![Winter activities on ice](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Winter_activities_on_ice.jpg)
Laskiainen () is a celebration with
Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
origins, which includes both pagan and ecclesiastic traditions, and is often described as a "mid-winter sliding festival".
In clerical sense, Laskiainen is associated with
Shrove Tuesday
Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent), observed in many Christian countries through participating in confession and absolution, the ritual burning of the previous year's Holy Week palms, finalizing one's Lenten s ...
(a.k.a. Fat Tuesday) and is a celebration of the beginning of
Lent
Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...
that takes place before
Easter
Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...
. In Northern Europe, this tradition has been practiced from at least the 7th century onward, and in
Catholic countries
The Catholic Church is "the Catholic Communion of Churches, both Roman and Eastern, or Oriental, that are in full communion with the Bishop of Rome (the pope)." The church is also known by members as the People of God, the Body of Christ, the " ...
– in form of carnivals – even before that.
Laskiainen in Finland
Etymology
The etymology of the word "laskiainen" has been uncertain. Candidates for the source of the word have been "laskeutua" ("to descend", as in descent to fasting) or "laskea" ("to count", as in counting days until Easter).
[ Oja, Heikki: ''Aikakirja 2007'', p. 147. Almanac office of the ]University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki ( fi, Helsingin yliopisto, sv, Helsingfors universitet, abbreviated UH) is a public research university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but founded in the city of Turku (in Swedish ''Åbo'') in 1640 as the ...
, 2007.
Online version
(PDF), accessed on 23 April 2010. According to a third proposal, the word comes from the old
Romance
Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to:
Common meanings
* Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings
* Romance languages, ...
term ''carne lasciare'' ("to leave meat"), with the latter part having changed into a Finnish form.
As Laskiainen is called "fettisdag" ("fatty tuesday") in
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
after the
French name "
Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras (, ) refers to events of the Carnival celebration, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is known as Shrove Tuesday. is French for "Fat ...
", one possible explanation for the Finnish name is simply "läskitiistai" ("fatty Tuesday"). The
Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
word "läski" comes from the Swedish word "fläsk" meaning pork meat and pork fat. "Fläsktisdag" is also part of Swedish culinary traditions.
Traditions
![Cream puff](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/Cream_puff.jpg)
The traditions of Laskiainen consist largely of merrymaking and feasts.
Many of the Finnish Laskiainen traditions are probably based from an old work feast, where women stopped altering
linen
Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant.
Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also ...
,
hemp
Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial or medicinal use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest growing plants o ...
and
wool
Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool.
As ...
and
spinning
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
them into
yarn
Yarn is a long continuous length of interlocked fibres, used in sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery, ropemaking, and the production of textiles. Thread is a type of yarn intended for sewing by hand or machine. Modern manufact ...
. Surviving old Laskiainen traditions include downhill sled riding and riding a sled around a pole. Laskiainen is no longer connected with the growth of linen, but is instead a feast of saying goodbye to the dark
winter
Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Different cultures ...
and waiting for
spring
Spring(s) may refer to:
Common uses
* Spring (season), a season of the year
* Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy
* Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water
* Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a ...
.
[Nieminen, Kirsti]
"Laskiainen laulattaa, siansorkka naurattaa"
(archived). ''Ajastaika 1/2002'', Ajasto. Accessed on 15 February 2015.
After the
Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
, Finns no longer observed fasting, but many beliefs and restrictions stayed in the people's minds. Laskiainen remained a peasant work feast, most importantly as a day belonging to women's work. An ancient European New Year's Day is situated aroung Laskiainen, which has led to many folk beliefs and spells connected to it in historical Finland. Work had to be stopped early in the afternoon on Laskiainen, in order for work to succeed for the rest of the year. The time for
sauna
A sauna (, ), or sudatory, is a small room or building designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these facilities. The steam and high heat make the bathers perspire. A thermometer in a ...
was during daylight and bathers had to be quiet in the sauna.
[Vuotuisjuhlat: Laskiainen](_blank)
. Helsinki: Finnish literature society
The Finnish Literature Society ( fi, Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura ry or fi, SKS) was founded in 1831 to promote literature written in Finnish. Among its first publications was the ''Kalevala'', the Finnish national epic
A national epic ...
. Accessed on 6 February 2019.
Food
![Hernekeitto](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Hernekeitto.jpg)
Food-items typically enjoyed in Finland in Laskiainen include in many cases
pea soup
Pea soup or split pea soup is soup made typically from dried peas, such as the split pea. It is, with variations, a part of the cuisine of many cultures. It is most often greyish-green or yellow in color depending on the regional variety of pe ...
with ham, and cheeses.
In the old times, Laskiainen was a time to eat hearty amounts of meat, because the next opportunity to eat meat only came on Easter after fasting. Traditional Laskiainen foods included fatty "rieska" bread and meat soup. The "rieska" bread was made from
barley
Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley pr ...
and spiced with pork fat. The meat soup was cooked from
pea
The pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the flowering plant species ''Pisum sativum''. Each pod contains several peas, which can be green or yellow. Botanically, pea pods are fruit, since they contain seeds and d ...
s and
rye grain and spiced with pig feet or pig head. The soup was also called pig foot soup.
Desserts are also an integral part of Laskiainen. The best-known after-meal dessert of Laskiainen, often enjoyed either with coffee or tea, is ''
laskiaispulla'', which is a sweet roll filled with
almond paste
Almond paste is made from ground almonds or almond meal and sugar in equal quantities, with small amounts of cooking oil, beaten eggs, heavy cream or corn syrup added as a binder. It is similar to ''marzipan'', but has a coarser texture. Almond pa ...
or strawberry jam, and whipped cream. This pastry started becoming common in the 19th century.
[Karjalainen, Sirpa: ''Juhlan aika: Suomalaisia vuotuisperinteitä''. Helsinki: WSOY, 1994. .]
There were also beliefs about food. Most importantly, food had to be fatty. The more fat glistened on people's fingers and mouths, the more milk the cows gave and the fattier the pigs got. Greasy fingers should not be wiped clean, instead the grease had to be left to clean away on its own. This guaranteed good skills with a scythe. Those who licked their fingers would wound themselves with a scythe. When food was left on the table for the whole day, this guaranteed plenty of food for the rest of the year.
[Savolainen, Irma]
Laskiainen ja tuhkakeskiviikko
(archived page). City Museum of Helsinki
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
. Accessed on 15 February 2015.
Laskiainen in North America
In
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
too, it is traditional in Laskiainen to have a meal of split-pea soup with ham, and for amusement – as in Finland – to slide down a hill on either snow-covered or iced tracks, often on
toboggan
A toboggan is a simple sled traditionally used by children. It is also a traditional form of transport used by the Innu and Cree of northern Canada.
In modern times, it is used on snow to carry one or more people (often children) down a hill o ...
s.
One of the places where Laskiainen is celebrated outside
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
in form of an annual festival is the community of
Palo
Palo may refer to:
Places
* Palo, Argentina, a village in Argentina
* Palo, Estonia, village in Meremäe Parish, Võru County, Estonia
* Palo, Huesca, municipality in the province of Huesca, Spain
* Palo, Iowa, United States, a town located wit ...
, located between
Aurora
An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...
and
Makinen on the shores of Loon Lake in
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
. With this celebration, Palo is the home for one of the longest continuously-held annual Finnish-American festivals in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, others being e.g. various
Saint Urho's Day
Saint Urho ( fi, Pyhä Urho ) is a fictional saint of Finland, created and elaborated by Finnish Americans in Northern Minnesota in the 1950s, to celebrate their heritage and extend celebrations of St. Patrick's Day. His celebration day is set to ...
festivals held each March 16 both in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
and the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, and the
FinnFest USA
FinnFest USA is an annual festival, typically held in the summer, in locations throughout the United States, United States of America. Aiming to celebrate Finland, Finnish America, and Finnish culture, the festival is organized by a 501(c)(3) non ...
festivals, which have taken place in locations throughout the United States, typically hosted by communities with connections to Finnish-American cultural history.
Many Finnish-North-American groups and clubs host various Laskiainen celebrations, but the large one which developed and became more organized in Palo in the 1930s is notable for both its size and longevity.
[All around the year: holidays and celebrations in American life By Jack Santino (starting on page 87)]
References
{{Reflist
European culture
Finnish culture
Public holidays in Finland
Finnish-American history
Holidays based on the date of Easter
Mardi Gras
de:Fastnachtsdienstag
es:Martes de Carnaval
et:Vastlapäev
fi:Laskiainen
fr:Mardi gras
ru:масленица
sv:Fettisdagen