The Rice belt journal., 1913-01-03

PS''oil'o dwellings, are uttered with clean straw
ana the cattle in their stalls have extra sup
plies OF food. A popular observance is to ar
range inverted saucers 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 il has COW
cred piece of red ribbon-that presages a
wound or some bodily injury; or coin, riches
or Key, for a girl the token of her direction
WITHIN tWelve-month OF some household for a
ooy the entrance on commercial career: or a
piece or fuel which fortellS death; or a ring for
matrimony. and so forth
The Christmas Buck" visits every home in
Finland. He Is old man with long white hair
and beard and heavily clad In fur He drives
MS team OF reindeer over mountains and frozen
lakes and enters unannounced each doorway He
makes circuit of the family and injuries
whether the children have been good or had
Before leaving he throws down klapps for all
At Twelfth Night the Star Boys" make their
appearance They are five young men in fancy
dress. Three represent the Three Holy Kings of
the Epiphany, one is King Herod and the last
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
ooor' wherever they go they collect aims for
poor people who have no Christmas cheer,
elapse during which one is able to restore ones
digestive organs. and then comes Lent A 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 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. It Is boiled
in milk. On Easter Eve everybody eats hard
boiled eggs.
The first of May is an ancient festival Of gen.
era 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 folksongs 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
fArt 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 twigs of birch are 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 are bent on dancing around and
above the blazing embers. They call the fires
kokko loves fame"
Rye harvest is 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
)ne man, two women and three children, To II
each squad Is assigned certain area wherein
he man cuts the crop, the women shock and
he children glean 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 are substan- ,
ial In every sense. They are provided gratis
" the landowner and are eaten at long tables
laced In front of the mansion, whereat the land
wner and his family serve After supper all I
DIN in singing the plantive national song kale- g
Tala, and then happy time is passed with
ames and dances. t
The rye crop, which provides the Firms with 2
heir staff OF life, does not dry In ordinary sea- |
ons In the fields. 1t is consequently carried to
le rias, or barns and laid on racks and rafters Z
Tres are kindled in each corner and the smoke
ermeates the crop, imparting muchloved and
ocular flavor The country peoples diet con-
SITS chiefly of talkumma, a sort Of porridge U
ade of rye. This is carried when well set. In
rch bark knapsacks. 1t is also baked hard and 1
ing In great round, thin cakes, with holes in
q center, from the ceilings of the houses Their 81
vorite beverage Is coffee, which they brew to q
ERECTION. Cornrye brandy Is a liquor much ~ ~
teemed by all classes and sometimes induIged u
to excess Oh
The greatest refreshment of the Films is the L. L.
tn; every homestead has a bath-house It ia " "
cir unfailfng remedy In sickness. IF bath : ~
ID brandy fall they say, then comes death" = =
the lighthouses are stone ovens wherein wood ~ ~
es are kindled and every orifce Is closed -
ter the fire has burnt Itself out buckets OF u
tier or shovelfuls of snow are dashed upon the ~ "
lbers and red hot stones. Dense clouds of -
,am arise and into them the bathers plunge. .a ae
e whole body Is switched with birch rods, and - -
IN follow thorough massage and rubbing down ~
tn soap As the bather quits the bath-house :,
lsngs OF cold water or snow are administered >
netimes header into deep snow is preferred! -
en- for while to cool they all sit on benches 20
the open air and then they resume their ~ ~
thes. During harvest time such baths In CON- ~
n are taken every evening after work is done; -
winter the Saturday night tub sufices Few ~
'ctacles can be more weird and astounding :.
the traveller than, when driving to night GUAR. >,
5, he suddenly comes upon the family at bath