Kirjoitin ystävän pyynnöstä hänen blogiinsa englanninkielisen kuvauksen Taivaannaulan helajuhlasta. Laitan kirjoituksen näytille myös tähän.
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Spring is the season of growth and rebirth, both in Nature and in the soul of a man. Finnish Pagans celebrate the coming of the Spring in a feast called Hela or Toukojuhla. While Finland has markedly its own unique Pagan tradition, Hela has certain resemblance to the Celtic festival Beltane. This year Taivaannaula, a organization devoted to aiding the rebirth of Finnish Paganism, organized a Hela celebration at 19th and 20th of April. All people considering themselves Finnish Pagans were free to participate to the gathering.
The feast took place amidst the forests of Southern Finland, on the shores of a stunningly beautiful small lake characterized by its lucid water. Twenty-three Pagan-minded individuals arrived to the event. The number of participants was a record for Taivaannaula, since this was the first major nationwide gathering convened by the organization. Although Finnish Pagans have gathered earlier for small feasts. During the ancient times Paganism was practiced by communities, and Taivaannaula aims to make this possible even today. The organization holds nationwide gatherings and organizes local groups, so people can easily meet other Finnish Pagans, talk about interesting topics, practice their religion together, and foster a sense of community.
In the afternoon of April 19th the participants arrived to a small nature refuge owned by the local town of Somerniemi. The place consisted of a pine tree forest, aforementioned lake, sauna, and a small shelter. Gathering was held deep in the wilderness, so the nearest houses were several miles away from the place. Many of the participants came from cities, so they were relieved to get once again back to the serene atmosphere of Nature. The age distribution of the participants was diverse. Youngest was only 16 years old while the oldest was 42 years old. There was also slightly more women than men present at this gathering.
The feast started with a welcoming speech by the chairman of Taivaannaula. The speech recapitulated the schedule for the event, and the spiritual significance of Hela. As Finnish Pagans celebrate beginning of the year at Kekri in November, Hela marks the start of the another half of the year. So at Hela bright and warm summer season starts after the dark and cold winter season. The Nature reawakens from Her winter stupor to a new glory. As Pagans we integrate ourselves to the natural cycles, so we also celebrate the renewing of one’s life force during the spring. In the speech it was also stressed that in Finnish mythology this life force is symbolized with two elements: blood and fire. After the speech everybody gave an short introduction about themselves.
Before the actual feasting was started, members of Taivaannaula held their bi-annual assembly. In this assembly more mundane things relating to the activities of the organization were discussed. Among other things, decision was made to start new local groups in Eastern Finland. After the assembly a lavish array of traditional foods was laid on a table. Savory selection of mead, roasted elk, rye bread, fresh cheese (literally “bread cheese”) with cloud berry jam, Karelian pasties, medieval style bean soup, and many of other traditional foods from Finnish cuisine were available. Before eating, portion of the food was naturally sacrificed to the gods. The most commemorated god at this feast was the god of fertility, Sampsa Pellervoinen. He is the mythical sower of plant life who awakens every spring. Participants sang a ritual poem for him. After the ceremony people enjoyed good food and lively discussions with each other.
After feasting people prepared for the main ritual of Hela: symbolical washing away of one’s ties with Christianity that were forced on people in childhood through Christian baptism. Millennium ago, when Christians were converting Pagans in Finland, many people came to regret their new conversion to Christianity. This dissatisfaction led them to clean their polluted selves from the foreign conversion by washing away the power of the Christian god that was cast on them. According to folklore, this act of repentance and defiance took place at a lake located deep in the woods. This lake was called Katumajärvi — Lake of Regret.
Hela is about renewal. It is about arising once again to life’s full glory after a necessary natural cycle of stagnation and slumber, darkness and demise. Thus, modern Finnish Pagans thought it fitting to follow the path of our ancestors so many years ago, and to clean ourselves from the chains of Christianity. Sun shined beautifully on the shore as people stepped forward in their turn and washed away the remnants of the foreign religion. There was a perfect silence and calm during the ritual, except the sounds of splashing water and ancient tunes played with kantele — sacred instrument of the eternal sage Väinämöinen.
In the spirit of renewal, what followed the washing was a prayer or incantation for the ancestors, aimed to restore one’s “original” blood. In the old times people associated person’s life force with his blood. Abominable environment might well impair one’s blood, leaving him weak and depressed. In this kind of situation people recited incantation for their ancestors, and asked from them the strong, original and vibrant blood of the kindred. Since we all live in (post-)Christian society, that has, in many ways, left many people feeling weak, depressed and out of touch with their original life force, modern Pagans thought it proper to recite the incantation at Hela. Through this incantation Finnish Pagans spoke into words their sincere wish to reconnect with their ancestors, and to attain once again their spirited Pagan blood.
After these memorable rituals there was a discussion about the future of Finnish Paganism. The discussion lasted several hours and it proved very insightful. The major issue people spoke about was the role of Finnish Paganism in securing one’s cultural identity and ancestral heritage. People also talked about, among other things, future environmental problems that call for a more Pagan way to see the whole natural world as sacred, and how to accommodate polytheistic Paganism to the life of a urban city-dweller. During these discussions heating of the sauna was started.
Sauna is a yet another symbol for renewal. Besides blood, man’s life force is also connected to his breath. The misty steam of sauna is the invigorating breath of the god of sauna, Autereinen. The womb-like sauna is sacred place for Finnish Pagans. In ancient times sauna was a gateway to the Invisible. It was literally the place for entering and departing this world, as women gave birth in the warmth of sauna, and after death one’s dead body was brought to sauna and washed for the last time. At Hela participants enjoyed sauna till the early hours of the night.
At dusk people once again gathered for ceremony. Campfire was built from massive logs in the sophisticated traditional Finnish style called rakovalkea. The fire was kindled using pieces of bark underneath the starry sky and full moon. Pagans sang the ancient poem about the birth of the sacred fire. After this people spend the rest of the evening engaged in various activities. Some went rowing to the placid lake, some went back to sauna, others chatted by the fire and sang old folk songs whose lyrics depicted the joys and woes of their ancestors. Some people even thought it fun to walk in the nocturnal forest following a nature trail that led around the lake. Finally, even the most energetic Pagans grew tired and sneaked to their tents to sleep. Some men decided to sleep outside by the warming fire.
The next day was just as sunny as the preceding one. There was no official program for this day, except a feedback discussion regarding the event. In general people seemed highly satisfied with the celebration. Some good tips for future gatherings were suggested, and these can be put to use in mid-July when Taivaannaula will organize a three-day long Bear’s Day Celebration for Finnish Pagans. After the feedback discussion people ate, and started packing their things. During the afternoon participants started their journey to home from Hela, feeling tired but renewed, walking the ancient path with new strength.
