Many people think that Scandinavia is made up of five countries, but only three: Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The term is ambiguous because of the Nordic countries, which are formed by Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland, including their associated territories (Greenland, Faeroe Islands or Faroe Islands and Alanda). These countries are part of the Nordic Council, but they are often referred to as Scandinavia. There may even be common doubts about where Lapland is located and whether this region is part of Scandinavia.

Lapland is a region that covers the territory of four countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russian Federation (Kola Peninsula), which corresponds to the region inhabited by Samis, European Indians, better known as Lapps.

Authors such as Sweden’s Stieg Larsson, who wrote the trilogy “Millennium,” and Norwegian playwright Jo Nesbø, author of “The Snowman”, have awakened in fans of the Scandinavian-crime, or scandi-crime, a haunting search for more details on the famous snow-capped landscapes and a world little talked about in detail, such as: peculiarities of culture, tradition and daily living.

Those who tell us a little about these countries are the writer Zia Stuhaug, a Brazilian who lives with her Norwegian husband and son ten years ago in western Norway. The author also writes about the genre and recently launched the scandi crime “Angel Russo” and to compose the scenes of the book, she traveled through the Nordic countries and Finnish Lapland. Throughout the trip, she learned some curiosities about the culture that involves Scandinavia, Nordic countries and Russia. Check out:

Lapland
The natives of this region are known by Lapps, but they like to be called Sami, since they consider the term Lapão as colonialist. The Samis live in houses and not in lavuts (huts), as much of the world believes. Only those living on the Russian side are still nomadic. Their national costumes are considered sacred – bad news for tourists who like to wear local clothing in pictures for social networking.
Contrary to popular belief, the Samis are modern and well-mannered and not just reindeer breeders, isolated in the wild. The Sami people have their own flag and, in early 1996, the new Sami parliament (Sámediggi) was constituted by parliamentary decree, as representative body of the Sami people.

Norway
Virtually every house has dishwashers. This is because, in Norway, there is no auxiliary for domestic services; then the tasks are divided among the dwellers of the house.
You need to take your shoe off to get home. Both residents and visitors.
In the warmer months, the sun does not set in the north of the country. It’s the famous midnight sun.
A lot of potatoes are eaten at hot meals in Norway, and the thing is that they are boiled and brought to the table. And it’s up to everyone to peel their own potatoes.
Punctuality is much appreciated in Norway.
There is a dispute about the true origin of Santa Claus with Finnish Lapland, and Norway claims that the good old man was born on their lands.

Sweden
The Swedes are very friendly and friendly, although they are formal, punctual and maintain a considerable physical distance during conversations. In Sweden it is not common to touch the person while talking to her.
Kisses are considered private and inappropriate in public. In fact, kissing is not appropriate when presenting or presenting to someone.
Visits only by appointment. No surprises.
Skål, the Swedish toast, is always made by eye contact with those around.

Denmark
Famous for its architecture and design, pioneer in wind power technology, leader of the pharmaceutical industry, and the land of Ole Kirk Christiansen, the inventor of Lego, riding toy.
The Danes have a habit (a little strange for us) to leave the babies outside the cafes. According to them, to train the child to breathe the cold air. Those who do not know the Danish culture are terrified when they see the scene for the first time.
They love pedaling. Copenhagen is known as the urban cycling paradise. Around 50% of the Danish population uses the bicycle to get around.

Finland
Finns are avid readers and library users. It is explained why Finland is the world leader in education.
The sauna is super traditional. Almost every house has a sauna, which everyone uses and loves.
Finnish women were the first in Europe to obtain universal suffrage in 1906 and the first in the world to obtain eligibility in parliamentary elections.

Russia
Russian Christmas is celebrated on January 7, and the most important holiday for them is the New Year, which spans 10 consecutive days across Russia.
“Vache zdoróvie!” (To your health), so it is offered in Russia. Always with a purpose in some toasts are small funny stories. But it’s not all a joke. There is the toast in memory of the deceased, always after the funeral, but the detail is that the glasses can not touch.
Of Russian origin, but questioned by many as being French, it is believed that stroganoff – comes from the verb strogat, which in Russian means “cut into pieces”. Some say the dish was invented by a French chef who worked for a family in St. Petersburg. He would have created the dish for a culinary contest, and the award winner named after the Count Pavel Alexandrovich Stroganov, important political articulator during the reign of Alexander I (1777-1825).

Photo: Press release