Kalevala Day

Siilinkari sector light on Näsijärvi lake is very popular day walk destination on beautiful winter days. Hundreds of people enjoyed the sunny weather at Siilinkari today, including us. In the picture hubby is queueing to a tent cafe, me and Sami waited further away. We also took a group picture with self timer, I added that shot to extras.

Today Finns celebrated Kalevala Day. Elias Lönnrot, a collector of traditional Finnish oral poetry, completed the manuscript of the Kalevala at the beginning of 1835. He signed the foreword to the book on February 28th of that year. Nowadays, February 28th is a day for commemorating the Kalevala and Finnish culture. As more and more Kalevala poetry was committed to the written record, Lönnrot began to prepare a new and more extensive version of the Kalevala. First published in 1849, this version of the Kalevala is the one that Finnish people regard as their national epic. The Kalevala made a significant contribution to the development of the Finnish national identity and the intensification of Finland's language strife. Below one of the poems translated to English

Strike we now hand into hand, 
Fingers into curve of fingers,
So that we may sing good songs,
Voice the best of all our legends
For the hearing of our loved ones,
Those who want to learn them from us,
Those among the rising young ones
Of the growing generation.
Magic verses we have gathered,
Kindled by the inspiration
From the belt of Vainamoinen, 
Under forge of Ilmarinen,
Sword blade of the man far-minded,
Aim of Joukahainen's crossbow,
From the way-back fields of Northland,
From the heaths of Kalevala.




-1°C, partly sunny