By Carolyn Spargo
When Minnesotans think of Finland, the sauna (which is correctly pronounced sah oo na, not sana) comes to mind. In this old tradition, the small room, called the sauna, is heated to 212 degrees Fahrenheit and produces steam when water is poured over hot rocks. You sit in this room for 30 minutes or until your body says leave. Then you jump in a lake, swimming pool or shower to cool off. Finland boasts around 2 million saunas to a population of 5 million people!
Some people may recognize the bold vibrant patterns of Marimekko. This Finnish textile company began in 1951. Other familiar products of Finland are ittalla glassware, Fazer chocolates, Rapala fishing lures, and of course Nokia cell phones.
Finland lies across the Baltic Sea to the east of Sweden and west of Russia. Forests cover seventy-five percent of the landscape. Ten percent of Finland is lakes, actually about 190,000 lakes. Along the western coast and to the south live a pocket of Swede Finns. Of the total Finnish population, 5.5 percent speaks Swedish. The capital of Finland is Helsinki. The Finns call their country Suomi.
Finland has contributed to the musical world. Jean Sibelius is perhaps the most well known composer. Minnesotans take pride in our Finnish Minnesota Orchestra’s 10th conductor, Osmo Vänskä. A traditional folk instrument from Finland is the kantele. It is a stringed lap instrument that is plucked with the fingers. The earliest known kantele is dated to the 17th century. The kantele would often accompany the collection of poems that were written in the nineteenth century called The Kalevala. It is considered the national epic of Finland.
Hear the kantele
Jayne Meyer is a recent student of the Finnish kantele. She built her own 10- string kantele last summer. Jayne comes from “The Range” of northern Minnesota and now resides in Prescott, Wis. with her family. Jayne will share her music at the Nordic Heritage Club at 7:30 p.m., Friday, July 10 at Victoria City Hall. Please come to hear the Finnish kantele and learn more about Finland and enjoy food and fellowship. Families are always welcome to our club. Check out www.nordicheritageclub.com or call Carolyn at (952) 443-3312 for more information.
Carolyn Johnson Spargo lives on the border of Chaska and Victoria, and is active in all things Scandinavian including the Nordic Heritage Club, which meets on the second Friday of the month at the Victoria city hall at 7951 Rose St., Victoria. Her column appears monthly in the Victoria Town Square pages and online at www.victoriatownsquare.com.