February - Finnish American Cultural Activities
Transcription
February - Finnish American Cultural Activities
Uutiset NEWSLETTER OF THE FINNISH AMERICAN CULTURAL ACTIVITIES, INC. February/Helmikuu 2012 Laskiainen Celebration Laskiainen is Finland’s celebration marking seven weeks before Easter. In England, it’s marked by Shrove Tuesday’s pancake flipping races and in New Orleans, it’s Mardi Gras, both the day before Ash Wednesday and the start of the Lenten period. In Finland, it marks the coming of spring and increasing daylength. Pea soup is traditionally eaten as Finns believed eating heavy foods would guarantee a good crop the following year. Buns filled with almond paste or jam and whipped cream are also traditional. It also marked the start of the long fast of Lent. (The ham bone was turned into a toy by tying it to a string and spinning it around to make a whistling noise.) In southern Ostrobothnia, pannukakku or kropsua (an oven pancake) is served. Shrove Tuesday pancakes are a traditional food in much of Europe, not just England. In modern times, it’s a celebration marked by pea soup, sledding and other outdoor activities. Sledding is connected to flax spinning as Laskianen marked the end of the flax spinning season. Spinning wheels had to be put away and the looms set up as only weaving was permitted during Lent. It was believed that whoever had the longest sled ride down a hill would grow the longest flax fiber. This February we will again serve pea soup. Hernekeitto (pea soup) will be provided by FACA board members. Please bring a dish to share. Program In Brief Laskiainen Friday, February 17 7:30 p.m. International Institute 1694 Como Ave., St. Paul If you need transportation, call Marianne Wargelin (612) 374-2718 If your last name begins with A-F, please bring an appetizer to accompany the soup. Last name beginning G-K: bread Last name beginning L-R, dessert Last name beginning S-Z, salad See you at 7:30! FACA 2011-2012 Board of Directors President: Kara Middleton (952) 237-5857 [email protected] Vice President/Program Chair: Bud Berry (651) 777-6704 [email protected] Secretary: Harlan Stoehr (651) 484-9589 [email protected] Treasurer/Publicity: Edith Boos (612) 522-7708 [email protected] Special Events: Member-at Large: Glen Bay (612) 377-4701 FACA Newsletter Committee Editor: Mary Belanger (218) 839-1566 [email protected] Graphic Design: Beth Jarvis (763) 536-9561 [email protected] Contributing Writers: Kara Middleton, Jeanne Swope, Joan Dwyer, Gil Kinnunen, Ray Piirainen, Erin Belanger, Urho Rahkola President’s Message By Kara Middleton Thanks to all of you who attended the January program featuring Finlandia Foundation grant recipient Melanie Brooks. Melanie delighted us with details from her visit to Finland last summer with a great slideshow exhibiting architectural landmarks, beautiful countryside, and important sites such as the Sibelius Academy. She gave us insight into the extensive music education system in Finland, and performed some very fine modern Finnish music with an assembly of her fellow musicians. We were very impressed by the musical skills of Melanie and her friends, and appreciate the gift of her presentation to us. Thank you, Melanie! I hope you will take advantage of some of the Finnish cultural events in the Twin Cities in these next weeks. On Sunday, February 19, Finnish Culture Through Movies will be showing the film, Täällä Pohjantähden alla II, or Under the North Star II. This is the sequel to the film shown last November. Under the North Star is a novel trilogy by Finnish author Väinö Linna. It follows the life of a Finnish family from 1880 to about 1950, showing how their lives interplayed with the tensions with Russia, the Finnish Civil War, and later the Winter War. The trilogy is considered a classic in Finland. It has been translated into English by Richard Impola, many of whose books are available on our website with the purchase of a gift membership to FACA (but unfortunately not these particular books!). Finnish Culture Through Movies is a great way to explore some Finnish culture without traveling very far. Time and location details are in the calendar section of the newsletter. Hope to see you there! Another event you don’t want to miss is local Finnish-American folk duo Kaivama at the Cedar Cultural Center on Sunday, March 11, at 7:00 p.m. Sara Pajunen and Jonathan Rundman are the members of Kaivama. Their website indicates that they have been touring at a brisk pace these last months! Joining them on March 11 will be Finnish composer and master fiddler Arto Järvelä. Arto is part of the very well-known Järvelä family in Finland – a virtual folk music dynasty – and is a teacher at the Sibelius Academy. This is sure to be a skillful and fun performance. Clips of Kaivama performing with Järvelä are viewable on www.kaivama.com. And as if all of this weren’t enough, take note also that the music of Sibelius will once again ring out from Orchestra Hall on March 16 and 17! The orchestra will perform Sibelius’ Symphony No. 4, with Osmo Vänskä conducting. I know that you all look forward to our Laskiainen celebration every February. Please join us on the 17th for our tradition of pea soup, good conversation and fun! Nähdään siellä! Membership/Mailing: Urho and Pam Rahkola [email protected] (651) 429-3319 Finnish American Cultural Activities, Inc. 2 February 2012 Board Notes Minneapolis-Based Folk Duo Kaivama To Play A Hometown Show By Harold Stoehr Finnish-American musicians Sara Pajunen and Jonathan Rundman of the Nordic-folk duo Kaivama will perform at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis on Sunday, March 11th. The duo returns to the Twin Cities following a 10-day tour across the Great Lakes States with Finnish master-fiddler Arto Järvelä. Violinist Sara Pajunen and multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Rundman, of the folk duo Kaivama, grew up in northwoods cultures of long winters, lakeside saunas, rugged terrain, and solitude. The name Kaivama stems from the Finnish word kaivaa, to delve or dig. Pajunen’s unique prowess on the fiddle and Rundman’s versatility on guitar, harmonium, piano, and banjo allow Kaivama to explore a surprising variety of sonic textures. Audiences from performance halls to folk festivals to rock clubs are captivated by this duo’s instrumental skill and fresh approach in creating music that is alternately joyous, primitive, experimental, haunting, and timehonored. Left to right: Kara Middleton, Edith Boos, Bud Berry, Harold Stroehr, Glen Bay The FACA Board of Directors met January 18, 2012, at Panera Bread, Roseville. Present: Kara Middleton, Glen Bay, Bud Berry, Edith Boos and Harlan Stoehr. The sixth director position is vacant. Minutes of the November 16 meeting were approved and the treasurer’s report received. Since their CD release show at Cedar Cultural Center back in June of 2011, Kaivama has performed for thousands of people across North America. Their tours have taken the duo to San Diego, Seattle, Vancouver BC, Portland, Chicago, Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Birmingham, Atlanta, and Florida. Met with raves from audiences and the media, Kaivama has played live in the studio on Minneapolis’ KARE 11 Today Show, been featured on Finnish television’s Good Morning Finland program, and has been heralded in the Chicago Reader, Chicago Magazine, City Pages (Minneapolis), No Depression, Edina Magazine, the Mining Journal, New World Finn, and other regional publications. Stoehr reported that the bylaws committee, comprised of he and Bay, found that the bylaws as amended at the annual meeting January 19, 1990, meet FACA’s present needs and moved that the bylaws committee be discharged and a copy of its report filed with the secretary’s records. Carried. Stoehr reported that with the board’s provisional approval, he had sent a report of the Pikkujoulu event to the Finnish American Reporter for its January 2012 issue. The secretary was authorized to continue to report FACA news to the Finnish American Reporter as is appropriate. Multi-instrumentalist and composer, Arto Järvelä is one of Finland's most accomplished folk musicians and a third-generation fiddler in the Kaustinen tradition. He has represented Finnish music and culture in more than 30 countries and returns to the United States after previous tours with the legendary Finnish fiddle band JPP, as well as a solo 2009 artist-in-residence position at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. The gift of a one-year FACA membership to the Red River Finns organization at Moorhead, Minn., was authorized. The next board meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m., February 15, at Panera Bread, Roseville. Historical Church Tours Kaivama and Arto Järvelä will perform on Sunday, March 11. Doors open at 7:00 p.m., music begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the all ages show are $15 advance, $18 day of show. The Cedar Cultural Center is located at 416 Cedar Ave S., in Minneapolis. More information at (612) 338-2674 www.thecedar.org/ events/2012/03/11/kaivama-and-arto-järvelä www. artojarvela.net www.kaivama.com Free docent-led public tours of Christ Church Lutheran are offered on the first Sunday of the month at 11:00 a.m., following the 9:30 worship service. Private and group tours may be arranged for other times by emailing [email protected]. The $10 per person fee includes a $5 souvenir booklet about the building. Tour fees go to preserving this National Historic Landmark. Finnish American Cultural Activities, Inc 3 February 2012 Laskiainen Buns Laskiainen Recipes From Patti Schmitz In honor of Laskiainen, here are a few traditional recipes. The first two come from the February 3, 2012 online edition of the Iron Range’s Hometown Focus.us 2 pkgs. yeast ½ cup warm water 1 cup sugar 3 eggs, beaten 2 cups milk, scalded and cooled 3 cups flour ¼ cup butter, melted 1 Tbs. crushed cardamom 1Tbs. salt 5 cups flour Panukkaku (Finnish oven pancake) From Marilyn Matz 3 eggs 1 cup flour ½ tsp. salt 2 Tbs. sugar 2 cups milk 3 Tbs. butter Set oven to 400 degrees, and place a 9 by 13-inch cake pan in oven to heat. Slightly beat eggs, add sugar, salt, milk and flour, mix well. Take hot pan from oven, melt butter in the pan to coat bottom and sides. Pour in batter, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve for breakfast with butter and sugar or syrup. Dissolve yeast in ½ cup warm water. Set aside. Mix milk and three cups flour together, when milk is cool, add yeast mixture. Let stand one hour. Add remaining ingredients, adding one cup of flour at a time. Mix and knead. Let rise one to two hours. Divide dough into three equal portions, shape each portion into a 1 ½ foot-long rope (approximately), and braid together. Let rise again, after rising, brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until nicely brown. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle again with sugar. Flax flower Finnish Creamy Pea Soup (Hernekeitto) Serves about 6 Ingredients: 2 cups dried whole green peas 12 cups water 3 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon flour ½ teaspoon hot mustard salt pepper 1 cup heavy cream VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES FACA needs your ideas and your helping hand. If you can help with any of the committees or events, please return this form. Thanks! Program Newsletter Advertising Membership Scholarship Property Website Meeting Hospitality Visitor Hospitality Library Laskiainen Pikkujoulu Festival of Nations Information Phone Directions: Wash the peas well, then soak in the water overnight. Bring to a boil and cook until tender. Force through a wire strainer, or whirl in a blender to make a very smooth purée. Melt the butter, sir in the flour, then add the puréed peas and the cooking liquid, stirring to make a smooth mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes. Add the mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Whip the cream, and just before serving stir info the hot soup, blending well. Serve garnished with toast cubes or croutons. Name_____________________________ Address___________________________ City/State/Zip_______________________ Phone_ ___________________________ Email _____________________________ Source: The Finnish Cookbook by Beatrice A. Ojakangas Return to FACA, P.O. Box 580708, Minneapolis, MN 55458-0708 or bring to the next program. Finnish American Cultural Activities, Inc 4 February 2012 Paljon Kiitoksia! Readers who would like to contribute to the scholarship fund can send gifts to: Salolampi Foundation, P.O. Box 14480, Minneapolis, MN 55414-0480. Or if contributing on-line is easier for you, donations are accepted at the secure website, www.salolampi.org By: Linda Warpula Davis and Ruthann Rintala Swanson, Co-chairs Salolampi Foundation’s Scholarship Phonathon The Salolampi Finnish Language Village will continue to thrive. Firstly, because several generous gifts were received by the endowment fund, the Salolampi Board approved a $20,000 increase to the automatic scholarship fund for summer youth sessions in 2012. And, second, this year’s scholarship Phonathon was a big success. Volunteer callers reached out to over 1500 households between November 1–3, 2011, bringing in more than $40,000. Kantele Class Come learn how to play the kantele! In six sessions we will learn to play beginning level music for the 5-string kantele. We will cover some history and mythology of the instrument, care and maintenance and discover the many dynamic kantele players of Finland. Here is your chance to learn to play that instrument you may have tucked in a corner somewhere! (Rental options will be available.) The generosity of all of the donors is greatly appreciated and we humbly thank each and every one. The Phonathon could not have been accomplished let alone have been successful without the help of the following: Lutheran Community Foundation This wonderful organization again generously allowed us to use their phones for three evenings of calling free of charge. This enabled 31 volunteers to call across the United States and Canada. In addition, there were 17 people who called from their own homes in many parts of the country. Thank you, thank you, volunteer callers! Come and join us! We will meet Wednesdays 7:008:00 p.m., starting March 7. Cost for 6 sessions: $75.00. On-site callers: Stella Arola, Carole Backman, Marlene Banttari, Junelle Bernard, Sara Ahlgren Bogie, Edith Boos, Ken Daniels, Marlyn Ervasti, Ruth Ervasti, Bernie Fligelman, John Hanson, Richard Harju, Susan Harstad, Curt Jackson, Gil Kinnunen, Lila Koivisto, Aili Kultala, Jim Kultala, Theresa Lund, Dixie Luoma, Wayne Mikkola, Carol Pesola, Pam Rahkola, Seija Rahkola, Urho Rahkola, Bette Ruskanen, Dan Salin, Delores Salin, Adrian Swanson, Arlene Tucker, and Tiina Watts. For more info contact Diane (612) 822-5273, email: [email protected] or also you can email from her website www.dianejarvi.com. ***** Diane Jarvi has played the kantele for over twenty years. An award-winning musician and poet, Jarvi studied kantele at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland. She has recorded five solo CD recordings and is a former member of Koivun Kaiku, a local kantele ensemble. She was a recipient of a McKnightMacphail Performing Fellowship and was named Finlandia Foundation Performer of the Year. Jarvi has given kantele workshops and demonstrations around the country and in Canada. She recently completed a one year residency teaching kantele skills in Cokato. Off-site callers: Elaine and Michael Anuta, White Bear Lake; Joanne Bergman, Angora; Frank Hanson, Raleigh, NC; Kathleen Imbriano, Baltimore, MD; Fran and Ken Lahti, Eveleth; Karen Kakela Michael, Sun Lakes, AZ; Beatrice Myers, Holiday, FL; Marvin Nevala, Amery, WI; Floyd Niskanen, Minneapolis; Mildred Prince, Rochester; Robert Pemberton, Eden Prairie; Jack Rajala, Big Fork; Vergene Ollila Routhe, Shoreview; Mauno Silpala, Edina; Richard Winkky, Horseheads, NY; Julie Wood, Chicago, IL; Mary Wurzer, Darien, IL. Conversational Finnish Class Tuesdays, 4:00-5:25 p.m. St. Anthony Library Corner of Como and Carter Ave. St. Paul Everyone is welcome. For more information, please call Urho Rahkola at ( 651) 429-3319 The annual Salolampi Foundation Phonathon is for the sole purpose of raising funds for scholarships that enable children and adults to experience the unique and special place that is Salolampi Language Village. If you haven’t yet experienced yourself, now is the year to give it a try. Check out the scholarship opportunities for adults on the web site, www.salolampi.org. Finnish American Cultural Activities, Inc 5 February 2012 Program Recap Finnish Flag Days in February Melanie Brooks presented a fast-paced, entertaining program about Finnish music and her summer of 2011 music camp in Finland. Her excellent Powerpoint program included film clips with audio. Melanie and her musical group, (four saxophones, a piano and a tuba) played two high-energy Finnish songs that were perfect for the size of our meeting room. One FACA member said the music could be a FACA program. Two days in February are Finnish flag days. There are two classifications of flag days: one set is those days where flag flying is required by law and the second is when the flag is flown by custom. By Bud Berry Melanie is a music educator who was impressed with Finland’s music education system. She felt that their music teaching and their school are very good. She also became aware that students do not pay for their education with tuition and out of pocket fees because education, including master degree level, are paid by the government. February 5 is the birthday of the national poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg. This is a customary flag day. Runeberg was born February 5, 1804 in Jakobstad (Pietarsaari) on the western coast of Finland. He died at 73 years old on May 6, 1877 in Porvoo. He married his second cousin, Fredrika Tengström, and they had eight children. She managed to find time to write poems and novels, too. When he was eight, he went to live with an uncle in Oulu where he attended school. He later studied at Vaasa and the Imperial Academy of Turku. He received his Master of Arts degree from Helsinki University in 1827 and became a lecturer of Rhetoric in 1830. He moved to Porvoo in 1837 and taught Latin literature in the Gymnasium of Porvoo. Melanie and friends His first book of poetry, Dikter (1830) was about the hardworking, often starving Finns who persisted in spite of hardships. His great epic work Tales of Ensign Stål, written between 1848-1860, was about Sweden’s (Finland) war of 1808-09 against Russia. He extolled the bravery of the soldiers and their patriotism. Sweden lost Finland to Russia and Finland became a Grand Dutchy of Russia. The work lauded Finnish heroism and inspired the promoters of the independence movement. The first poem in the Tales of Ensign Stål , Our Land (Maamme), became the Finnish National Anthem. Marianne Wargelin, Al Norgard, Melanie Brooks and Betsey Norgard Photos by Bud Berry Runeberg was honored with the Swedish Academy’s highest award for poetry in 1839 and he was named a rector of the college in Porvoo in 1847. In 1863, he was injured in a hunting accident and the resulting paralysis left him unable to write. The nation mourned his passing. His house became a museum in 1882. His statue stands in Esplanadi Park located between Finnish American Cultural Activities, Inc 6 February 2012 the market square and Mannerheimintie in Helsinki. Pieniä Paloja In the 1800’s it was common to name cakes after famous people. Runeberg’s Tart was supposedly created for him by a café owner in Porvoo. It is served on his flag day. February 28 is Kalevala Day and also celebrated as the Day of Finnish Culture. Flags are flown by law. Elias Lönnrot (18021884), a folklorist, collected the epic folk poetry that became The Kalevala during three journeys to Karalia in 18311835. The Finnish Literature Society published the book first in 1835. An expanded edition was published in 1849. As part of the patriotic movement, The Kalevala inspired Finns with tales of a heroic past. It inspired writers such as J. R.R. Tolkein, W. B. Yeats, C.S. Lewis and Henry W. Longfellow. It has been translated into at least 45 different languages, and has inspired many Finnish artists including Akseli Gallen-Kallela (who has illustrated it) and Jean Sibelius. Runeberg Tarts (Runebergintorttut) • To: Stella Arola, Jeanne Swope and Judy Mikkola, January servers, kiitos! • Finland’s two remaining presidential candidates, Green League candidate Pekka Haavisto and National Coalition Party candidate Sauli Niinistö have been critical of on-line commentators taking issue with their personal lives. Haavisto said that most of the public has reacted well to the fact that he lives in a registered same-sex relationship with another man. Sauli Niinistö’s wife, who is three decades his junior, has also been noted. Election day is Sunday, February 5th. • The celebrated Finnish orchestral conductor Paavo Berglund died at his home in Helsinki on January 25th, at the age of 82. • The Finnish retail trade’s Christmas sales were strong. It is estimated, sales went up by 4.3 per cent from the year before. • The Finnish bakery and confectionery group Fazer and the game developers Rovio Entertainment are to start making sweets that are related to the immensely popular mobile game Angry Birds. The new confectionery will be available in shops in Finland and other Nordic countries in June. • The image of Finnish fish means the whole world to Russian customers, who consider Finnish food almost a luxury. According to the findings of surveys, Russian consumers have a strong confidence in Finnish food. Russia is the most important export destination for the Finnish food and drink sector. • The Finnish national Under-16 ice hockey team won the gold at first-ever Youth Winter Olympics ice hockey games held recently in Austria. Finland first defeated Canada in the semi-finals and in the Olympic final it was Russia’s turn to succumb. • Around 3.7 million Finns listen to the radio an average of three hours and eight minutes every day. ½ cup butter ½ cup sugar 2 eggs 1 ½ cups sifted white flour ½ tsp. baking powder ½ cup ground almonds Currant jelly (or other fruit jelly) ½ sifted confectioner’s sugar 1-2 Tbsp. hot water Cream butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat at a high speed until creamy. Sift together the flour and baking powder, and add gradually to the batter. Beat in the almonds. Butter and sugar small muffin tins or tart pans and fill about two-thirds full. Bake in a 350° oven for 20 minutes or until pale golden brown. When cool, dot each tart with about ½ teaspoon currant jelly. Outline the jelly, using a small pastry bag, with frosting made by mixing the confectioners’’ sugar and water together into a paste. Makes about 24 small tarts or 12 medium-sized tarts. • Finns placed second, fourth and seventh in the Red Bull Crashed Ice competition held in St. Paul in January. Arttu Pihlainen, last year’s world champion, came in second to a Canadian in a very tight match. From: The Finnish Cookbook by Beatrice Ojakangas Finnish American Cultural Activities, Inc 7 February 2012 Finnish American Cultural Activities, Inc. P.O. Box 580708 Minneapolis, MN 55458-0708 FACA Finnish American Cultural Activities, Inc. is an organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the cross-cultural heritage of Americans with Finnish ancestry. Information: (612) 374-2718, www.finnfaca.org Feb 15 FACA Board Meeting, 7:00 p.m. Panera Bread, Roseville. Feb 17 FACA Program, 7:30 p.m. International Institute, 1694 Como Ave., St. Paul. Feb 24 FACA newsletter copy due. Feb 19 Finnish Culture Through Movies group Täällä Pohjantähden alla II, (Under the North Star II) 6:00 p.m., Christ Church Lutheran, 3244 34th Avenue South, Minneapolis. Feb 25 Finnish Genealogy Group meeting. Topic: reports from members on their recent trips to Finland. Meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. at the Plymouth Apostolic Lutheran Church, 11015 Old County Road 15, Plymouth. www.minnesotafinnish.org click on left menu, Finnish Genealogy Group. Joan Dwyer - dwyers@ ties2.net or (612) 822-0743. Mar 7 Kantele lessons with Diane Jarvi. Students meet six Wednesday evenings 7:00-8:00 p.m. (See page 5). Mar 11 Kaivama on tour with Finnish composer/ instrumentalist Arto Järvelä, 7:00 p.m.Cedar Cultural Center Minneapolis. (See page 3). Mar 16 Osmo Vanska conducts Sibelius, 8:00 p.m. Minnesota Orchestra Hall minneostaorchestra.org July 29 –Aug 4 SISU Finnish Language & Culture Seminar at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. Registration deposits are due before April 30; for more information and registration information contact: Finnish American Cultural Activities, Inc Kathleen Ristinen, Secretary: [email protected] or (740) 592-1157. Facebook group is: SISU Finnish Language & Culture Seminar. Nov 8-11 FinnFest USA 2012, Tucson, Az. www. finnfestusa.org FACA Membership A one-year membership provides you with eight issues of this newsletter, plus other benefits, for $25. To subscribe or renew, complete this form and mail with your check to FACA, P.O. Box 580708, Minneapolis, MN 554580708. (Check mailing label for membership expiration date.) Name________________________________________ Address______________________________________ City/State/Zip__________________________________ Phone_ ______________________________________ Email________________________________________ 8 February 2012