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Twenty-nine: A Peaceful Home and a Childrens' Christmas Tree
I don't seek power or glory, I don't even yearn for gold
I just ask for Heaven's light and peace on Earth
Give us a Christmas that brings joy and raises our minds to the Creator
No power, not even gold, but just peace on Earth
En etsi valtaa, loistoa (Topelius 1887/Sibelius 1909)
Twenty-nine: A Peaceful Home and a Childrens' Christmas Tree
Veli
The Hirvilahti chapel was packed. It was -23 outside, and even with heavy, warm winter clothes, people seeked warmth from each other, huddling in the pews next to each other. The sexton had done his best to heat the old chapel, but the building was just too drafty to warm up properly at these temperatures.
Come spring, Veli would have to bring up the issue of building a new chapel for the village. It was something that had been talked about at length in the last few years, but no concrete decisions had been taken. Personally, Veli felt that it came down to the vicar. As pious and good-hearted as the man was, being forceful or decisive was not his strong suit.
I yearn for you, I wait for you, O Lord of Earth and Heaven
For the rich and the poor alike, bring your sweet Christmas
The hymn died down.
”Let us rise to hear the holy words from the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke: And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a degree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. And this taxing was the first made when Cyrenius was the governor of Syria. And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem...”
The vicar had an impressive voice and demeanor, that Veli had to grant him that. The man truly appeared illuminated by his faith, when ever he spoke up in the presence of his congregation.
”...And the angel said unto them, fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people...”
The Vaara family had come to the chapel in the darkness of the morning, by two horse-drawn sleighs across a snowy landscape. Veli had sat next to his mother, for the true head of the Vaara household was not home this Christmas. Salomo Vaara had stayed in Helsinki, where he said the Ministry of Supply desperately needed his services now that the Baltic Sea was icing up and food shipments from abroad were even more problematic they had been so far. It was the first time in Veli's life his father had not been home, and the same went for his older twin brother. Arvo Vaara had been sent with his unit to assist the integration of Repola and Porajärvi to Finland, and his position as a cavalry officer also was such that under the conditions, a Christmas leave was impossible to organize.
Veli himself, like many other men from his North Savonian reserve unit, had managed to get a few days of leave for Christmas. The Finnish military had been in a state of de facto mobilization for over two months now. But as the feared, even expected Soviet attack had not yet materialized, there was now a lot ot talk about demobilizing the troops, or at least some of them, back to sorely-needed civilian tasks. A mobilized military is always an economic burden on a nation, and especially among the political left the voices demanding demobilization grew by the week. So far, the solution had been to increase the leaves the men were granted so that they could at least spend as many days home as possible even if they officially were attached to mobilized units.
Veli was of two minds about the issue himself. On one hand, he was well aware that he would be needed at home in Vaarala now that his father was engaged in nationally important work in the capital. As it was, these last weeks his brother Jorma, 18, had been the man of the house in Vaarala. When Veli came home for Christmas, he found his baby brother had somehow turned more serious and manly all of a sudden. Now, Veli could also see some of the features of Salomo in Jorma, some of the strict stubbornness and black and white attitudes the old man had. And, like his father, Jorma had taken to reading the papers religiously. To hear him talk about the recent news, of the unexpected escape of the Admiral Graf Spee from the British ships pursuing it, of the increased readiness argued for by the new commander of the Danish military, of the loss of Finnish merchant ships to mines and German ships, and of course the almost daily demands and rebukes the Finnish government was getting from the Soviets now, Veli could almost hear his father's voice in his brother's words.
On the other hand, should war really begin, all able-bodied men would be needed at the front. By what the vicar was saying in his sermon, now, he had also thought about these issues a lot.
”...There is one thing that dominates our thoughts these days, and it is the threat of war”, the man said. His sermon this Christmas was centred on the international conflict pulling Europe apart, which was not unexpected at all.
”...even if peace still prevails in these northern lands, we do not know what trials will still await our beloved Finland...”
In Britain, the press had already coined the term 'Phoney War' to describe the situation in Europe: while several nations were at a state of war against each other, actual large-scale land warfare was not happening anywhere. Battles were being fought in the air and on the sea, but generally speaking the feeling was one of wait-and-see. The world war, it seemed, had trouble getting started.
”...Knowing the future is not for us. God only knows what the months and years ahead will bring along for the members of this congregation, our neighbours and our loved ones. From On High, He watches over us, and through His actions are our fates decided. Fear not for the future, for ours is a good and merciful God. This is, indeed, the message of Christmas. In his great mercy, God decided to send us His only begotten son, to...”
Feeling the cold outside creeping up to him, Veli could understand the situation in Europe. After all, what political leader or general in his right mind would commit to an invasion in the dead of winter? Especially here in the north this winter had already proven to develop into a very cold and harsh one. The temperatures dipped consistently below -20 or even -30 in all parts of the country, and there was snow aplenty everywhere. Only a fool would want to fight a war in these conditions. Veli believed that Stalin was not a fool. It would therefore be unlikely, he thought, that the USSR would attack Finland soon. If there was an attack to come, early summer 1940 would be more likely. In summer conditions, the Red Army could bring its might to bear against the Finns in earnest.
But then, what do I know?, Veli thought to himself. I am a farm boy and a corporal in the reserve, not a military strategist. I don't even have an officer's training like my brother does. And I surely don't know what goes on in the minds of totalitarian dictators.
”Leave now with the peace of Christmas in your hearts, and have yourselves a blessed celebration of the birth of Our Saviour.”
After the service ended with the hymn Maa on niin kaunis[1], people flocked to the vicar to thank him for the sermon and to wish him happy Christmas. By all accounts, the man had succeeded in his task to enforce the spirit of Christmas in the souls of his parishioners. Looking after the spiritual well-being of people was, to Veli, the chief task of the men and women who worked for the Finnish Church in various roles. And despite any shortcomings the vicar might have, in this regard he was the right man for the job.
”Merry Christmas, to you, Vicar, and to Mrs Merimaa as well”, he said to the man of the cloth, shaking his hand.
”Thank you Veli, it is good to see that you were able to come home for Christmas. A blessed Christmas to the Vaara family as well.”
Back home in Vaarala, everything had been made ready for Christmas. The house scrubbed clean, the finest tablecloth laid on the big table, and the main hall decorated, mostly with home-made decorations of yellow straw. The Christmas tree stood in the corner with its candles. It was little Erkki's solemn task to keep the cat away from the tree to prevent the curious animal from turning the live candles into a real fire hazard.
Veli Vaara was especially wary of fire getting out of hands these days. Losing a home to a fire is a terrible thing.
Exactly fifteen minutes before noon, the Vaara family sat gathered around the radio, for at noon exactly the Yleisradio would air the declaration of Christmas Peace from the Old Great Square in Turku. This yearly ritual was not very old: it had been started in Vaarala by Salomo Vaara only two years previously.[2]
Soon it would be time for the Christmas meal. It centered, as always, around the big ham, the steaming casseroles of carrot and potato, the lutefisk with potatoes and white sauce, the herring salad, and finally, of course, rice porridge with a kissel made with different fruits.
It was an article of faith to Alma Vaara that everyone should eat well on Christmas. This applied not only to the family itself. The Vaaras would spend the days before Christmas to visit their farmhands and workers to take them different Christmas foods and treats, and Alma also had a few poorer families in the village she wanted to support with gifts of food. Salomo Vaara sometimes grumbled about his wife's charity, but this was one issue where Alma would not budge.
Even the animals of the farm ate well today. Veli would personally make sure the horses got the oats they so dearly deserved for their year's hard work, and some dried apple and sugar, too.
It did not come to Veli's mind then, but later he would come to understand how lucky the Vaaras were for having all that comparative plenty. Already that Christmas in some families, especially in the towns, the measures of rationing and the creeping shortages of different things made the offerings available a lot leaner. And in the next year, things would be even worse for most people.
Prior to the meal, there was of course Christmas sauna – a symbolic cleansing of the soul to allow the mind to ”descend to Christmas” as much as a physical act of washing oneself up. Veli sat in the darkness of the sauna with himself, Jorma and Uncle Sepi, Alma's younger brother Septimus, on the upper tier while little Erkki inhabited the lowest level. Erkki could not yet withstand the heat high up, but already wanted to go to the sauna with the menfolk as a point of principle.
Veli got a lot of thinking done in the philosophical silence of the sauna, only interrupted by water being thrown to the hot stones, and some rather random comments and questions from Erkki.
The last löyly was thrown for the saunatonttu, the guardian spirit of the sauna, to wish him merry Christmas as well. Treating the guardian spirits well was a way to avoid bad luck in the future.
After the sauna, and after the meal, there was time for singing and playing games. Little Erkki would be acting like like he was stepping on hot coals, though, until there was a tap on the door and the ominous figure of Father Christmas arrived with the gifts. A beastly-looking man in a brown mask, a fur hat and a fur coat turned upside down, Father Christmas demanded to know if there were good children in the house.
”I am”, little Erkki said with a bright voice, holding on tight to his toy badger, ”but I think I am the only one here!”
Veli never saw Father Christmas himself, this time – he needed to go and feed the horses just then. Or that, at least, was the official version of the story.
Uncle Sepi was a dedicated bachelor, a man in his mid-40s working as a school teacher in Iisalmi to the north. A liberal, witty, smart man, he was quite different from his sister's husband. Salomo Vaara resented Sepi's political views and what he called the man's ”frivolous” nature, but could grudgingly respect him for his commitment to knowledge and teaching. For Veli Vaara, the discussions he had had with Uncle Sepi as he grew up had probably been crucial for making him a supporter of the Social Democratic Party instead of an Agrarian.
In many things, Septimus Räsänen could probably be called an enthusiast. He was heavily engaged in a myriad of hobbies. This year, the man had picked up a new hobby: photography. He had bought himself a brand new German Leica III camera (the man never was one for half-measures in anything) and started learning the ropes. Veli had already seen many of his photos. In Veli's provisional view, Sepi's skills were still a bit lacking, but then he certainly had a certain artistic vision about his work. This Christmas, Sepi did his best to document with his camera how the Vaaras celebrated their holidays. He took an special interest into Alma and the other women preparing the Christmas foods and treats. Later, Veli saw Sepi's photos from those days, and he was especially struck by his snapshot of Sisko baking with her mother, as fine an example of documentary photography as he had ever seen anywhere.
When Sepi was in the evening sizing up the Christmas tree for a photo shoot, he felt a tug at his sleeve. He looked down to see Erkki standing there, looking determined.
”Uncle Sepi, you need to come with me to Father's study.”
”Erkki, I was doing something. Can't it wait?”
”No, you have to come now. And bring the camera.”
Curious, and a bit bemused by the boy's insistence, the school teacher followed Erkki to the study. While there, Erkki pointed towards his father's bookcase.
”Mister Badger wants his portrait taken.”
Septimus Räsänen saw that the boy had propped up his toy badger by the bookcase. It was standing there as if posing for a photo shoot.
”I see. But why here, Erkki?”, Sepi asked, with a smile on his lips.
The boy looked at him earnestly.
”Mister Badger is a sophisticated animal.”
When Sepi took aim and snapped a photo of the plush toy, his attempts to stifle a laugh caused the photo to end up a bit out of focus.
The rest of the photos he took that Christmas, though, ended up very good.
…
...
Notes:
[1]”So beautiful is the Earth”. The hymn originally appeared in Schlesische Volkslieder in 1842 and which was given its Finnish lyrics by Hilja Haahti in 1903.
[2] In 1939 the radio broadcast was announced, just like the previous year, by Julius Finnberg, the head of programming at the Turku radio station. The traditional declaration had first been sent over the Yleisradio in 1935.
…
To Be Continued
I don't seek power or glory, I don't even yearn for gold
I just ask for Heaven's light and peace on Earth
Give us a Christmas that brings joy and raises our minds to the Creator
No power, not even gold, but just peace on Earth
En etsi valtaa, loistoa (Topelius 1887/Sibelius 1909)
Twenty-nine: A Peaceful Home and a Childrens' Christmas Tree
Veli
The Hirvilahti chapel was packed. It was -23 outside, and even with heavy, warm winter clothes, people seeked warmth from each other, huddling in the pews next to each other. The sexton had done his best to heat the old chapel, but the building was just too drafty to warm up properly at these temperatures.
Come spring, Veli would have to bring up the issue of building a new chapel for the village. It was something that had been talked about at length in the last few years, but no concrete decisions had been taken. Personally, Veli felt that it came down to the vicar. As pious and good-hearted as the man was, being forceful or decisive was not his strong suit.
I yearn for you, I wait for you, O Lord of Earth and Heaven
For the rich and the poor alike, bring your sweet Christmas
The hymn died down.
”Let us rise to hear the holy words from the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke: And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a degree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. And this taxing was the first made when Cyrenius was the governor of Syria. And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem...”
The vicar had an impressive voice and demeanor, that Veli had to grant him that. The man truly appeared illuminated by his faith, when ever he spoke up in the presence of his congregation.
”...And the angel said unto them, fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people...”
The Vaara family had come to the chapel in the darkness of the morning, by two horse-drawn sleighs across a snowy landscape. Veli had sat next to his mother, for the true head of the Vaara household was not home this Christmas. Salomo Vaara had stayed in Helsinki, where he said the Ministry of Supply desperately needed his services now that the Baltic Sea was icing up and food shipments from abroad were even more problematic they had been so far. It was the first time in Veli's life his father had not been home, and the same went for his older twin brother. Arvo Vaara had been sent with his unit to assist the integration of Repola and Porajärvi to Finland, and his position as a cavalry officer also was such that under the conditions, a Christmas leave was impossible to organize.
Veli himself, like many other men from his North Savonian reserve unit, had managed to get a few days of leave for Christmas. The Finnish military had been in a state of de facto mobilization for over two months now. But as the feared, even expected Soviet attack had not yet materialized, there was now a lot ot talk about demobilizing the troops, or at least some of them, back to sorely-needed civilian tasks. A mobilized military is always an economic burden on a nation, and especially among the political left the voices demanding demobilization grew by the week. So far, the solution had been to increase the leaves the men were granted so that they could at least spend as many days home as possible even if they officially were attached to mobilized units.
Veli was of two minds about the issue himself. On one hand, he was well aware that he would be needed at home in Vaarala now that his father was engaged in nationally important work in the capital. As it was, these last weeks his brother Jorma, 18, had been the man of the house in Vaarala. When Veli came home for Christmas, he found his baby brother had somehow turned more serious and manly all of a sudden. Now, Veli could also see some of the features of Salomo in Jorma, some of the strict stubbornness and black and white attitudes the old man had. And, like his father, Jorma had taken to reading the papers religiously. To hear him talk about the recent news, of the unexpected escape of the Admiral Graf Spee from the British ships pursuing it, of the increased readiness argued for by the new commander of the Danish military, of the loss of Finnish merchant ships to mines and German ships, and of course the almost daily demands and rebukes the Finnish government was getting from the Soviets now, Veli could almost hear his father's voice in his brother's words.
On the other hand, should war really begin, all able-bodied men would be needed at the front. By what the vicar was saying in his sermon, now, he had also thought about these issues a lot.
”...There is one thing that dominates our thoughts these days, and it is the threat of war”, the man said. His sermon this Christmas was centred on the international conflict pulling Europe apart, which was not unexpected at all.
”...even if peace still prevails in these northern lands, we do not know what trials will still await our beloved Finland...”
In Britain, the press had already coined the term 'Phoney War' to describe the situation in Europe: while several nations were at a state of war against each other, actual large-scale land warfare was not happening anywhere. Battles were being fought in the air and on the sea, but generally speaking the feeling was one of wait-and-see. The world war, it seemed, had trouble getting started.
”...Knowing the future is not for us. God only knows what the months and years ahead will bring along for the members of this congregation, our neighbours and our loved ones. From On High, He watches over us, and through His actions are our fates decided. Fear not for the future, for ours is a good and merciful God. This is, indeed, the message of Christmas. In his great mercy, God decided to send us His only begotten son, to...”
Feeling the cold outside creeping up to him, Veli could understand the situation in Europe. After all, what political leader or general in his right mind would commit to an invasion in the dead of winter? Especially here in the north this winter had already proven to develop into a very cold and harsh one. The temperatures dipped consistently below -20 or even -30 in all parts of the country, and there was snow aplenty everywhere. Only a fool would want to fight a war in these conditions. Veli believed that Stalin was not a fool. It would therefore be unlikely, he thought, that the USSR would attack Finland soon. If there was an attack to come, early summer 1940 would be more likely. In summer conditions, the Red Army could bring its might to bear against the Finns in earnest.
But then, what do I know?, Veli thought to himself. I am a farm boy and a corporal in the reserve, not a military strategist. I don't even have an officer's training like my brother does. And I surely don't know what goes on in the minds of totalitarian dictators.
”Leave now with the peace of Christmas in your hearts, and have yourselves a blessed celebration of the birth of Our Saviour.”
After the service ended with the hymn Maa on niin kaunis[1], people flocked to the vicar to thank him for the sermon and to wish him happy Christmas. By all accounts, the man had succeeded in his task to enforce the spirit of Christmas in the souls of his parishioners. Looking after the spiritual well-being of people was, to Veli, the chief task of the men and women who worked for the Finnish Church in various roles. And despite any shortcomings the vicar might have, in this regard he was the right man for the job.
”Merry Christmas, to you, Vicar, and to Mrs Merimaa as well”, he said to the man of the cloth, shaking his hand.
”Thank you Veli, it is good to see that you were able to come home for Christmas. A blessed Christmas to the Vaara family as well.”
Back home in Vaarala, everything had been made ready for Christmas. The house scrubbed clean, the finest tablecloth laid on the big table, and the main hall decorated, mostly with home-made decorations of yellow straw. The Christmas tree stood in the corner with its candles. It was little Erkki's solemn task to keep the cat away from the tree to prevent the curious animal from turning the live candles into a real fire hazard.
Veli Vaara was especially wary of fire getting out of hands these days. Losing a home to a fire is a terrible thing.
Exactly fifteen minutes before noon, the Vaara family sat gathered around the radio, for at noon exactly the Yleisradio would air the declaration of Christmas Peace from the Old Great Square in Turku. This yearly ritual was not very old: it had been started in Vaarala by Salomo Vaara only two years previously.[2]
Soon it would be time for the Christmas meal. It centered, as always, around the big ham, the steaming casseroles of carrot and potato, the lutefisk with potatoes and white sauce, the herring salad, and finally, of course, rice porridge with a kissel made with different fruits.
It was an article of faith to Alma Vaara that everyone should eat well on Christmas. This applied not only to the family itself. The Vaaras would spend the days before Christmas to visit their farmhands and workers to take them different Christmas foods and treats, and Alma also had a few poorer families in the village she wanted to support with gifts of food. Salomo Vaara sometimes grumbled about his wife's charity, but this was one issue where Alma would not budge.
Even the animals of the farm ate well today. Veli would personally make sure the horses got the oats they so dearly deserved for their year's hard work, and some dried apple and sugar, too.
It did not come to Veli's mind then, but later he would come to understand how lucky the Vaaras were for having all that comparative plenty. Already that Christmas in some families, especially in the towns, the measures of rationing and the creeping shortages of different things made the offerings available a lot leaner. And in the next year, things would be even worse for most people.
Prior to the meal, there was of course Christmas sauna – a symbolic cleansing of the soul to allow the mind to ”descend to Christmas” as much as a physical act of washing oneself up. Veli sat in the darkness of the sauna with himself, Jorma and Uncle Sepi, Alma's younger brother Septimus, on the upper tier while little Erkki inhabited the lowest level. Erkki could not yet withstand the heat high up, but already wanted to go to the sauna with the menfolk as a point of principle.
Veli got a lot of thinking done in the philosophical silence of the sauna, only interrupted by water being thrown to the hot stones, and some rather random comments and questions from Erkki.
The last löyly was thrown for the saunatonttu, the guardian spirit of the sauna, to wish him merry Christmas as well. Treating the guardian spirits well was a way to avoid bad luck in the future.
After the sauna, and after the meal, there was time for singing and playing games. Little Erkki would be acting like like he was stepping on hot coals, though, until there was a tap on the door and the ominous figure of Father Christmas arrived with the gifts. A beastly-looking man in a brown mask, a fur hat and a fur coat turned upside down, Father Christmas demanded to know if there were good children in the house.
”I am”, little Erkki said with a bright voice, holding on tight to his toy badger, ”but I think I am the only one here!”
Veli never saw Father Christmas himself, this time – he needed to go and feed the horses just then. Or that, at least, was the official version of the story.
Uncle Sepi was a dedicated bachelor, a man in his mid-40s working as a school teacher in Iisalmi to the north. A liberal, witty, smart man, he was quite different from his sister's husband. Salomo Vaara resented Sepi's political views and what he called the man's ”frivolous” nature, but could grudgingly respect him for his commitment to knowledge and teaching. For Veli Vaara, the discussions he had had with Uncle Sepi as he grew up had probably been crucial for making him a supporter of the Social Democratic Party instead of an Agrarian.
In many things, Septimus Räsänen could probably be called an enthusiast. He was heavily engaged in a myriad of hobbies. This year, the man had picked up a new hobby: photography. He had bought himself a brand new German Leica III camera (the man never was one for half-measures in anything) and started learning the ropes. Veli had already seen many of his photos. In Veli's provisional view, Sepi's skills were still a bit lacking, but then he certainly had a certain artistic vision about his work. This Christmas, Sepi did his best to document with his camera how the Vaaras celebrated their holidays. He took an special interest into Alma and the other women preparing the Christmas foods and treats. Later, Veli saw Sepi's photos from those days, and he was especially struck by his snapshot of Sisko baking with her mother, as fine an example of documentary photography as he had ever seen anywhere.
When Sepi was in the evening sizing up the Christmas tree for a photo shoot, he felt a tug at his sleeve. He looked down to see Erkki standing there, looking determined.
”Uncle Sepi, you need to come with me to Father's study.”
”Erkki, I was doing something. Can't it wait?”
”No, you have to come now. And bring the camera.”
Curious, and a bit bemused by the boy's insistence, the school teacher followed Erkki to the study. While there, Erkki pointed towards his father's bookcase.
”Mister Badger wants his portrait taken.”
Septimus Räsänen saw that the boy had propped up his toy badger by the bookcase. It was standing there as if posing for a photo shoot.
”I see. But why here, Erkki?”, Sepi asked, with a smile on his lips.
The boy looked at him earnestly.
”Mister Badger is a sophisticated animal.”
When Sepi took aim and snapped a photo of the plush toy, his attempts to stifle a laugh caused the photo to end up a bit out of focus.
The rest of the photos he took that Christmas, though, ended up very good.
…
View attachment 441274
Source: Finnish Central Police Administration, Violent Crimes Division Uusimaa,
Case Account 7581B/2009 [Stored Physical Evidence]
Source: Finnish Central Police Administration, Violent Crimes Division Uusimaa,
Case Account 7581B/2009 [Stored Physical Evidence]
...
Notes:
[1]”So beautiful is the Earth”. The hymn originally appeared in Schlesische Volkslieder in 1842 and which was given its Finnish lyrics by Hilja Haahti in 1903.
[2] In 1939 the radio broadcast was announced, just like the previous year, by Julius Finnberg, the head of programming at the Turku radio station. The traditional declaration had first been sent over the Yleisradio in 1935.
…
To Be Continued
- DrakonFin
- Word Count: 2.6k