The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1913-01-10

hibits burning candle in every window; the
peasants dwellings are Uttered with clean straw
and the cattle in their stalls have extra sup
plies of food. popular observance is to ar
range inverted saucers around the festive board
-one for each guest-under which placed
objects bearing significant meanings. Each per-
son In turn raises saucer. May be 1t has Gov
cred a piece of red ribbon-that presages
wound bodily injury; or a coin riches
key, for girl the token of her direction
within twelve-month of some household, for
boy the entrance on 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. He
makes a circuit of the family and inquiries
whether the children have been good or bad.
Before leaving he throws down klapps for all.
At Twelfth Night the Star Boys make their
appearance. They five young 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 it's 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
elapse during which 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
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 an 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 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
firt with buxom maidens 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 room. The sets in the 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 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 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 sense 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 a 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. 1t is consequently carried to
ariac harm ard laid and Ffarc
Fires are kndled in each corner and the smoke
permeates the crop, imparting a muchloved and
peculiar flavor The country peoples diet con-
sists chiefly of talkumma, sort of porridge
made of rye. This is carried when we'll set. in
birch bark knapsacks. 1t 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 a liquor much
esteemed by all classes and sometimes INDUCED
in to excess
The greatest refreshment of the Firms is the
bath every homestead has bathhouse. II is
their unfailing remedy in sickness. IF bath
and brandy fail" they say. then comes death"
In the lighthouses are stone wherein wood
fires are kindled and every orifce is closed
After the fire has burnt itself out buckets of
water or shovelfuIs of snow are dashed upon tha
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 bath-house
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
mon are taken every evening after work is done:
in winter the Saturday night tub sufices Few
spectacles be weird and astounding
for the traveller than when driving to night quar-.
ters. he suddenly comes upon the family at bath.