The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1913-01-03

hibts burning candle In every window: the
peasants dwellings Uttered with clean straw
and the cattle in their stalls have extra sup
plies of food. popular observance is to ar
range inverted saueers around the festive board
one for each guest-under which are placed
objects bearing significant meanings Each per-
son In turn raises a saucer. May be II has COW
cred a piece OF red ribbon-that presages a
wound or some bodily injury; coin. riches;
or key for girl the token OF her direction
within tweve-month of some household, for a
boy the entrance on a commercial career; or a
piece OF fuel, which fortells death; ring for
matrimony and so forth
The Christmas Buck" visits every home in
Finland He is an old man with long white hair
and beard and heavily clad in fur. He drives
his team of reindeer over mountains and frozen
lakes and enters unannounced each doorway lie
makes circuit OF the family and inquiries
whether the children have been good or bad
Before leaving he throws down klapps for AL
At Twelfth Night the Star Boys make their
appearance. They are Ave young men In fancy
dress Three represent the Three Holy Kings Of
the Epiphany, one is King IIerod 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 Christmas cheer.
After the gayeties OF Christmas two months
eapse during which Is able to restore ones
digestive organs and then comes Lent. dis
tinctive Lenten diet is bines 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
1t 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
singfors the capital. and In country market
places and there sing old fok-songs 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
firt with buxom maidens to their hearts con.
tent. Midsummer day is Of universal observance
in Finland Birch trees are planted at all the
house doors and twgs OF birch stuck all
over every room. The sun 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 on dancing around and
above the blazing embers They call the fires
kokko, loves fame
Rye harvest Is a very important season. On
the first day the laborerfarmers. with their
wives and families. foregather at the mansion OF
the landowner. They are divided into squads
one man. two women and three. children TO
each squad is assigned a certain area wherein
the man cuts the crop. the women shock and
the children CLEAN. They work from four In the
breakfast and dinner. These meals together
with the supper at the end OF toll. substan-
tisl in every They are provided gratis
BY the landowner and are eaten at long tables
placed in front OF the mansion. whereat the land
owner and his family serve. After supper all
Join In singing the plaintive national song, kale.
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.
in the fields II is consequently carried to
the ras. or barns. and laid on racks and rafters.
Fires kindled in each corner and the smoke
Iermeates the crop. imparting a much-loved and
peculiar favor The country peoples diet con-
sists chiefly OF talkumma. sort OF porridge
made of rye. This is carried when well set, in
birch bark knapsacks. II is also baked hard and
hung In great round. thin cakes. with holes In
the center from the ceilings OF the houses. Their
favorte beverage is coffee, which they brew to
perfection. Corn.rye brandy Is liquor much
esteemed by all classes and sometimes INDUCED
In 20 excess
The greatest refreshment OF the Firms Is the
bath: every homestead has bath-house. II rs
their unfaillng remedy in sickness. 'lf bath
and brandy fail" they say. then comes death"
In the lighthouses are stone ovens wherein wood
fires are kindled and every orifce is closed.
After the fire has burnt itself out buckets or
water or shovelfuls OF dashed upon tho
embers and red hot stones. Dense clouds OF
steam arise and into them the bathers plunge.
The whole body liz switched with birch rods. and
then follow thorough massage and rubbing down
with soap. As the bather quits the bath-house
sousings of cold water snow are administered
sometimes header into deep snow Is preferred!
Then for a while to cool they all sit on benches
in the omen air and then they resume their
clothes During harvest time such baths In com.
mon are taken every evening after work Is done
in winter the Saturday night tub sufices. Few
spectacles can be more weird and astounding
for the traveller than, when driving TO night quar-
ters he~suddenly comes upon the family at bath