22.06.2007--Finnish Midsummer Eve

"Midsummer is surely the most harmonious of Finland's public holidays. Christmas is fine, too, of course, even with its commercial overkill. May Day is the most boisterous and boozy of all them all, but Midsummer brings out the best in everyone. Swedish speakers, who make up six per cent of Finland's population, call the day midsommar, easy for anglophones, while Finnish speakers refer to it as Juhannus, the Christian calendar's Feast of St John the Baptist.

The religious factor is hardly foremost, yet something metaphysical stirs inside the thousands of Finns who head for lakeside cabin or forest glade or parental home to commune with nature on Midsummer Eve and on into the luminous night. Even those left behind in town enjoy the peace that descends on streets emptied of cars and kids and commotion."
--(http://virtual.finland.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=26052)

with my Finnish family in their summer cottage, in Sauvo town, near Turku. why is my Finnish family?it is a long story to tell... Just because i am the most lucky girl in the world and they are the most kind people!.

They are angels to me! It is them who make me feel home in Finland, thousands of miles from home. It is them who move me to tears from time to time by their kindness and love, considering me as the second daughter(sometimes call me as Friend Daughter). It is them who have been helping me all the time here. I really owed them a lot!!!

Bi urtei hun!!!--Aav eejiden urtei, eh orondon urtei, tusalz yavsan hun bolgond urtei dee!(Mongol)

         

Thursday(21.06) afternoon, Niina's father picked us up from Turku by car and spent one night in their summer cottage(42km far away). unfortunately, we had to wake at 5:45am the next morning and drive back to Turku for work. we finished work around 3.30pm and back again, directly jumped into Sauna--how relaxed..:)
at 19:00, we went to the local church near the seaside, cause they three all are Christians, and also it is a religious day.--experiencing the different culture and religion...



After the religious acitivity (i am sure how to call it, sorry) inside of the church, i took lots of pictures of the outside views...












- Nature and people in one of the most important holiday in Finland

- on the way home before midnight, we met mam's(obviously my Finnish mam) cousin and we visited them.


- What a nice house both inside and outside:), which used be a Big political person's house two generations ahead.(?)

inside the beautiful house!

--a creative room for kids--how about the clock on the wall:)...

--through the window, i saw one of their cat sitting on the lawn
---bar corner

-2010-
I still remembered everything was so new and impressive, taking tons of pictures:)