The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1913-01-03

hibits a burning candle in every window; the
peasants dwellings Uttered with clean straw
and the cattle in their stalls have extra sup
plies of food. A popular observance is to ar
range inverted around the festive board
one for each guest-under which are placed
objects bearing significant meanings. Each per-
in turn raises a saucer. May be 1t has COW
cred a piece of red rbbon-that presages a
wound or bodily injury; or coin, riches;
or a key, for girl the token of her direction
within twelvemonth of some household, for
boy the entrance commercial career; or
piece of fuel, which fortells death; or ring for
matrimony, and SO forth
The Christmas Buck" visits every home in
Finland. He is an old with long white hair
and beard and heavily clad in fur. He drives
his team of reindeer over mountains and frozen
lakes and enters unannoulced each doorway. He
makes a circuit of the family and inquiries
whether the children have been good bad.
Before leaving he throws down kiapps for all
At Twelfth Night the Star Boys" make their
appearance. They five young men in fancy
dress Three represent the Three Holy Kings OF
the Epiphany, one is King Herod and the last
a goat with hoofs and horns They enact
legendary play which has for its finale the death
of Herod whilst the goat is thrust outside the
door Wherever they go they collect aims for
poor people who have no Christmas cheer.
After the gayeties of Christmas two months
elapse during which one is able to restore ones
digestive organs and then comes Lent. dis
tinctive Lenten diet is blines and caviar; the
former the large thick pancakes which are eaten
with butter, sour cream and fruit juice At mid
Lent a fresh water fish is much esteemed-lake
it is called 1t is caught in nets sunk through
holes in the ice Of rivers and lakes 1t is boiled
in milk On Easter Eve everybody eats hard
boiled eggs.
The first of May is ancient festival OF gen.
eral observance, especially by students and
youths They meet in the public parks of Hell
ifa1 ond IN ny1vtry ytrpt.
places, and there sing old foIksongs to the spirit
of spring Then they drink deeply of sweet
mead and consume vast quantities Of struvor-
rich puff-paste tarts-and then they dance and
fiirt with buxom madens to their hearts con.
tent Midsummer day is of universal observance
in Finland Birch trees planted at all the
house doors and twigs of birch stuck all
over every The sets in the eve at
eleven o'clock, and rises in the day at two. Dur
ing those three brief hours the young people kin.
die big fires. All bent dancing around and
above the blazing embers. They call the fires
kokko loves flame"
Rye harvest is very important On
the first day the laborer-farmers, with their
wives and families, foregather at the mansion of
the landowner. They divided into squads
one man, two women and three children. To
each squad is assigned certain wherein
the man cuts the crop the women shock and
the children CLEAN. They work from four in the
morning until eight at night, with intervals for
breakfast and dinner These meals, together
with the supper at the end of toll, substan-
tia in every They provided gratis
by the landowner and eaten at long tables
placed in front of the mansion, whereat the land
owner and his family After supper all
join In singing the plantive national song, kaIe
Wala, and then happy time is passed with
games and dances.
The rye crop, which provides the Firms with
their staff of life does not dry in ordinary sea
sons in the fields. It is consequently carried to
the rias, barns, and laid on racks and rafters.
Fires kindled in each corner and the smoke
permeates the crop imparting much-loved and
peculiar favor. The country peoples diet con-
sists chiefly of talkumma a sort of porridge
made of rye This Is carried. when well set, In
birch bark knapsacks 1t is also baked ha:d ard
hung in great round thin cakes, with holes in
the center. from the ceilings of the houses Their
favorite beverage is coffee which they brew to
perfection. Cornrye brandy is liquor much
esteemed by all classes and sometimes INDUCED
Ia to excess
The greatest refreshment of the Firms is the
bath; every homestead has bath-house It is
their unfaiiing remedy In sickness. IF bath
and brandy fall they say, then comes death.
In the lighthouses are stone ovens wherein wood
fires are kindled and every orifce is closed
After the fire mas burnt itself out buckets OF
water or shovelfuls of snow are dashed upon the
embers and red hot stones Dense clouds Of
steam arise and into them the bathers plunge.
The whole body is switched with birch rods, and
then follow thorough massage and rubbing down
with soap. AS the bather quits the bathhouse
sousings of cold water or snow administered; !
sometimes header into deep snow is Preferred |
Then for while to cool they all sit on benches
in the open air. and then they resume their |
clothes. During harvest time such baths in com
are taken every evening after work is done; |
IN winter the Saturday night tub sufhces- Few |
spectacles be more weird and astounding /
for the traveller than, when driving to night quar-
ters he suddenly comes upon the family at bath |