29/05/2026
“Rehellisyys maan perii.”
A direct English translation would be: “Honesty inherits the land.” In practice, it means that honesty, integrity, and doing the right thing will ultimately be rewarded.
Almost every Finn has heard this saying at some point in their life.
It’s a guiding principle that many Finns seem to quietly follow throughout their lives. Areminder that honesty matters, even when nobody is watching.
And during Vappu in Helsinki, we got to experience exactly what that means in practice 🥹
If you’ve ever celebrated Vappu, you know how chaotic it can be. Thousands of people fill the streets, music is everywhere, and celebrations last long into the night.
So when we realized our bag was missing, we thought there was little chance of ever seeing it again 😣
But someone followed that deeply rooted saying and chose honesty instead of keeping the valuable items inside the backpack 🙏
They took the bag to the police station with everything still inside. Nothing was missing.
In a world where people often talk about honesty as an ideal, this was a real-life example of a value that is still deeply rooted in Finnish society.
A huge thank you to the person who returned it and to the Finnish police for helping protect and organize lost property during celebrations like Vappu👮♀️🙌
If you’re Finnish, what is a saying that has guided you throughout the years?
