Winter Solstice

December 22, 2020  •  Leave a Comment

 

30A80929-71ED-451B-83E2-01BBE48E847A30A80929-71ED-451B-83E2-01BBE48E847A  On Tuesday we experienced the Winter Solstice which is the shortest day of the year and the arrival of winter. My ancestors are from Finland and my recent DNA test confirmed that 90% of my genetics come from Finland. I grew up in a small town in Upper Michigan, a Finnish community where people often spoke Finnish. While I don't speak Finnish, I enjoyed listening to my mother and her friends revert to speaking Finnish when they didn't want me to know what they were talking about. My grandmother Mary never learned English and my mother, Vienna learned English when she went to school. When I was young, I asked my mother why she didn't teach me Finnish and she said I was an American.

In ancient times, Finland celebrated the Winter Solstice with countless different tribes across the northern hemisphere. People's lives were connected to the land and the change of seasons. Winter Solstice was an important event as it's when the sun is as far from the earth as possible and thus, this day meant that each day forward the fun would get closer to the planet. The Finns celebrate Winter Solstice with festivals, family feasting, singing and dancing around the fire. When I visited Finland a few years ago, I felt very much at home listening to the language, drinking strong coffee, and every house having a sauna. Growing up, my family heated the sauna every Wednesday and Saturday. A tradition that the Finns brought to the Upper Peninsula.

As we move toward Christmas, I wanted to take this opportunity to say Thank You for your support of my business and I wish you and your family a healthy Christmas and New Year.


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