Hello to all my finns out there !

I’m a french guy, and there’s a finish song that I’ve discovered randomly on YouTube a few months ago, that is called Uraliin. Apparently, it’s a patriotic song that was made during the Winter War between USSR and Finland (you probably know way more things about it than me).

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqqkHeV8WBg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqqkHeV8WBg)

I do REALLY like this song, but because of the context it was made, I wanted to know what is the perception that Finnish people have of this song (if it’s a well known song at all, not even sure about that).

Is it an OK song to talk about if I end up talking with a finish person? Or is it perceived as a violent/fascist/whatever song by you guys? (especially given the lyrics aimed at russian people)

Thanks in advance !

15 comments

  1. Most people from the younger generations probably haven’t even heard of this song. These kinds of songs are not played anymore anywhere but if you manage to talk to someone about them it won’t be seen as offensive.

  2. We don’t really care. Admittedly, i don’t know the song well or it’s implications, but finnish education is good enough for most to understand that an old song is a product of its time. We’re a chill people. All cool.

  3. its fine. the average finn probably doesn’t even know the song. and it was a Continuation War song not a winter war song.

  4. Listening to it, it’s a random 80-year-old propaganda song from the war times. It’s “patriotic” to the degree that it seems like a parody these days. You’d have to dig deep to find anyone who actually knows the song though.

    That said, I would cringe if someone played this to me and was all serious about it. Far-right vibes.

  5. It’s an old propaganda bit and silly when you look at it these days. Nothing to take too seriously.

  6. I like it too, but I far prefer this version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYpUmZ7ih-o .

    The song promotes the “Suur-Suomi” (Greater Finland) ultranationalist/imperialist idea which would be bad if that idea was alive today in Finland, which it isn’t. They also glorify the Axis militaries in the second verse so think of that what you will. To me it’s mainly just a quaint relic of the past, a window into a very different Finland in very complicated situation. I would really not call it a “patriotic” song and it would be fair to be a little suspect of a person who does.

  7. It is so polite of you to ask, but Finns do not really care about things like that. Feel free to sing any Finnish song or talk about them.

  8. No problem whatsoever. Even if the US is portrayed as helping the russkies, which they have comfortably now forgotten

  10. I’m not from Finland, but I recently came across [Ai, ai, Kerensky](https://youtu.be/peMgBD5ebPY), a polka dissing the imperial ambitions of Aleksandr Kerenski, the last prime minister of Soviet Russia before the October Revolution, and I fell in love with it. It’s fun, extremely witty, and uncannily relevant to what’s happening now. It’s not a military march, but it’s worth checking if you don’t know it already.

  12. I had completely forgotten about the song, it’s some funny stuff. No one will take any offense if you talk about it

  13. Not a winter war song and it’s okay to talk about stuff like this, we’re not that sensitive here in Finland🙄

  14. There is also a non-propaganda version of the song, which talks about the beauty of the region. I much prefer that one, especially sung by Teijo Joutsela. You can find it on YouTube if you’d rather go the neutral route.

  15. I mean bro we were going to invade whole fuckin Soviet union with that song. So it is more then ok. Also check out den glider in!

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