“My aunt married someone of Swedish descent. It was always funny when we visited from Mississippi (land of friendly “hellos” and finding out about your personal business).”
- The only part of the US I’ve visited is Florida. The locals were very much like that; lot’s of friendly “hellos” - and not only coming from people who wished to sell you something.
From what I understand people in the south of USA in general are known for being open, cheerful, friendly and hospitable.
In Scandinavia (including Finland) Danes, Norwegians and people in southern Sweden are known for being friendly, while inhabitants of Stockholm are considered arrogant and stressed-up and people in Northern Sweden and Finland are known for being mute, playing ice hockey, hunting moose and Russian soldiers (tiny Finland is the only nation that ever defeated the Soviet Union in a war).
It's also the only country to repay its WWI debt to the U. S.
That and their quirky passion for the tango has caused me to have a soft spot for the Finns :-)
Fought to a draw is more accurate. That is still impressive for a nation whose entire population wasn't much larger than the invading army.
There were at least two Soviet divisions that were totally annihilated, not ruined as combat units but no one but a few POWs and even fewer evaders left alive. The Germans would not have had nearly as hard a time of it invading USSR if the Finns hadn't taught Ivan how to make General Winter an ally.
The molotov cocktail was centuries old by then, but was given the name we still know it by at that time.