartender.