From the Borderlands of Weather Prophecy and Nonsense

FROM THE BORDERLANDS OF WEATHER PROPHECY AND NONSENSE

Finnish summer is beautiful. But short. There it was, once again. A reminder burned into our national self-image, like fiery letters in the cycle of the year, so that the truth would not be forgotten.

The motto is a hint read from the end of the first part of the Under the North Star epic, signaling the beginning of Akseli and Elina's later adversities and those of the Pentinkulma village community after their wedding. It also opens up more broadly: it encourages reflection on the meaning and purpose of time and existence, the comparison of summer to life, or whatever an independent hammock-thinker can come up with.

The Finnish summer is short, but with little snow. This, too, is well known, though it seems to be a slightly more recent layer, having emerged from popular discourse at least since the 1980s. Instead of slow philosophizing, it possesses a brisk driving force and an unadulterated, gallows-humor worldview.

Domestic summer romance has typically been sustained by the nostalgia of outdoor dances, sauna, boating – and, of course, the turbocharged grilling imagery of the advertising world. Fishing, outdoor games, Summer Theatre, and summer markets are also part of the picture. But hardly any of these are weather-independent.

The limitation inherent in our summer, the unpredictability of favorable weather, change, and finally the brevity of even a hot summer's warmth, does not seem to have been a good starting point for creative development, except in fiction and aphorisms. Could something original and new still be extracted from any weather, fearlessly refined to even become a part of local tourism and events?

Summer Activities are generally understood as implementations that operate under the conditions of warm, calm, and sunny weather. For many, they are. But if we shift our gaze from busywork, moving on water, or long day treks to simply being, something new might begin to emerge.

How would Parikkala's Poutapäivät (Fair Weather Days) sound to summer tourists who have already seen everything but haven't experienced enough unnecessary doing and idle fiddling? Or would it be better to christen them Pilvipoutapäivät (Cloudy Fair Weather Days) and leave the sunshine to Kesälahti, once called the sun community?

The main arena would, of course, be found in a suitable spot off the beaten path of Poutala village. But what about the program? Here, at least, is Torkkelinnotko, where, according to folklore, even Torkkeli Knuutinpoika's horse, the founder of Vyborg, once tumbled while riding past.

From this story, an ancient seminar could be launched, surpassing even Imatra's semiotics days, as an annual review of unscientific folk explanations of place names. On top of this, a competition where the best tumble into the ravine from the saddle is awarded. As a side program, haymaking with poor equipment. The winner is the one whose rotten pole, packed with a single-pronged pitchfork, remains standing last.

But the weather proviso. In case of rain, the event moves to the northern end, where it is replaced by the Saaren Sateiset (Rainy Saari) festival. Local lore recalls an instance where a haymaker, having already gathered but wet hay, defied the spirits of the air by spreading it again like a rainmaker, exclaiming: 'Sua nyt suatana!' (You damn devil!). In the event of muatiinen, or light continuous rain, teams continue with a tug-of-war from opposite sides of the canals. Losing won't bother you as much when you're already wet.

Thunderstorms cannot be avoided, so this weather type must also be considered, even though a continuous season is as rare as a Midsummer heatwave. The timing naturally leads to Uukuniemi, where the pagan Ukon vakat sacrificial feast perhaps endured the longest. Uukuniemen Ukostelut would modernize the ancient ritual feast, where Papinniemi returns for a few days to being Ukonniemi.

Beer flows as in ancient times: whoever gets most drunk gets good rain and the best harvest. Other things are also like Agricola's description from the 16th century: 'sijtte paljo Häpie sielle techtin quin seke cwltin ette nechtin' (then much shame was done there, as was heard and seen). As an update, a busload of Imatra residents is ordered to explain why Ukonniemi is femininely called Ukoska there? And an appropriate scholar to confirm that it is not, after all, a rare remnant, i.e., Rauni, Ukko's wife in the mythical divine couple?

As beach fish evenings, village festivals, markets, and the like become increasingly rare even in the northern part of the province, summer event organizers should adapt. After all, Joutsa's Joutopäivät (Idle Days) and Puolanka's Pessimismipäivät (Pessimism Days) also originated somewhere. And where will we be in the summer of 2021!

-Rajamaisteri