CELEBRATIONS

LASKIAINEN

Shrove (Laskiainen) is celebrated in February seven weeks before Easter on a Tuesday.

Laskiainen is traditionally a day of sledge riding. In the past, folks believed the further you can ride with your sledge, the better the next year’s crop would be.

In the old times, Laskiainen was a time to eat hearty amounts of meat, because the next opportunity to eat meat was Easter after fasting. Traditional Laskiainen food included fatty “rieska” bread and pea-meat soup. The “rieska” bread was made from barley and spiced with pork fat.

Desserts are also an integral part of Laskiainen. The best-known after meal dessert is a laskiaispulla, often filled with jam or almond paste and whipped cream, enjoyed either with coffee or tea.

VAPPU

Vappu is one of the few non-Christian holidays in Finland. In 1944, Vappu became a statutory holiday.

A celebration of spring, high-school and university graduates, workers, picnics, and foodies. The parties, which begin on the evening of April 30th and continue until May 1st, typically centre on the consumption of sima, sparkling wine and other alcoholic beverages

Vappu Delicacies

As any other good festivity, Vappu tradition would not be complete without its specific food and beverages.

Tippaleipä is a traditional delicacy that Finns eat during Vappu celebrations. The name itself refers to how it is made, which is by literally dripping cake batter into hot oil through a funnel and then topping it off with some icing sugar.

Sima is a strong mead similar to honey wine was brought to Finland from Lüypek and Riga in the 16th century. At that time, it was the most popular imported drink in Finland after wine. Only the name is the same in the current vappu sima, because the old mead was really strong stuff. Its fermentation process could take up to a year, and this is how strong mead of fortified wine was obtained.

JUHANNUS (Midsummer)

Midsummer was originally celebrated on the brightest day of the year, i.e. at the time of the summer solstice. Midsummer is celebrated in Finland on the Saturday between the 20th and 26th of June. This has been the case in Finland since 1955 .

The Junannus Aatto (Finnish Midsummer’s Eve) includes, a sauna with birch fire pits, a midsummer bonfire and midsummer dances.

Midsummer’s Day is one of Finland’s six official flag days that are repeated every year. According to the official flagging instructions, Midsummer’s flagging begins at 6 p.m. on Midsummer’s Eve and ends at 9 p.m. on Midsummer’s Day.

ITSENÄISYYSPÄIVÄ (Independence Day)

Independence Day is a national public holiday in Finland and a flag flying day held on 6 December to celebrate Finland’s declaration of independence from Russia after the Bolsheviks took power in late 1917.
December 6th has been celebrated as Independence Day since 1919, when it became a public holiday in schools, courts and offices. It became a paid holiday in 1929 and a public holiday and holiday in 1937.

In Finland, Independence Day has a very traditional structure. Since 1957, every year on the morning of Independence Day at 9 a.m., a ceremonial flag-raising, speeches and choral singing has been organized on Tähtitorninmäki in Helsinki.

The Independence Day service is held in Helsinki Cathedral . The top management of the state, such as the presidents , the government council , the speakers of the parliament , the state’s top officials and members of parliament , take part in the celebratory service – ordinary parishioners have reached the side aisles of the church. The service is televised.

On Independence Day, it is customary to light two blue and white candles on the window . The permanent tradition of candles on the window sill did not come until 1927, when the Confederation of Independence urged to light the candles for the evening of Independence Day from 6 p.m.to 9 p.m.. Today, the burning of candles is often stopped at 8 p.m.

On Independence Day, many people visit the unknown soldier grave remember those who fell in wars. Often, a candle is placed on the grave and the reservists of the municipality organize an honor guard at the cemetery.

OUTDOOR GAMES

Mölkky

Mölkky is a very popular game, a bit like bowling, except you can play it anywhere – there is no special place to play it.

The basic gear to play this game is a series of pins with numbers written on the top of each one. There is also a pin that has no number. The players throw the unnumbered pin in turns, trying to knock the other pins over.

The goal is to reach exactly 50 points, and this is how you count the points: If you knock over one pin, you get the number of points written on it. If you throw down two or more, you get as many points as pins you’ve knocked over.

The first person who gets 50 points wins, and if someone goes over 50, he or she gets a penalty of 25 points less and has to continue from that number, trying to reach 50 again.

Wife-Carrying Championships

An unusual but captivating competition, the Wife-Carrying World Championships, takes place in the charming town of Sonkajärvi, Finland every year. The event features male competitors carrying their female partners through a challenging obstacle course. The winning couple receives the wife’s weight in beer!

The origins of the event are unclear, but it is believed to have started as a way for men to show off their strength and endurance while also having fun with their partners. The first official wife carrying championships were held in 1992, and since then, the event has grown in popularity, attracting competitors from all over the world.

The rules of the competition require that the male competitor carry their female partner over various obstacles, including water pools, steep hills, and sand pits. The course is around 250 meters long and the winning team is determined by the fastest time.

The event has gained a reputation for being a lighthearted and fun competition, with many participants and spectators dressing up in costumes and cheering on the competitors.

Pesäpallo

Pesäpallo is the national game of Finland. It is a combination of traditional ball-batting team games and American baseball. The game was first developed by Lauri ”Tahko” Pihkala in the 1920’s. In the summer of 2022 pesäpallo celebrated its 100th anniversary.