Tomorrow we are having 1st advent, which is often called in Finland Little Christmas (= pikkujoulu). It also starts a new liturgical year.
As mentioned before we Finns are not so church going people. Very few of us visit church weekly or even monthly, but on Christmas, Eastern and 1st advent many Finns attend a service in their local church. The highlight on 1st advent’s service is singing of Hosianna, Davids son (Hoosianna), psalm 1 in Finnish psalm book.
Words in Finnish can be found here.
and psalm song by Tapiolan kuoro from here.
There are also lot more traditions related to this weekend. Those depend very much once again of our roots and of course every family have their own traditions. In my family it has been a tradition for at least last 4 generations to decorate a small Christmas tree (pikkujoulukuusi) on first advent and bake the first plum jam filled mince pies (joulutorttu). Within this weekend our home will get its Christmas decoration, except the actual Christmas tree, which will be brought in and decorated on 21st of December on St. Thomas Day.
But this is also time for companies’ to arrange pre-Christmas parties for their employees. And friends to meet up and have pre-Christmas party. The party can be a dinner in a restaurant and afterparty in a disco or trip to Stockholm or Tallinn or maybe even to some Central-European city. Time to relax and have fun. And yes, some relax and have so much fun, than others can talk about it until the next pre-Christmas party. :) So tonight many of Finns dress-up and go out to celebrate the beginning of the Christmas season either with good friends or workmates.
Hyvää Pikkujoulua!
Have a nice 1st advent!
Hello ... I am liking your blog, I lived in Finland many years ago, was back most recently for ten days just this summer. It is the “home of my heart”. I just learned that my “suomalainen anti” has passed away and would like to mark her passing in some way. Is there a traditional mourning cake? something else? Kiitos! (I still understand a little Finnish but can only speak a few words, mostly food, haha.)
VastaaPoistaHello, I'm sorry to hear about your loss, my condolences.
PoistaIn Finland it is tradition to remember the family of the deceased by sending them flowers or a card. If the funerals are still to come and you cannot participate, you can send an address to the home of the deceased. The relatives will take all the arrived addresses to the memorial service, where they will be read out load by someone close to the deceased. The text can be similar to the text in the card of the flowers, if present in the funerals (see below).
If participating the funerals (the actual funeral service is open to everybody and memorial service after it for the people the family of the deceased invite there) it is tradition to take a bucket of flowers with a card containing maybe a verse from the Bible or some appropriate poem and the acknowledgement f.ex.
On maa, johon kaikki polut katoaa. On rauhan maa. (Saima Harmaja)
N.N. lämmöllä muistaen ja kaivaten M.M.
There is a land, where all the trails vanish. The is a land of peace. (by Saima Harmaja)
In the loving memory of “Name of the deceased”, “your name”
If one wants to remember the deceased just alone at one’s own home, then it it is tradition in Finland to light up a candle, usually in the front of the picture of the deceased.
Here is some links where you can get flowers
http://www.interflora.fi/en/shop (choose from the right sympathy, if sending to the family or funeral, if you are participating the funerals, the flowers may be send straight to the funeral place, so you do not need to fetch them)
http://www.dataflora.fi/dataflora_en/kayttotarkoituksen-mukaan/surukotiin.html (for sympathy)
http://www.dataflora.fi/dataflora_en/kayttotarkoituksen-mukaan/surutilaisuuteen.html (when participating funerals)
www.suru.fi (addresses, unfortunately the page is only in Finnish)
When then visiting next time Finland, you can visit also the the grave and take either some flowers in the summertime (1.5. - 30.9.) or a grave candle in the wintertime there.
I hope you find help from this and I’m glad to hear you like my blog.