Akseli and Anders

Akseli Gallen-Kallela ( 1865 – 1931) was a Finnish painter who is best known for his illustrations of the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic . His work is considered very important for the Finnish national identity. 

 Wilderness lake, 1889.

The First Lesson, 1889

Rowing to the shore

K

The Sauna. 1889

Christmas traditions

Christmas Sauna

 Kaatina Toivanen, Finnish illustrator

Kaarina Toivanen (b. 1959) is one of Finland's most famous postcard artists. There is a lot of rural spirit, traditions and nature in her csrds like pictures of animals, gnomes, but the artist's favorite subject is elves.

 Minna Immonen, Finnish illustrator

Minna L. Immonen (b.1964) is also one of the most popular Finnish visual artists, known especially for her postcards.

Sent by Kirsi on 31 Oct, 2022 from Lahti, Finland

Christmas porridge

Jenny Nyström, Swedish illustrator

Christmas tree

Lars Carlsson, Swedish illustrator

Santa Claus is coming 

Illustration Lisi Martin

Finnish Sauna

The Finnish sauna  is a substantial part of Finnish and Estonian culture.

It was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists at the December 17, 2020 meeting of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The word sauna itself is of Finnish origin.

Finnish vihta  is made of birch. It is used in traditional sauna-bathing for massage and stimulation of the skin.

 

Advent Calendar Day 22. - Christmas Sauna

Whose turn is it? by Virpi pekkala

 Sauna Hat by Virpi Pekkala

Barrel sauna by Kaarina Toivanen

Warming up the sauna on Christmas is an ancient custom in Finland. Most Finns have a tradition of going to sauna to bathe and relax before attending the Christmas Eve celebrations.

Sauna sausage!

An old Finnish idiom  " Puhtaus on puoli ruokaa"  - "Cleanliness is half a meal"

There's always room for three sausages, especially when you're hungry

Roasting sausages either on open fire or in tin foil directly on the stove is a key part of the summer sauna evening.

This is my entry for Maria's "Postcards for the Weekend" on her "Connections to the World-blog" and the theme for this week is "Food".