Local customs and memorable everyday moments

Permissiveness and tolerance are in the nature of people in Savo. Other character strengths for people living in Kuopio include innovation, courage, and open-mindedness. 

Around Kuopio, openness is met with openness and trust with trust. You may be surprised when you meet a chatty local at the market square. People in Kuopio enjoy a chat, and they are also very good at small talk. The people care about each other, and no one is ever in so much of a hurry that they couldn’t stop and say hi to a passerby. 

New people and things have always been received at a leisurely pace. The locals’ first instinct isn’t to shake hands with a new friend but to ask questions to find out who the newcomers are and what their business is. 

Encounters with strangers have made the locals tolerant, even diplomatic. Maybe this is what encapsulates the jovial spirit of the people of Savo. 

The atmosphere in the city is open and sympathetic; people are allowed to be who they are and live life the way they want to. In Kuopio, you are allowed to smile and be happy and cheerful. 

The locals are all for the jovial attitude to life. For them, joviality is first and foremost a way of communicating, but it also involves a touch of caring for others, gentle curiosity, and making the odd witty remark. Sirpa Kähkönen, an author who grew up in Kuopio, remembers this as an integral part of her childhood and youth. 

A similar openness of mind is afforded to different kinds of phenomena and activities. Although people in Kuopio tend to ponder things from many perspectives before acting, they are open to new ideas and approach them with confidence. 

The internationally renowned dance festival has also made its mark on the atmosphere in Kuopio. The locals’ boldness in taking action presents as a kind of perseverance. They love to do things together and take pride in their community. Riku Lehtopolku, the artistic director of the Kuopio Dance Festival, thinks that the volunteering spirit and tenacity of the locals is what has propelled the festival on for the past 50 years. 

People in Kuopio are curious and open-minded, and they take on new challenges boldly. When a challenge arises, people start tackling it together in a “make it work” spirit. 

Lakeside living is embodied by the summer cottages by Lake Kallavesi. The summer cottage way of life is all about calmness and enjoying food made from fresh local ingredients, especially fish caught from the lake. The sauna is a beloved part of Finnish culture and integral to life at the summer cottage. 

Most families living in Kuopio have a summer cottage or a boat, or even both. Here summer cottages and boats are a part of everyone’s lives, and you don’t need to be particularly wealthy to have them. The natural surroundings of Lake Kallavesi are not a luxury for the few but a part of everyday life. 

Kuopio has the largest number of holiday homes in Finland, around 10,800. In addition to the beautiful natural surroundings, people are drawn to the summer cottage by the tranquil and unhurried atmosphere. At the summer cottage, life typically falls into rhythm with the surrounding nature, and clocks are quickly forgotten. 

Finns like to settle into the quiet atmosphere of the summer cottage even without all the modern conveniences, happy to do the washing up by hand, cut firewood and do gardening. Picking berries and mushrooms, boating and fishing are also popular pastimes, not to mention sauna and a dip in the lake. 

Tourists, on the other hand, tend to prefer the more luxurious and well-equipped holiday homes near the services. In the Kuopio region, this demand is met by the Tahko Holiday Resort just under an hour’s drive from the Kuopio city centre and the Rauhalahti Holiday Centre only 6 km away from the city. 

Check out these articles: Beyond the horizon 

People in Kuopio value clean local food and make use of locally caught fish and locally picked berries and mushrooms. These fresh local ingredients are used in local restaurants and residents’ kitchens alike. Late summer is an especially abundant season for berries, mushrooms and vegetables, and this abundance can be seen on the Kuopio market square. Finnish food in general is considered extremely high-quality, tasty, and varied. 

And what better indication of the quality of food in North Savo than that the region has received the internationally recognised title of European Region of Gastronomy (ERG). The cuisine in the region has been inspired by international food trends, and there are numerous events in Kuopio that celebrate local food. 

Read the article Local food culture 

The sauna is an integral part of a Finn’s life throughout the year. The sauna soothes your mind and offers relaxation for sore muscles. When bathing by the lake, you can take a relaxing dip in the waves or just enjoy the view of sunshine on the water. In the winter, jumping into the lake for a quick swim is especially refreshing. 

Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland have recently shown that saunas have many health benefits. A study including 100 test subjects showed that 30 minutes in the sauna reduces blood pressure and improves vascular flexibility. Sauna bathing also increases your heart rate in the same way that moderate physical activity does. 

There are many special saunas in Kuopio to provide locals and visitors alike with memorable experiences. For example, there are Finnish traditional evenings organised weekly. 

Kuopio offers different kinds of sauna experiences from traditional summer cottage saunas to luxurious ones, and from small barrel saunas to floating platform saunas. 

The Jätkänkämppä smoke sauna at Spa Hotel Rauhalahti hosts traditional smoke sauna evenings on Tuesdays year-round and additionally on Thursdays during the summer season. From the smoke sauna you can run to take a dip in Lake Kallavesi both in summer and in winter. At Jätkänkämppä, you can often also enjoy some accordion music and a delicious buffet. During the summer, there are also demonstrations of traditional logging. 

The pleasant traditional Pilppa sauna is available to the members of Puijon latu ry and the renters of the cabin. The Pilppa recreational area is a great destination for the family’s outdoor excursions throughout the year. A successful excursion is topped off by a lunch break at the lean-to. 

The modern Saana resort is a unique destination in the middle of beautiful nature by Lake Kallavesi. At Saana’s sauna & spa, you can enjoy a smoke sauna and a regular sauna, outdoor pools, a relaxing hot tub, and a waterfall shower. Saana’s restaurant serves as a meeting venue and, above all, an à la carte restaurant that offers amazing delicacies made from fresh local ingredients. 

At the top of Tahkovuori is Pehku’s Mualiman sauna. The large wood-fired sauna pays homage to Finnish sauna traditions. At Mualiman sauna you can enjoys both a relaxing sauna experience and some magnificent views. 

At the top of Tahkovuori is also the Panorama Bar sauna with amazing views over Lake Syvärijärvi and the lights of the Tahko village. Next to the sauna is a relaxing spring water tub where you can relax while enjoying the stars. 

The market square is a popular meeting place for Kuopio residents and a hub of everyday life. The market square is a place to meet friends, talk about the world, barter, and celebrate the victories of the local football team. 

With their usual wittiness, the locals have named the market square “the center of the universe”. The market square even has its own logo indicating the spot where this centre is located. The market square has been and continues to be the hub of the world in the daily lives of the locals and a place for all kinds of activities. 

The lively market square is at its busiest during the summer, when it fills with the bustle and cheerful chatting of people. Stallholders sell fresh berries, vegetables and other seasonal products. The busiest season ends in October with the autumn fair, which prepares the market square and the entire city for the coming winter. The kalakukko sellers will be around throughout the year. The market hall on the market square provides another year-round hub. 

In recent years, the market square has also become a hub for the local culinary scene. Popular events include the StreetKuopio street food event in the spring, the Satoa Food Festival organised by local restaurants in August, and the International Grand Market in early autumn, not to mention the wonderful Christmas fair. 

• Each year, Kuopio hosts the Finnish championships in baking kalakukko, the ultimate local traditional delicacy. 

• About 1.5 hour’s drive away in Sonkajärvi is the wife carrying world championship. 
• Kuopio is the largest producer of milk in Finland. 
• Kuopio is surrounded by a hundred lakes. 
• Kuopio has 6,340 km of shoreline. 
• In Kuopio, the distance from your front door to nature is 0.5 km. 

• Every winter, the official fur cap season is declared in Kuopio. The fur cap is considered a symbol of good life. 
• The jovial Savo dialect can be heard all over Kuopio. 
• The locals have named the Kuopio market square “Mualiman napa” (“the Center of the Universe”). 
• Nightless night – in the Kuopio area, the sun only sets for a brief moment during summer nights. 
• In the winter, you can ski, skate and fish on the frozen lake. The Finland Ice marathon event is also organised in Kuopio every year. 

• Winter swimming is a great way to refresh your body and mind, and Kuopio offers several spots for winter swimming.