In the old Finnish pagan wheel of the year,
Mikonpäivä,
The day of Saint Michael,
Was celebrated on the 29th of September.
In southern Savonia,
This day was known as Pässimpäivä,
The day of the ram.
Mikonpäivä started the winter season and was known as the gate to winter,
And the opposite of it was Hela,
The May festival,
Which was gate to the summer.
Finnish wheel of the year was based on agriculture and farming.
Mikonpäivä was the time when people moved from outdoor works into indoor.
Mikonpäivä started the last harvest period.
After Mikonpäivä there was Runtuviikko,
Which was a free week for the servants.
Runtuviikko included parties,
Dances,
Meetings and many couples got married during this time.
Mikonpäivä was an important day for the shepherds,
Because it was their last working day.
To celebrate,
They lit bonfires to the hills.
There were all kinds of superstitions connected to Mikonpäivä.
Livestock had to be brought inside before sunset.
People were dressed up to their best,
And when they took animals inside,
They sang protection spells for the cattle.
An arch was made of tree branches and put upon the gate that led into stables.
Horses had to walk underneath the arch for protection.
Sacrifices were made for the elves and spirits.
Ancestors were thanked for protecting the cattle and keeping the livestock healthy.
Sacrifices were a bit different in different parts of the country.
In some areas,
Drops of vodka and bread were left for the elves,
And in some areas silver was given.
In the morning,
Porridge was left for the house elf into Riihi.
This was a building where the rye was dried.
In eastern Finland,
Mikonpäivä was the day of the ram,
And sheep and rams were sacrificed.
Inner organs of the animal were buried underneath the spirit tree,
And the head was hanged into the branches.
Rest of the meat was served as dinner.
Other foods of Pässimpäivä were potatoes,
Beer,
Cheese,
Porridge and cabbage.
Why rams were sacrificed is unclear.
It is possible that they were sacrificed to please ancient fertility gods.
In Karelia,
Mikonpäivä was known as Pokrova,
And its symbol was the wheel of Virgin Mary,
Which is called Pokro in Russian,
And in Russian it translates as safety and protection.
In the pagan areas of Karelia,
The last hay of the harvest were taken into the sacred groves.
In the areas where religion was Russian Orthodox,
The hays were carried inside and put next to the images of saints,
Where they were blessed and after that they were given for the cows to eat.
During the night of Pokrova,
Horses were warped during the night.
It was believed that when they did that,
They would not feel cold during the winter months.
In Ingria,
When ladies took cattle inside,
The cattle shed,
They sang greeting songs for the earth spirit.
It was believed that after Pokrova,
It was forbidden to move the land anymore because the land went to sleep,
So doing any kind of digging was forbidden.
In Ingria,
Pokrova was common hunting and fishing day.
Kekri was the biggest festival of the year,
And some people believe that it was the original new year.
Lots of decisions were made during this time.
Animals were brought inside from the meadows.
People did not work outside anymore because the weather became cooler,
A lot of animals were slaughtered,
And there were decisions made around that.
Some animals were sick,
And some of them were old.
I get very easily attached to animals,
I think that would have been very difficult for me had I been living during those times.
But this kind of decision making,
What are we willing to let go,
And what do we take with us to the coming year,
That is something that we can think about during the harvest season.
The Finnish goddess who is related to autumn is Mielikki,
The goddess of hunt.
Mielikki comes from an old Finnish word meaning luck.
She was a very beloved goddess by the ancient Finns.
Mielikki was also the goddess of the forest.
She was a nature goddess.
She was the goddess of forest animals.
She was the goddess of healing and herbal medicine.
Mielikki is the goddess of good luck and abundance.
There is an aspect of her that is the goddess of motherhood.
In Finnish folklore,
When there was some overlapping with Catholicism in the medieval times,
Mielikki was associated with the Virgin Mary.
She is the goddess of protection.
If a person got lost in the woods,
They could pray for Mielikki and she would help those who were lost.
She is one of my all-time favourite goddesses in Finnish mythology.
Mielikki was the goddess of wounded animals.
You may think,
Isn't that in contradiction with the fact that she was the goddess of hunt?
It depends on how you look at it.
In Finnish folklore,
Hunters believed that Mielikki could control the animals,
So when they were hunting,
They asked her to release her beasts for the hunters.
And if the hunter did manage to catch something,
They were obligated to thank the goddess.
If it happened that the hunter was very rude to Mielikki or they would hurt animals without any reason,
Then she took revenge on them.
She drowned them in marshes and destroyed their weapons.
The relationship with the goddess was very much about communication and about giving and receiving.
Autumn time is a good time to reflect on ourselves and the things that we are grateful for and enjoy the fruits of our labour.
I would encourage you all to participate in dinners and harvest festivals.
Go for a meal with your friend or sit for a cup of tea.
Often it is those little moments that we sometimes take for granted that give us joy and also help us to cope during this time when the weather gets rainy and it is dark outside.
According to legend,
It is Mielikki who colours the leaves to orange and red and yellow during autumn.
She is the goddess of beautiful surroundings.
One of the motives of autumn is nesting.
Is your home what you like it to be?
This can be a good time to get rid of some of the extra things that you have.
You can sell things or give them away if you wish.
There can be a place for new or you can leave things the way they are.
You can decorate your home with reds and autumn flowers.
Another meaning of the name Mielikki is favourite.
What are your favourite things to do?
What is your favourite colour?
Who are your favourite people?
When working with Mielikki,
These are the questions you can ask.
What are your favourite things?
This is one of the reasons why I like her as a goddess because my associations with her always tend to be very positive because her very name,
Mielikki,
Makes us think,
Makes us think about the things that we love the most.
