This knife was a christening present for a two months old.
A few years back I had a conversation with an Australian, a couple Spaniards, a Pole, a Dane and some Swedes. Nearly everyone found Finnish custom of giving knives as a present weird.
Yes, but you can’t give just any knife as a gift.
Personally I haven’t seen that many knives gifted. Maybe to an adult man or something. Or as a business gift.
There’s also the superstition that gifting a knife (any knife really) would cause conflict between the parties / bad luck. I don’t know if this is just in Finnish culture or more universal belief.
We saw someone buying their baby their first knife 👶
In olden days everyone carried a knife be it for farming, fishing, construction, crafting, hunting or other daily tasks. Each region had their own characteristics and stylistics when it came to design. The importance of one’s own knife still holds some cultural significance to this day. Although, they are not used as much these days, they have become a respected, traditional present to give to special people you want to honor in a Finnish manner. They are not just a tool, but an object of great beauty that symbolizes Finnish grit (Sisu) and a will to survive. Finns might be minimalistic in a lot of ways, but their knives shall reflect an appreciation for the finer things.
Its for stabbing your enemies !
As a finn i recall seeing multiple knife gifts. If you go to military here you can also get a military tool knife.
In many Finnish families it’s a coming-of-age gift. An adult Finn needs a multi-purpose tool
Interesting! I once asked my Estonian dad a knife for present and he said that knife shouldn’t be given as a present. So he just gave me a beautiful knife but he emphasized that it’s not a present.
Is it a puukko?
The knives of this brand are amazing. It will probably last for the whole life.
I read somewhere that you shouldn’t give a knife or scissors as a house warming gift in Finland. Apparently according to superstition that would cut your friendship with them or something…
I have heard of a custom that if someone gives you a knife as a present you give them a coin back. So you kind of ” bought ” the knife.
Yes.
Knife is a great gift, bit like kuksa.
That looks like a knife I made in school. It’s the same type of wood
I got my first knife when i turned 4.
I still have mine knocking about that I got age 8 for Girl Scouts! Got my name on the leather sheath and everything.
Same as in Norway. I had 3 beauts and passed 2 of mine down to my nephews on their 13th birthdays.
Nice
My boyfriend has gave me 2 knives and I love them! Last Christmas he got an axe from my brother. Yes, we live in rural area.
I was born in the US and grew up with knives of different qualities. Fast forward a few decades and I joined the Society for Creative Anachronism and adopted a Finnish persona in honor of my grandmother who was born in Finland. I bought a Järvenpää Lappland Puukko and it has turned out to be the best and sharpest knife I have ever used. Some of my friends refuse to even borrow it because it is so sharp and they are scared of it. Wife and I also bought a pair of mushroom knives that we keep in our cars. If Finns give knives of this quality as gifts, I’m thinking I grew up in the wrong country and should immigrate to Finland.
Marttiini knife as a present is a classic. Everyone appreciates a good marttiini knife.
Just don’t gift a Japanese person a knife. Some Finnish companies have had knives as promotional products and this has caused some awkward situations
I really like knives, but problem is that i don’t want to abuse a nice good one unless i got good replacement for it. So for my multipurpose tool i use Mora knife. Its such a crime against universe that Mora is Swedish company, by all rights it should be Finnish. I would never give someone Mora as a gift, Finland has plenty of good knife makers, but Mora is just best of the 5€ ones.
25 comments
This knife was a christening present for a two months old.
A few years back I had a conversation with an Australian, a couple Spaniards, a Pole, a Dane and some Swedes. Nearly everyone found Finnish custom of giving knives as a present weird.
Yes, but you can’t give just any knife as a gift.
Personally I haven’t seen that many knives gifted. Maybe to an adult man or something. Or as a business gift.
There’s also the superstition that gifting a knife (any knife really) would cause conflict between the parties / bad luck. I don’t know if this is just in Finnish culture or more universal belief.
We saw someone buying their baby their first knife 👶
In olden days everyone carried a knife be it for farming, fishing, construction, crafting, hunting or other daily tasks. Each region had their own characteristics and stylistics when it came to design. The importance of one’s own knife still holds some cultural significance to this day. Although, they are not used as much these days, they have become a respected, traditional present to give to special people you want to honor in a Finnish manner. They are not just a tool, but an object of great beauty that symbolizes Finnish grit (Sisu) and a will to survive. Finns might be minimalistic in a lot of ways, but their knives shall reflect an appreciation for the finer things.
Its for stabbing your enemies !
As a finn i recall seeing multiple knife gifts. If you go to military here you can also get a military tool knife.
In many Finnish families it’s a coming-of-age gift. An adult Finn needs a multi-purpose tool
Interesting! I once asked my Estonian dad a knife for present and he said that knife shouldn’t be given as a present. So he just gave me a beautiful knife but he emphasized that it’s not a present.
Is it a puukko?
The knives of this brand are amazing. It will probably last for the whole life.
I read somewhere that you shouldn’t give a knife or scissors as a house warming gift in Finland. Apparently according to superstition that would cut your friendship with them or something…
I have heard of a custom that if someone gives you a knife as a present you give them a coin back. So you kind of ” bought ” the knife.
Yes.
Knife is a great gift, bit like kuksa.
That looks like a knife I made in school. It’s the same type of wood
I got my first knife when i turned 4.
I still have mine knocking about that I got age 8 for Girl Scouts! Got my name on the leather sheath and everything.
Same as in Norway. I had 3 beauts and passed 2 of mine down to my nephews on their 13th birthdays.
Nice
My boyfriend has gave me 2 knives and I love them! Last Christmas he got an axe from my brother. Yes, we live in rural area.
I was born in the US and grew up with knives of different qualities. Fast forward a few decades and I joined the Society for Creative Anachronism and adopted a Finnish persona in honor of my grandmother who was born in Finland. I bought a Järvenpää Lappland Puukko and it has turned out to be the best and sharpest knife I have ever used. Some of my friends refuse to even borrow it because it is so sharp and they are scared of it. Wife and I also bought a pair of mushroom knives that we keep in our cars. If Finns give knives of this quality as gifts, I’m thinking I grew up in the wrong country and should immigrate to Finland.
Marttiini knife as a present is a classic. Everyone appreciates a good marttiini knife.
Just don’t gift a Japanese person a knife. Some Finnish companies have had knives as promotional products and this has caused some awkward situations
I really like knives, but problem is that i don’t want to abuse a nice good one unless i got good replacement for it. So for my multipurpose tool i use Mora knife. Its such a crime against universe that Mora is Swedish company, by all rights it should be Finnish. I would never give someone Mora as a gift, Finland has plenty of good knife makers, but Mora is just best of the 5€ ones.