Basic info on our four annual festivities
Dec 15, 2018 9:06:40 GMT
Post by Miika on Dec 15, 2018 9:06:40 GMT
Karhun kansa organizes four big annual ceremonies and associated feasts. These are:
1) Kekri (or köyri), which marks the end of the year, and start of a special time when the world gets darker, as the days get significantly shorter. Typical time for kekri is very late October or early November. Emphasis is on the reverence of the dead of the family and one´s community, and enjoying the fruits of the harvest, start of fall hunting etc. This is time when the veil between living and the dead gets thin, so it is good time for asking guidance from those who have travelled to the underworld (alinen) or land of the dead (manala = under-earth, tuonela = over-there place) or spirit world (tuonilmainen = over-there-air). Protection against strange and unknown death-powers must also be taken into account. These väki-powers of alien death-powers are collectively called as kalma. One big part of the ceremony apart from feasts and reverence of the dead and giving offerings to them, is a big kekri-fire, which keeps the väki of living and väki of the dead appropriately apart.
Between kekri and the following talvennapa (see below) we have the darkest time of the year, which is characterized by conserving one´s strength, indoor activities, and feast around the winter solstice (christmas).
2) Talvennapa or "navel of the winter" or "midwinter". This celebration takes place in late January or early February, way before the March equinox. This coldest time of the year is the time when "the bear turns his side in his winter den", and when "the back of the winter is broken". One can associate the latter event with how the linnunrata ("path of the birds", ie. Milky Way) is positioned in the night sky. Linnunrata also depicts the world tree, and it is at this time when the split in the trunk (of the linnunrata tree) is at the highest point. So we go to the forest and symbolically cut down the world tree, while singing an appropriate song. We also make noise as we return indoors (perhaps it is because of this noise that the bear turns?), and make all new fires inside. This symbolises our hopes that the light will eventually return, and the winter will end. The reason for all the darkness during midwinter is due to the world tree growing so large, that its top traps the sun (päivä). As we cut down the world tree, she is free again, and the light can return. This time marks the time when the world tree starts growing again...
Between talvennapa and the following ukonvakat we have selkäviikot (back weeks), that are characterized with returning light and lots of winter chores, hunting and so on.
3) Ukonvakat or "cermonial offering cointainer of Ukko". This is performed in May, and it is full of ideas and hopes for new life for humans and the whole nature, great future harvest, enough rain (but not too much), sex and lust (lempi or väki-power of love, kirki or väki-power of lust, kirkinen = haltija spirit of lust) etc. Again, great fire is lit, many fertility & love & sex spells and magic performed, feast is organized and so on... This is time for planting for many important crops, edibles, medicine etc.
Between ukonvakat and the following karhunpäivä we have midsummer celebration with its great "eagle bonfire" (bonfire is called kokko, which means eagle), and feasts.
4) Karhunpäivä or "bear day", around 13th of July. This is the calendar opposite of talvennapa, and it is the warmest time of the year (just as talvennapa is the coldest). As the bear hunt from winter den was prohibited in 1964, karhunpäivä is now the time when we celebrate the bear as our ancestor, we sing the birth of bear, give offerings to the bear, and so on. This is not any time for bear hunting, so bear meat is not on offer. (The modern hunt starts at the start of August.) Many ceremonies at this time are from the ancient karhunpeijaiset (bear funeral) ceremony that was traditionally held in midwinter. Karhunpeijaiset is basically the most important aspect of our bear cult, and it would be impossible to miss it alltogether. That is why we have moved much of its ceremonialism to karhunpäivä, a day that some sources talk about as the "birthday of the bear".
Between karhunpäivä and kekri is fantastic late summer in Finland, with lots to do. Socializing, fishing, work, crafts, tending the garden... Main harvest is approaching.
1) Kekri (or köyri), which marks the end of the year, and start of a special time when the world gets darker, as the days get significantly shorter. Typical time for kekri is very late October or early November. Emphasis is on the reverence of the dead of the family and one´s community, and enjoying the fruits of the harvest, start of fall hunting etc. This is time when the veil between living and the dead gets thin, so it is good time for asking guidance from those who have travelled to the underworld (alinen) or land of the dead (manala = under-earth, tuonela = over-there place) or spirit world (tuonilmainen = over-there-air). Protection against strange and unknown death-powers must also be taken into account. These väki-powers of alien death-powers are collectively called as kalma. One big part of the ceremony apart from feasts and reverence of the dead and giving offerings to them, is a big kekri-fire, which keeps the väki of living and väki of the dead appropriately apart.
Between kekri and the following talvennapa (see below) we have the darkest time of the year, which is characterized by conserving one´s strength, indoor activities, and feast around the winter solstice (christmas).
2) Talvennapa or "navel of the winter" or "midwinter". This celebration takes place in late January or early February, way before the March equinox. This coldest time of the year is the time when "the bear turns his side in his winter den", and when "the back of the winter is broken". One can associate the latter event with how the linnunrata ("path of the birds", ie. Milky Way) is positioned in the night sky. Linnunrata also depicts the world tree, and it is at this time when the split in the trunk (of the linnunrata tree) is at the highest point. So we go to the forest and symbolically cut down the world tree, while singing an appropriate song. We also make noise as we return indoors (perhaps it is because of this noise that the bear turns?), and make all new fires inside. This symbolises our hopes that the light will eventually return, and the winter will end. The reason for all the darkness during midwinter is due to the world tree growing so large, that its top traps the sun (päivä). As we cut down the world tree, she is free again, and the light can return. This time marks the time when the world tree starts growing again...
Between talvennapa and the following ukonvakat we have selkäviikot (back weeks), that are characterized with returning light and lots of winter chores, hunting and so on.
3) Ukonvakat or "cermonial offering cointainer of Ukko". This is performed in May, and it is full of ideas and hopes for new life for humans and the whole nature, great future harvest, enough rain (but not too much), sex and lust (lempi or väki-power of love, kirki or väki-power of lust, kirkinen = haltija spirit of lust) etc. Again, great fire is lit, many fertility & love & sex spells and magic performed, feast is organized and so on... This is time for planting for many important crops, edibles, medicine etc.
Between ukonvakat and the following karhunpäivä we have midsummer celebration with its great "eagle bonfire" (bonfire is called kokko, which means eagle), and feasts.
4) Karhunpäivä or "bear day", around 13th of July. This is the calendar opposite of talvennapa, and it is the warmest time of the year (just as talvennapa is the coldest). As the bear hunt from winter den was prohibited in 1964, karhunpäivä is now the time when we celebrate the bear as our ancestor, we sing the birth of bear, give offerings to the bear, and so on. This is not any time for bear hunting, so bear meat is not on offer. (The modern hunt starts at the start of August.) Many ceremonies at this time are from the ancient karhunpeijaiset (bear funeral) ceremony that was traditionally held in midwinter. Karhunpeijaiset is basically the most important aspect of our bear cult, and it would be impossible to miss it alltogether. That is why we have moved much of its ceremonialism to karhunpäivä, a day that some sources talk about as the "birthday of the bear".
Between karhunpäivä and kekri is fantastic late summer in Finland, with lots to do. Socializing, fishing, work, crafts, tending the garden... Main harvest is approaching.