Holidays in Finland - Runeberg Day (Runebergin paiva)

On February 5, all of Finland celebrates the day of the national poet Johan Ludwig Runeberg On the birthday of this romantic poet, whose poems form the basis of the national anthem, Finns raise flags, light candles in the windows, bake the famous runeberg cakes, hold torchlight processions and present literary prizes This holiday acquired national significance in 1950 Runeberg was born on February 5, 1804 He was the eldest in a large family of a fishing boat captain Ludwig was only five years old when the last Russian-Swedish war ended and, according to the peace treaty, Finland ceded to Russia However, the country's stay under Swedish protectorate for 6 centuries established the Swedish language as a literary and official language The Finnish language was considered at that time the language of the common people and was little developed Therefore, Runeberg wrote poetry in Swedish all his life, but he wrote specifically about the Finns The poem “Old Man Paavo” tells us about fortitude and the ability to survive any adversity: Runeberg had an extraordinary thirst for knowledge His father Lorenz Ulrich Runeberg, forced to leave university due to poverty in his youth, encouraged this passion in every possible way Johan first studied in Oleaborg, then in Vaasa He graduated from all classes with honors and easily entered the university in Abo The years of teaching after graduation greatly influenced Runeberg's further work He taught in central Finland, where he met simple Finnish peasants, whose life was very different from the life of sailors The prudence and efficiency of the coastal Swedish-speaking population were contrasted with patriarchy, modesty and kindness The harsh living conditions did not embitter the people living here, but, on the contrary, developed such qualities as selflessness and readiness to help Runeberg would carry his admiration and idealization of the peasantry throughout his life In 1827, having received his master's degree, Runeberg remained a teacher at the university and published his first book of poetry This period of life can be described as the most favorable in Runeberg's life In 1831, Runeberg married his cousin, Frederica This woman not only shared her husband's interests, she was herself a successful writer and the founder of the historical novel in Finland When remembering Frederica, one cannot help but mention the cakes that glorified her almost more than her novels Legends say that one fine day guests came to Runeberg’s house, and then, what an embarrassment, there was nothing in the house to serve Resourceful Frederica ground up old cookies, added sour cream, flour and raspberry jam and served them to the guests like a cake The dish turned out to be incredibly tasty and gradually spread throughout Finland In 1863, Runeberg and his eldest son went hunting Suddenly he felt ill and, getting into the sleigh, he ordered to go home He arrived there already unconscious The creative plans of the great poet were interrupted by paralysis, which lasted thirteen years, until the poet’s death on May 6, 1877 In the last years of his life, Johan could move around the room, and his mind remained as bright as before, but he would not create a single work again During the long years of her husband's serious illness, Frederica spent hours reading aloud to him, so that several years before Johan's death she became practically blind After the death of her husband, she did not stay in this world for long - two years later she died and was buried next to her husband Runeberg's most famous work, “Stories of Ensign Stål,” which tells about the war of 1809, was written in 1848-1860 The prologue from this poem became the anthem of Finland: The poem “Moose Hunters,” which describes rural life, and the epic poem “King Fyalar” became world famous Runeberg translated a lot into Swedish, including AS Pushkin, VA Zhukovsky, F Schiller and other famous poets Russian monarchs highly valued the work of I L Runeberg: Nicholas I awarded him the title of professor, and Alexander II awarded him the Order of St Anne of the second degree and a few years after the poet’s death, he bought Runeberg’s house in Porvoo, declared it the national property of Finland and founded the poet’s museum there