Perinteenä

Perinteenä is a Finnish grammatical form that comes from the noun perinne, meaning tradition or custom. It is the essive case of perinne, a suffix combination that conveys the sense of acting or existing “as a tradition” or “in the role of a tradition.” In Finnish writing, perinteenä is used to describe practices, rituals, or practices that are treated as traditional, whether they are currently maintained or recognized as part of historical heritage.

Usage and examples. Perinteenä is commonly employed with a linking verb such as on or pidetään to indicate that something is considered a tradition. For example, “Tämä juhla on perinteenä Suomessa jo useiden vuosikymmenten ajan” means that the celebration has been a tradition in Finland for many decades. “Joulupöydän kattaminen on perinteenä monissa suomalaiskodeissa” states that setting the Christmas table is a tradition in many Finnish homes. The form can also appear in expressions that describe roles or states in a broader cultural context.

Etymology and nuances. The essive suffix -nä/-na marks a temporary state or role in Finnish, and perinne refers to inherited or shared practices. Thus perinteenä foregrounds the idea of something being treated as part of cultural heritage or customary behavior, rather than as an ordinary rule. The phrase “perinteen mukaan” (according to tradition) is closely related but uses a different construction to report traditional guidance or norms. Perinteenä tends to appear in descriptive or analytical text, including cultural studies, ethnography, and historical overviews.