Before the spreading of Christianity,
People in ancient Finland celebrated a festival called Hela.
Hela was celebrated on May 1st,
And the celebration included singing,
Dancing,
Eating well and drinking beer and meat.
Hela was the beginning of the summer and festival to celebrate the earth's fertility.
There were many different kinds of superstitions and beliefs connected to Hela.
One of the most important Hela symbols was Hela Valkeat,
Hela bonfires.
These fires were lit to keep the evil spirits away and to protect the cattle from predators.
Another symbol for Hela was bells.
Children wrapped little bells to their feet and hands.
It was believed that the jiggling sounds made the cows produce more milk.
Origins of the word Hela is in Swedish word Helk,
Which means holy.
Hela meant the beginning of the farmer's year,
And it was celebrated in order to ask the gods and the spirits to give a good crop for the people.
Cattle were driven to the fields through bonfires in order to prevent diseases.
Another popular custom was to go to the sauna and perform love spells.
Young people also danced by the fire.
When Christianity arrived to Finland in the early Middle Ages,
Hela was turned into a Christian holiday called Valpuri,
Named after Saint Valburg.
Saint Valburg was an English saint who lived in Devon.
If her name sounds German,
That is because Valburg originated from an upper-class German family.
In Germany,
Valpurgisnacht is equivalent to Hela and so is Beltane,
The May Day festival of the ancient Druids.
When Valpuri got more Christian elements,
The pagan beliefs connected to Hela became more suspicious.
The transition night between April and May was known as Valpurin yö,
Valpurgisnacht,
Taikayö,
The magic night,
And Noitayö,
Witch's night.
It was believed that during this night,
Witches and evil spirits were at the height of their powers.
People were afraid that these spirits would steal children and would curse the cattle.
People protected themselves from the evil spirits by hanging bones at alder branches in front of their homes.
In modern-day Finland,
May Day celebration is known as Vappu,
And it is the office workers and students' festival.
Vappu arrived to Finland from Sweden in the 19th century.
It originated from the day of flora,
The day of the flower,
On May 13th,
Which was very common day for different workers' guilds and student groups to have meetings.
At the end of the 19th century,
The date was changed to the 1st of May.
During this time period,
Workers' rights became an international issue,
And still today,
May the 1st is International Workers' Day.
Vappu became an official holiday in Finland in 1944,
And since 1979 it has been an official flag day.
Vappu is a very colourful festival.
It includes carnivals,
Balloons,
Confetti,
And in many places,
Masquerades held for children.
There are lots of open street markets,
And people eat donuts and funnel cakes and drink meat,
Sodas,
Soft drinks and champagne.
So we can see this connection to the ancient Hela festival.
Since Vappu is a student festival,
You may see lots of people wearing their graduation hats around the cities.
Hela takes place between the spring and the summer.
Traditionally,
This time is seen as the time of rejuvenation.
The earth is humid and dark,
Like the womb and the night.
That is why temples to these deities are often subterranean,
Or located inside caves,
In darkened structures,
Or on hillsides.
Akka is portrayed as a woman who is covered with dirt or vegetation.
She is half woman,
And she is half earth.
Finnish mythology is unfortunately very fractured.
Most of our knowledge of the gods and goddesses comes from old poems.
Akka is present as the mother of life.
The other name of Akka was Rauni,
Which means the roven tree.
According to Finnish folklorist Uuno Haarava,
Rauni was in fact the female goddess of thunder.
I think we can be open-minded to both of these interpretations.
When Akka wakes up from her sleep,
It is the start of the new cycle in nature.
Spring equinox is the festival of awakening and rebirth.
The message of the spring is to enjoy this new beginning.
The energy of spring will bring new exciting events and people into your life.
This is an excellent time to start new projects and create new meaningful connections.
The Finnish goddess of the sea is known as Vellamo.
Her name comes from the Finnish verb Velloa,
Which means the movement of water.
Finland is located up north,
And the waters here tend to be pretty chilly,
Except in the summer.
During the springtime,
Vellamo melts the ice away,
And the waters are free to flow.
The sea life returns in the shape of birds.
Seagulls,
Sparrows,
Swans and geese fly again in the skies.
The seals,
The fish and all the sea animals become more active after the long and dark winter.
We hear the name Vellamo meaning the movement.
She represents the movement in nature itself.
Many of the Finnish gods and goddesses represent different aspects of nature.
Vellamo represents the sea and Akka is the earth.
In the springtime,
Our energy shifts from inwards to outwards,
And we can see these two goddesses embody this inner change.
Spring is a joyful time.
Everything is coming alive.
Nature is waking up and being reborn.
The same thing is happening within you.
Your spirit comes alive with hopeful,
Excited energy.
Spring represents a new day.
It is dawn in the wheel of the year.
A new sun is rising.
Life is waking up in the warm sunlight,
And your spirit feels ready to make a fresh start.
