Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By RICHARD JENKINS
KIMBALL, Wis. — It was a packed house Sunday at Little Finland, and people kept coming through the doors as the organization held its annual Laskianinen celebration.
The diners enjoyed a meal of Finnish pea soup, kropsua oven pancakes and refreshments — with all of food made fresh for the event.
“That’s why it’s so good,” Steve Schurtter said.
Along with the meal, those interested could take Little Finland’s kick sled for a ride in the snow outside.
Laskiainen roughly translates to sliding day, Little Finland president Ken Hannula said, and is a tradition in Finland.
The holiday dates back to Finland’s pre-Christian past, according to Finish American Cultural Activies Inc., as a “flax festival” before later becoming associated with Shrove Tuesday.
The holiday signaled the “time to put away the spinning wheels and begin the weaving and planning for spring planting,” according to the organization’s website.
People would slide down a hill as part of the festivities, the website reads, with the belief that the farther a person slid, the better their flax crop would be.
