Kalevala Day musings

 

The first verses of the Kalevala in Finnish...

... and their beautiful translation into French by Gabriel Rebourcet.

It's the Kalevala Day today! 

Time to celebrate the Finnish culture and the Kalevala, our national epic. 

 

For those of you who may not know, the Kalevala is a compilation of Karealian and Finnish oral folklore and mythology, full of intrigue and strong characters, assembled by Elias Lönnrot in early 19th century. It's one of the most significant works of Finnish literature, having played an essential role in the development of the Finnish national identity, both culturally and language-wise, leading the way to an independent nation.

 

The Kalevala poetry, sang in simple melodies, was composed in an archaic tetrameter. Certainly not an easy task for any translator, but so far the Kalevala has already been translated into over 60 languages - we should probably be celebrating the translators too today!

The sad thing of course is that the rune singers have disappeared one by one (there is only one left now and he's already over 90 years old). However, the Kalevalean tradition still lives on in the Finnish culture, in the names of business companies, people and places and in the arts and literature. 

As for me, I'll continue amusing my French students by singing Kalevala runes in the classroom...

On a lighter note, if you want to find out which Kalevala character you resemble most, have a look here (in English) or here (in Finnish). Hyvää Kalevalan ja suomalaisen kulttuurin päivää!

DIY: Coudières dentelle

Photo: Des Petits Hauts

We all have our favourite pieces of clothing. You know, the ones that are so comfortable and lovely and easy to wear that if you could, you'd use them every day. The same old cardigan or dress or sweater you always return to, even though it clearly has passed its best-before date ages ago and even though you've probably got plenty of newer ones in your wardrobe. Still, you keep wearing them until they literally fall into pieces.

Well, at least I do. For example, I've got a couple of cardigans I've bought a few years back and which really are no longer wearable (anywhere in public anyway). Let's just say that while I adore the softness of 100 % cashmere, it's not actually the most durable of fabrics and... But since I have fond feelings for those cardigans, they're still waiting in my wardrobe for better days to come.

However, while skipping through the new summer collection of Des Petits Hauts (and dreaming of warmer days), I stumbled upon their DIY pictures of cute elbow pads in lace. Such a simple idea that I should have thought about it a long time ago... So first thing tomorrow, I'm off to buy some lace - shouldn't be too difficult a task, given that we're in the promised land of dentelle!

27 hours

In a few hours I'm going to hop on the train again. Finland is a country of great distances, even when you're travelling by plane and even more so when you travel by car, bus or train - the night train between Helsinki and Rovaniemi, for example, takes about 12 hours, so you'd better not be in a hurry.

I don't mind the train though - it is a more ecological way of travelling and, in its slowness, much more nostalgic. You're not only travelling in space, but very much in time too. 

So bye bye, Lapland and hello there, Normandy - see you in about 27 hours!

Powder your face with sunshine

Powder your face with sunshine

Put on a great big smile
Make up your eyes with laughter
Folks will be laughing with you in a little while

 Whistle a tune of gladness 

Blue never was in style 

The future's brighter when hearts are lighter

So smile smile smile

Powder your face with sunshine
Put on a great big smile
Make up your eyes with laughter
Folks will be laughing with you in a little while

Whistle a tune of gladness 
Blue never was in style 
The future's brighter when hearts are lighter 
Future's brighter, hearts are lighter 
When you're wearing a great big smile

Chocolat lapon

We had a mother-daughter day today. We spent our day pampering ourselves in the capital of Lapland - having a massage, going to the hairdresser's, taking our time in the shops (not really looking for anything though)...

At the end of the day we enjoyed a yummy cup of hot orange chocolate at Rovaniemi's newest café, Choco Deli. Funnily enough, it also turned out to be the most northernmost French-style chocolatier and bakery in the world - albeit with Lappish specialities, such as cloudberry chocolate (mmm...).

Note to myself: hand-made chocolate from Lapland, not a bad idea for a gift! 

PS. Merry Finnish Mardi Gras!

A girl with woollen socks

How do you recognise a Finn abroad? No, I'm not talking about the obvious, the blond hair or the blue eyes nor the social awkwardness we're famous for (you may have heard the joke about the Finnish people's good language skills - we know how to keep quiet in several languages...). 

No, I'm not talking about anything as typical - I don't even fit the stereotype myself. I'm talking about woollen socks!

Take a group of friends at a soirée and have a look at their feet. The only one who has taken off his or her shoes and is standing there in woollen socks amongst pretty boots and masculine walking shoes - yes, in all likelihood it's a Finn who's just made him/herself at home.

I'm a woollen sock girl. I wear them all the time. At home, at work, while travelling, sometimes even when I'm sleeping. And yes, it's often me, the weirdo in woollen socks at a party. :)

As it happens, I knit most of my socks myself. Here's my newest design I started working on two days ago, using some left-over wool from earlier sock projects (offered to unsuspecting victims as Christmas and birthday presents - I'm doing my best to try and spread the joyful message of woollen socks all over the world...).

I do like knitting in the wintertime. It's in many ways a therapeutic activity. And I especially like knitting socks: it only takes a few days to get a pair of them ready and they're sure to keep your feet warm wherever you are. A perfect little winter holiday passe-temps - and so very useful!

A walk in the countryside

After two weeks of endlessly sneezing and coughing and blowing one's nose and an entire Friday spent in bed (thanks to the visit of my old friend, migraine), man, was I glad to finally be able get some fresh air yesterday. And a beautiful, sunny day it was. Perfect for a little walk in the countryside.

There is something very healing about walking in the nature and the French countryside is very beautiful, even in the wintertime (yes, this is winter here - the little puddles are frozen, you see). 

Perhaps I've watched a few too many fantasy films when I was little, but what with the bare tall trees filtering the sunlight with their high branches and the little brooks and streams zigzagging across the swamps and fields I often feel like I'm walking in an enchanted forest - even when I'm just on a muddy path a couple of steps from two neighbouring villages (the civilisation is never too far away in France).

Blame it on ivy, I guess.