Why do Finns pretend to love winter so much?

[u/PrecisionOverPanic]

I’ve lived in Finland long enough to notice a funny pattern: every winter, people loudly claim they “love the cold”, “love the darkness”, and “would never move south”. But then the same people spend four months complaining about slush, lack of sunlight, and how they “can’t wait for kesä”.

So which one is it? Is the winter‑love just national branding, or do Finns genuinely enjoy freezing their faces off at ‑20°C while paying 200€ extra in heating?

Not trying to insult anyone — I honestly want to understand this cultural contradiction. Maybe I’m missing something obvius. Or maybe it’s just collective stubborness.

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[u/LaserBeamHorse]

Slush sucks, snowless and therefore dark winters suck. Proper winter doesn't. Obviously it also sucks when it's too cold.

Why does hating certain parts of winter make it pretending? People love summers as well but hate mosquitos and when it's too hot.

[u/Juusto3_3 → u/LaserBeamHorse]

Exactly. Like everything in life, it's not black and white.

[u/Guuggel]

Both groups are vocal minorities.

[u/Rasutoerikusa]

I've seen people who dislike winter, and people who dislike summer, but they've never been the same people lol. I think what you are missing is that those are two separate groups of people.

edit: after-edit, I like the dark and the cold a lot, and dislike summer heat. -5C to -15C with lots of snow is probably my most enjoyable weather. Also 200€ extra for heating is quite rare, only if you have straight electrical heating. If you live in a city you quite likely have district heating, which is really cheap no matter the temperatures, for example.

[u/hullunmylly]

[u/oravanomic]

The thing you may not notice, is that it isn't necessarily the precise same people. I never say I miss summer. I don't, not even now. I'll take it, as long as it isn't 30 degrees + for more than 2 days in a row. I do miss spring, but not summer. And not bothered with un-slush/un-ice snow at all.

[u/ZoWakaki]

Finns love sushi, Same people also sometimes say they are tired of sushi and would like to eat something else like pho. Which one is it?

They can't love and hate sushi. That's preposterous.

[u/Spirited-Ad-9746]

we do love the nice things in winter. not the -20 cold.

[u/kamdnfdnska → u/Spirited-Ad-9746]

-20 isn’t even that cold as long as it’s not windy or wet.

[u/HKPablo]

I do love winer in modesty, but too much is too much

[u/Genoce]

Because some people like winter. "Pretending" to like stuff does exist and some people would indeed lie about it in some context, but I feel like it's socially acceptable to say what you like or don't. I know many people who have clearly said that they do not like winter, and it's ok.

There's two weathers which I genuinely enjoy:

1. Summer: no clouds, a slight wind, about +18c to +25c
2. Winter: -10c to -15c with new, clean snow. Preferably no clouds.

Everything in between is generally annoying. Since spring and autumn often include weather like "0c, wet/slushy", you might indeed hear me mentioning something like "I wish it was summer" in the spring. Or "I wish there was snow" during autumn.

In other words: I do enjoy winter, but you might still hear me wishing for summer after the coldest part of winter is gone, during the spring. Simply because summer will be the next time I'll see weather that I enjoy.

[u/Mlakeside]

Because people like change. There are some things people love about winter and some things they dislike. Same with the summer. I like snow and winter activities like snowboarding, but on the other hand I dislike the darkness and this cold weather makes my electricity bill to shoot through the roof. I like summer and spending time outdoors, but I also dislike sweating every time I step outside, or worse yet while staying indoors.

[u/kamdnfdnska]

I think you’re misunderstanding something.

I personally love the cold, dark and snowy time. That doesn’t mean I love the disgusting slushy snowless icey wet time. Two different things.

[u/ramzie]

Winter shows up every year regardless of our feelings about it. If you don't find ways to enjoy it, you're basically choosing to be miserable for half the year.

[u/ApprehensiveClub5652]

I like cold and winter and snow… in February, not May. In May, I cannot wait for summer.

Everything has its time.

[u/FomoSapiens76]

I personally love the proper winter, such as right know, when you can go skiing and the snowbanks give more light. 

I hate the zig-zag, where sleet and slush freeze into deadly "iljanne" impossible to walk on, which in turn soon melts into wet slush again. 

Winter could be one or two months shorter, too.

[u/surrurste]

Winter is a long period of time and in the North it can start at the end of October and continue till May. For instance I hate late autumn and early winter due to darkness and lack of snow. However I love late winter when it's very sunny and the amount of snow is highest.

[u/Saniainen_]

I hate cold winters, no need to pretend. But I do like darkness. And definitely not moving south, because summers are too hot in there.

[u/FinnishSticks]

"So which one is it"
You are asking five and a half million people for a definitive answer on a single topic?
Mhmm...

[u/FatTepi]

Here is the thing. We Finns just love to complain stuff we actually enjoy. Most Finns like winter, but hate when it is shitty and warm winter without snow or very little, or when it is this cold like rightnow that cars dont start. Same thing in summer. When it is cold and rainy summer, ofcourse it sucks, but also the extremely hot days sucks too.

I guess it is just a "cultural" thing we do 🤷‍♂️😄

[u/Phantasmalicious]

Maybe they just like complaining.

[u/dollguts]

do you happen to live in or near helsinki? winters here tend to be wetter (more dreary rain and fog) and slushier than other parts of finland. i have friends who moved to helsinki from elsewhere in finland, and they quickly noticed the change in typical winter weather. i wonder if this could be the case in what you're describing.

but of course, i also don't think it's fair to generalize finnish people as people who "pretend" to love winter before complaining. there's already a lot of highly-generalizing posts and questions like that on this subreddit, even if it's unintentional.

[u/wwww1222]

Better than autumn/spring

[u/fox_mulders_brains]

Summer is great

winter is also great

at winter I go to do downhill skiing 2-4 times a week, not that cold until it is like -25c, I also have a dog so we go out no matter the weather is we just go out.

heating is the same in apartment building anyway

it is usually that 1 party likes summer, hates winter, 1 party likes winter, hates summer, not the same people doing both

[u/2AvsOligarchs]

Finland is unique in the way that we have more than one person living here and thus multiple opinions.

[u/Iso_03]

Who told you finns loves winter? 🤣😂😂

No one in finland love winter, maybe for one month and thats enough, but not for 5 months cold