Easter fires

Bonfires play a major part in two Finnish celebrations, the more popular is the Mid-Summer bonfire, whilst the Easter bonfire, lit on the evening of Holy Saturday.

Here in Finland, Easter Saturday or Holy Saturday used to be called Lanka Lauantai or roughly translated Thread Saturday. It is on this night that bonfires are burnt to bring luck for the summer and to ward away trolls, witches and evil spirits. Originally this was done only in certain parts of Finland especially Ostrobothinia, but now it has spread to most of the country. Today it is a fun evening out, but for the Ancient Finns it was a very important part of the folklore calendar.

 

The old book of traditions tells a few of the old beliefs associated with Holy Saturday, for instance it tells that the men folk of the village would spend the day collecting the wood to be burnt and stacking it on a high place that could be seen for kilometres. All the branches, logs, and any wooden implement broken over the wintertime, not forgetting the remains of the Christmas tree were placed on the stack. In the evening after Sauna the families would dress and gather by the stack ready to light the bonfire. The bravest would climb to the top of the stack and light the fire before climbing quickly down again. Feasting, dancing and all manner of celebrations would commence for as long as the fire burns. Sometimes the fire would last late into the night almost to the next morning.

Another tradition concerned the cattle, the old book tells that it was on Holy Saturday when the cattle should be shown the way home from the fields. If this is done then, during the summer the farmer could call the cows in the evening and they would be able to find their own way home without having to be fetched or herded.

Some stones and rocks were believed to be trolls, if a stone was suspected of being a troll, on Easter Saturday it was taken to the sauna and heated in the oven before being thrown into cold water. If it squealed or broke, then it was a troll, my wife's Aunt remembered doing this when she was a child.

Many people also remember their departed loved ones at Easter by taking candles to the cemeteries. This tradition is also done on Christmas Eve and All Souls day, sometimes the there are so many candles that the cemetery is as bright as daylight.