Midsummer Madness

IN CONTRAST to the thronged streets of vappu, Midsummer, aka juhannus, sees Finland’s towns and cities deserted. Signalling the start to many summer holidays and the opening of the season of fresh Finnish vegetables, fruits and berries, juhannus is probably Finland’s greatest festival of the year.

The celebration of the summer solstice dates back to pre-Christian times when Finns celebrated Ukon juhla, the feast of Ukko, the pagan Finnish god of weather, fertility and growth. After Christianity entered Finland, the festival became known as juhannus after Johannes Kastaja (St. John the Baptist) and was traditionally celebrated on his commemoration day, 24 June. After labour organisations’ efforts in 1955, juhannus now falls on the Saturday between 20 and 26 June with modern celebrations a mix of pagan and Christian traditions.

Midsummer is the turning point at which the days begin to shorten again; an event that historically raised fear and uncertainty about the future and thus giving cause to various religious and superstitious beliefs. Today the burning of Karelian bonfires, or kokko, provide warmth through the cool summer nights, though they were originally lit as protection from the evil spirits that were thought to roam freely as the sun turns southwards once again. It was also believed that plants and water had special powers during Midsummer night and superstitions included picking seven (or nine) flowers which were placed under girls’ pillows so they would dream of their future husband.

Nowadays, juhannus tends to focus less on the supernatural and more on simple nature with those who don’t manage to escape to the countryside gathering at Seurasaari. Here, the biggest Midsummer festivities in the greater Helsinki area are held with traditional music, costumes, dancing and a Midsummer wedding. Regardless of location, town or country, the traditional veritable feasting is guaranteed. Salmon and herring served with boiled potatoes in dill and parsley butter, grilled sausages with strong mustard, fresh strawberries and cream – yum!

Daisey Cheyney


Midsummer is celebrated on 26 June.
http://sixdegrees.wm.fi/6d/index.php/starters/36-starters/256-midsummer-madness

My Finland is international

THE power of the fastest growing social network in the world is being harnessed as a catalyst for social change.



Finnish celebrity Tino Singh is just one of many tapping into Facebook’s social power with his group Minun Suomeni on kansainvälinen - My Finland is International. “I got tired of all the xenophobic writing on the web and lately in mainstream politics,” he states. “I needed to reach out to those who live in the same Finland as I do.”



The group provides a platform for supporting and participating in an international Finland. Using practical grassroots work to defuse tension and increase cultural knowledge within people, the aim is “to get people involved and use it for a positive change…shifting the focus from hating to supporting.”



Whilst Facebook’s influence on society has already been proven with the success of Rage Against The Machine for the UK Christmas Number One 2009 campaign, the network’s revolutionary capabilities are limited. “Most groups with large numbers are not usually very serious ones,” Singh admits. “However, if you can easily reach tens of thousands with your message and crowd-source people while doing so, it indicates that you certainly have a chance to instigate change.”



Accumulating over 31,000 members in just ten days is encouraging, but how to progress from here? How can the reciprocal right to have one’s own cultural values and practices respected whilst respecting others’ cultural values and practices be successfully reinforced? “I would increase cultural sensitivity training both ways. For immigrants but also for Finns,” Singh suggests.



I suppose the real test will be to activate the group outside of Facebook. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will an international Finland, but we can start!



Daisey Cheyney
http://sixdegrees.wm.fi/6d/index.php/starters/36-starters/261-my-finland-is-international

Comfy Couture

FROM haute couture to canine couture, just when you thought you’d seen it all, along comes comfy-couture. Leading the revolution is Kotihousut. Hailed as an indoor “Hel-Looks”, the home-couture blog showcases the clothes you wear when no one’s watching.

Non-statements become statements in this new fashion democracy, with an invitation to send your own photo plus a short text to model your abode-attire choices. Whether it’s a serious attempt to challenge conventional thought about fashion or more tongue-in-cheek, poking fun at fashion victims, Kotihousut is reflecting the zeitgeist.

Aside from the cornerstone of comfy-couture being, well, comfort, there’s a definite penchant for woolly socks with a hint of (albeit accidental) experimentation and edge thrown in. Wearing whatever you want has never been so hot.

”I’m very precise about my style, also about what to wear at home. I favour good quality and long-lasting materials because I want my wardrobe to last long. I try not to wash my clothes too often – washing is really bad for the textile, most of the times you just need to brush them. This has been my favourite home wear for many years. It´s inspired by the 80s heavy metal mullet dudes. The classic combination of black and grey get´s a fresh, updated look with the colourful details.” (Uploaded by Xberg)

Oscar Wilde once claimed that: “Fashion is what one wears oneself. What is unfashionable is what other people wear,” and it seems that this is truer than ever. Staying in has become the new going out, so it’s only logical that fashion follows suit. Never has there been such freedom in fashion. Kotihousut is all about shaking off those hidebound notions and embracing the new expressive and emancipatory fashion evolution.

Style bloggers are increasingly being acknowledged as bringing fashion to the masses, so is it possible that Rihanna’s recent choice of attire at an LA recording studio was inspired thus? The international R & B star was spotted (in broad daylight) dressed in a hooded, skeleton-print romper suit. Her previous style declaration “I like to put things together in my own way” even sounds like it came straight from the blog.

It wouldn’t be the first time such modest beginnings contributed to the high altar of high fashion. Trends are renowned for being inspired by functional attire. With the countless re-workings and reincarnations of military chic and equestrian chic, is it time to bring a new trend out of the closet and onto the streets, or should we preserve our last remaining sanctuary and just keep this one to ourselves?

Daisey Cheyney

Read Comfy-couture @SixDegrees
Koti Housut Blog