Northern Europe seems to many of us to be an oasis of universal well-being and a full life. Partly so it is – the Scandinavian countries are really prosperous, although their nuances, of course, are there. Nevertheless, in different countries of Northern Europe there are many of their own customs and traditions, sometimes quite amusing or just curious.
Inhabitants of Sweden – record holders on coffee consumption among all inhabitants of the Earth (each Swede drinks on the average 11 cups of this drink per day).
The inhabitants of Greenland consider their willow as their national plant.
In Sweden there is a city that bears the laconic name of A.
The flags of all Nordic countries have a large cross, slightly shifted to the left of the center. The first symbol appeared on the flag of Denmark, and the Danish banner is recognized as the oldest existing in the world.
The national Danish symbol is the mute swan.
The inhabitants of Iceland personify themselves with the mythical Mountain Mistress (Fialkkonan). This is a blonde woman in a dark-colored dress and a white headdress. The poem devoted to this collective image of all Icelanders is read out annually during the celebration of the Independence Day of the state.
Walt Disney decided to open the first “Disneyland”, visiting the park “Tivoli” in Copenhagen.
Denmark became the first European country to legitimize marriages between same-sex couples.
The King of Denmark won the Faroe Islands in poker with the Norwegian monarch.
Iceland does not have mosquitoes.
The Icelandic language has not changed much since ancient times: it is very similar to the dialect spoken by the Vikings.
In Iceland, the crime rate is so low that tourists can sometimes spend the night in empty chambers of local prisons, who have not found a better place to sleep.
Inhabitants of Iceland believe in the existence of giants, trolls and elves.
In Norway it is not customary to smile and talk to strangers in public transport.
Norway is one of the few countries in the world where it is not forbidden to hunt whales.
Norway is considered one of the safest countries on the planet.
In Norway, for the possession of drugs laid a softer punishment than for driving in a state of intoxication.
In Finland, the sale of comic books about Donald Duck was forbidden, since this character does not wear trousers.
Finnish Santa Claus is called Joulupukki. Interestingly, his name in literal translation from Finnish means “Christmas goat”.
One of the Finnish TV and radio companies launched a curious project, in which news reports are read in Latin.
Finns are credited with inventing a sauna.
In Sweden, there is more McDonald’s cafe than in any other country in Europe.
In Sweden, for the murder of a sparrow, you can spend up to six months on correctional labor.
This way of serving food, as a “buffet”, appeared in Sweden more than a century ago.
The symbol (at) in Sweden is called not a “dog”, but a “trunk” or “elephant”.
The Swedish authorities passed a law according to which the country will soon completely abandon gasoline and replace it with biofuel.
In Greenland, four-fifths covered with ice, there are fifty species of butterflies.
The thickness of the ice covering Greenland is about one and a half kilometers – if it completely melts, the level of the world’s ocean will rise by 7 meters, which will lead to the flooding of many cities and even countries.
In Greenland, the Jacobshavn glacier is located, which moves about 30 meters a day – it is considered to be the fastest block of ice on Earth.
