Venetsialaiset or The Venetians is the final weekend of the boating and cottage season on the last weekend of August. The evening ends with a grand fireworks display, most likely in every city that has a port.
It is said that this tradition is over 100 years old in Finland. After the Venetians brought the celebration of light and fire to Europe, this tradition spread further to countries such as Switzerland, Germany, and the UK. It was maritime trade that brought this tradition to Finland, which means that now we have campfires, lanterns, and fireworks to celebrate the light.
From my experience of almost two years and from what I have heard from friends and colleagues, this event is just as important for Finns as Juhannus.
Some Finns are decorating the porch of holiday homes for the last time before preparing for the cold season, which is settling in fairly quickly.
Too much could not be said, perhaps, because the event is lived in itself, being there. But it is an ideal time, especially now that the pandemic has softened a little bit, at least through our dear Finland, to meet friends. Maybe one of your friends has a spacious boat and ends up with a mini-party with cold cider and good cheer.
Instead, fireworks and mökki decorations are something that leaves their mark on this event every year. As they say around here: Hyvää Venetsialaiset!
A CUP OF NOVELTY 