Kaappi kuin kaappi

Savusauna at Taiska's cottage in Sysmä (hatch for the outgoing smoke & incoming candle light)

My mom was born in a savusauna in 1945 near the place were Kekkonen is from. Perhaps you know the place perhaps you don't - that's not relevant... Relevant is the next question that was made to my mom when she told the story of her being only 1.9kg and coming to the world only after 7 months in the safety of my grandmother's womb. the question was: 'Oliko siellä keskoskaappi?' (=was there an incubator?)

How detached are we from the reality that in 1945 in the middle of nowhere (7km from the main road to the nearest village, which is approximately 30km away) in a savusauna the last thing there could have been is an incubator, unless the Doctor travelling in a blue phone box brought it there! The next question was: 'No oliko siellä edes kätilö?' (= was there a midwife then?) Yes, the old hag from the neighbour's house, said my mom... The title 'Kaappi kuin kaappi' (= Cupboard as a cupboard) refers mainly to the savusauna acting as 1940's model of an incubator for her (and many others!)

P.S. Emmdee is now on his 'kaappimopo' on the way to kesämökki & 'rapujuhlat' (= cray fish party) for the weekend... Only 130km to go... I'll gladly wait for the Meze to pick me up. Have a good weekend you all!

1 - Joulutonttu

Joulutontut toiminnassa / Santa's little helpers in action (by Mauri Kunnas)

Joulutonttu ilmestyi suomalaisiin uskomuksiin 1800-luvun lopulla. Jouluna haltiatonttua muistettiin kupillisella ohrapuuroa. Ennen uskottiin, että jos ei hoitanut omaa tonttiansa ja jättänyt kuistille ruokaa tontuille, tontut saattoivat pistää tontin säpäleiksi tai tuhota kasvimaat. Aikamoisia heppuja nämä tontut! Tarujen mukaan hiippalakkipäiset pikkuihmiset eli joulutontut jakoivat ennen vanhaan lahjoja omatoimisesti, mutta nykyään ne mielletään joulupukin apulaisiksi. Joulutonttujen kerrotaan tarkkailevan piilopaikoistaan lapsia selvittääkseen, ovatko nämä oleet kilttejä... Ehkäpä monen aikuisenkin sietäisi käyttäytyä joulun alla (jos ei muuten kykene)... Tontut ja joulupukki tuovat sitten jouluaattona lahjoja niille, jotka ovat olleet kilttejä.

'Joulutonttu' appeared in the Finnish beliefs in the late 1800. People honoured the elfs by offering them a steaming bowl of porridge, as it was believed that if you didn't take care of your own house and plot and if you did not leave food for the elfs, they might make havock in the yard or destroy the allotmets. Interesting creatures these tonttus! According to the myth the little creatures with pointy ears gave out presents themselves. Nowadays they seem to help the Santa. Have you seen the santa's little helpers around this year? Admittedly they are busy this time of the year, but they are still around, asking: 'Onko täällä kilttejä lapsia?' (= Is there any nice children here?)... Also the adults should try to excersise their best behaviour during December...

Joulutonttu could even be behind you as you are reading this first joulukalenteri blog... There's no point to turn aroundthough - They would have vanished already!

Is he peeping into your life?

Ruotsalaisuuden päivä

- Perkele! Onko minun pakko tehdä kaikki itse? Tänään on Ruotsalaisuuden päivä, missä oli lippun? Ajattelen jotkut henkilöt ovat unohtaneet kuka tekee hölynpölyn sähkösanat tulevat tietokoneltä. Se on minä! Sähkötonttu, on asunut teidän bloggissa. Tottakai, nykypäivän ihmiset eivät muista meitä koskaan. Ennen muinoin suomalaiset syöttivät leipää ja maitoa kotitonttuun, mutta nyt... ei mitään! 

Sämpylä

Sämpylä

Well not quite made the next day (see New Experiences, Old Ways), but baked for breakfast a few days later:

Sämpylä

here is the bread
made from the flour
ground by hand
at Sysmä's fair
with Taiska's dad

keeps tradition alive

[edited 18/8/08]

New experiences, old ways

Smoke Sauna

Having visited Finland half a dozen times I've already experienced some of the more obvious (perhaps stereotyped) parts of Finnish culture and cuisine: like taking saunas and eating reindeer. But the start of this trip has given me the chance to try some new (to me) Finnish traditions.

We had been invited to visit at Konna's laid-back friend Taiska's family cottage - this worked quite well for us as it is on the route to Kesälahti from Helsinki - so we decided to stop over on the way. We were warned that T's mum had a reputation for providing a very generous spread, and we weren't disappointed. Included in the feast was roast elk (hirvipaisti), a bit like beef but richer, softer and almost crumbly, and which I found out later T's dad said he had a close relationship with, meaning he had hunted it himself.

T & family have been building additions and improvements every summer for years, the latest being a Kota (a sort of teepee shaped hut) but more importantly they have a savusauna (smoke sauna) which is 
the old way to heat a sauna using the smoke from the burning wood not 
just the heat for the stones and water. This gives a much 'softer' and more mellow sauna, less harsh löyly (steamy heat 
that comes from throwing water on the stove) particularly compared to 
modern electric stoves; the drawbacks are it takes a long time to heat 
(as all the heat is stored in the massive brick stove as it can't be 
burning while you use it), and smoke=soot so touch any surface and you 
get equally sooty. Not only was the sauna itself different, but for 
the first time this was taken by me with a group of Finnish males, 
including an enthusiastic and talkative rock singer, and a more 
phlegmatic T's dad; so none of that self conscious modesty needed ... 
To cap off this cultural social experience we also drank sahti (an
acquired taste - being a sort of prototype for beer with no hops and very strong) between sessions. I think I'll stick to the Lapin Kulta.  

The next day, after sleeping in an 18th century log out building 
(aitta), we went to the local town's Uotinpäivät (which is a fair that 
commemorates the Viking Olaf's involvement in the area) where amongst 
the stalls selling birch bark baskets, fake crocs, felt shoes, and 
lehtuja (fake crepes) I got the chance to hand grind some flour on T's 
Dad’s stall. And tomorrow we'll make sämpylä (something like bread rolls)...

[edited 18/8/08]