Thursday, September 4, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

The Finnish way to celebrate Christmas

Published 19 December 2024
– By Ivana Bratovanova
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3 minute read

There is no better place to explore Christmas traditions than Finland, the land of Santa Claus. Just an hour away from Helsinki, the city of Porvoo is immersive in all-things Christmas – markets, local shops, exhibitions, and food!

On the crossroads between tradition, present and future, we can all learn from Finns’ way of celebrating the holidays.

Porvoo, located just an hour from Helsinki, presents to visitors Finnish Christmas customs dating back from the 18th century. At the Holm House Museum I had the opportunity to experience first-hand the seasonal rituals of the Holm family, a distinguished merchant household.

The dinner table, set with green-rimmed Rörstrand dishes and wax candles, shows how important fine tableware was at the time. Traditional meals like root vegetable casseroles, rosolli salad, and rice porridge – prepared with rice, butter, and occasionally raisins – demonstrate how simple staples efficiently used to create festive and nourishing dishes despite limited resources.

The act of gift-giving was still novel in 18th-century Finland. Presents were often delivered in creative ways, such as being tossed through the door unexpectedly or brought by someone in disguise. The presents had clever, rhyming verses on them that reveal what is inside and who the gift is from. Gifts included practical items such as candles, handmade goods, or sweets such as marzipan and candied fruit.

Beyond family celebrations, community goodwill was key to the holiday. Bread baked for the poor and tallow candles symbolized generosity. The declaration of Christmas Peace from the Old Town Hall marked the start of quiet family time and religious traditions, like attending church and reading the Gospel of Luke.

Looking outside the window of the Holm House, the contrast between the calm, cozy serenity of the past and the lively buzz of the Christmas Path is unmistakable. The Christmas Path is an annual event with carousels, food stalls, and visits from Santa Claus, which stretches along Jokikatu streets. Vendors sell handmade goods and visitors can enjoy glögi, a traditional Finnish mulled drink made with spiced red wine or fruit juice, served hot with raisins and almonds.

Today, Finns continue to celebrate Christmas combining the old with the new. Santa Claus, or Joulupukki, remains a central figure, often visiting homes on Christmas Eve to deliver gifts. In these cases, families choose to hire a professional Santa or enlist a neighbor to dress up. It is not uncommon to see advertisements on the streets for “experienced” Joulupukki-s, who “do not drink”, important note for families who might have had a Christmas or two where Santa chose a bottle of liquor over warm milk and cookies.

Food is an essential part of the modern Finnish Christmas. Key dishes include oven-baked ham, often served with mustard, and root vegetable casseroles. Rosolli salad, a colorful mix of boiled beetroots, carrots, potatoes, apples, and pickled cucumber, is often topped with a sour cream-based dressing and sometimes garnished with eggs or herring. Fish also plays a major role, with foods like pickled herring, gravlax (cured salmon), and roe served with rye bread. Other staples are mushroom salad and boiled peas.

A Christmas sauna, decorated with candles, lanterns, or branches, is another Finnish tradition. A plunge into the cold snow or a nearby lake between sauna sessions is not only refreshing, but it also has several health benefits, such as improved circulation and boosted immune function. Finns usually choose to sauna on Christmas after breakfast when the typical rice porridge is served. A secret ingredient – the almond hidden in one of the portions – is believed to bring luck in the new year to the one who finds it in their dish.

The Christmas spirit in Finland does not cease to exist even in January. The Holm House Christmas exhibition continues until January 12, 2025. But if you still want to catch Santa Claus on time, you can find him on Porvoo’s Christmas Path every Saturday and Sunday leading to Christmas.

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Stubb’s warning: “We will lose to the global South”

Published yesterday 13:34
– By Editorial Staff
Finnish President Alexander Stubb warns that the Western world is losing influence to Asia.
3 minute read

As the SCO alliance brings together major powers like India, China and Russia, Finnish President Alexander Stubb sees how a new world order is taking shape. Finland’s president warns that the West’s response – punitive tariffs and confrontation – only accelerates the historic shift in power.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb is calling for a more “dignified” and cooperative foreign policy toward the global South. His message is particularly directed at the US and comes at a sensitive time – amid the harshest trade tensions in years between Washington and New Delhi.

— My message, not only to my European colleagues, but especially to the United States, is that if we don’t derive a more cooperative and dignified foreign policy towards Global South, the likes of India, we are going to lose this game, Stubb said.

The president pointed to the recently held summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Tianjin, where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated alongside leaders from China and Russia.

— The meeting is a good reminder to all of us in the global west of what is at stake. We’re trying to preserve the remnants of the old order, he stated.

Close ties with Trump

Stubb’s statement carries extra weight because he is considered to have unusually good relations with President Trump, and the two bonded during a seven-hour golf round at Mar-a-Lago in Florida in March.

Trump has called Stubb a “young, powerful man” and said that: “we wanted to have you here because you are somebody that we all respect”.

Jan Hallenberg from the Swedish Institute of International Affairs tells news agency AFP that Stubb’s position is unique:

— Among small countries, there is no equivalent whatsoever. Stubb has gained unique access to Trump that no one else from a smaller European country has ever had.

In August, Stubb accompanied Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House for talks about the war with Russia.

Trump defends the tariffs

The warning from Finland’s president comes as the US has just imposed 50 percent punitive tariffs on Indian imports – half motivated by India’s oil purchases from Russia. The tariffs, which took effect on August 27, particularly impact India’s textile and diamond industries and are defended by Trump himself.

— We get along with India very well, but for many years it was a one-sided relationship… India was charging us tremendous tariffs, the highest in the world, the president said, highlighting how American motorcycle manufacturer Harley Davidson could no longer sell its products in India due to a 200 percent tariff on motorcycles.

— So what happens? Harley Davidson went to India and built a motorcycle plant. Now they don’t have to pay tariffs.

With India increasingly turning eastward and strengthening ties with China and Russia, Stubb’s warning seems to be about more than just trade volumes but about the West’s future political influence in a world where the balance of power is rapidly shifting.

Out into space with D-A-D’s new album

The Danish rock band D-A-D's newly released cosmic album Speed of Darkness stimulates both the rock nerve and the ears, making you want to travel out into space.

Published 30 August 2025
Swedish rock band D-A-D performed at Sweden Rock Festival this year.
3 minute read

There is something magnificent in D-A-D’s (formerly Disneyland After Dark) way of, on the one hand, creating the compositions, lyrics, and sound, and then performing and recording the material with their choice of rhythm, tempo, keys, vocals, backing vocals, solos, as well as bass and drum lines for the songs included on the CD. It is incredibly musical, moving from infectious to stimulating, and it likely resonates in most Danish kinship veins.

Beyond the fact that the whole album is worth listening to, there are two compositions that stand out in particular and became especially moving since we traveled down to Sweden Rock and experienced music from this newly released masterpiece, performed masterfully by the rock gods themselves. The first melody, track number 3 The Ghost, deserves mention – it carries a beautiful sentimental feeling while still igniting the rock nerve.

The second track is, of course, number 7 Crazy Wings. To round it off into a beautiful trinity within this spiritual rock shimmer, track 9 Strange Terrain must also be mentioned, with its liberatingly gritty guitar riffs and wonderful lift in the choir vocals. It is an extraordinary achievement to be able to write an album this good after already having created gems like the cool, stylish, and fantastic Bad Craziness, Sleeping My Day Away, and Are We Alive Here.

For many of us, myself included, this became the highlight of the festival. With nostalgic thoughts of having seen them 30 years ago at the Palladium in Stockholm, the longing to hear them again soon is strong. This cosmic album – and seeing them live – delivers in the only way Jesper Binzer (vocals, guitar), Jakob Binzer (guitar, vocals, keyboards), Stig Pedersen (bass, vocals), and Laust Sonne (drums) can.

They say people put their whole soul into their performance, but Jesper Binzer goes even deeper – drawing power from the very soil beneath Denmark itself. His artistry is such that from the very first note, you know it’s D-A-D playing.

Supernova

From the album cover, the listener and viewer can feel the power and dynamism expressed through its graphic and photographic design. The artwork radiates the recurring skeletal head imagery, reinforcing D-A-D’s language of wanting to travel into space with its majestic cosmic and divine supernova. In memory, I also recall one of the many different guitar-basses that bassist Stig plays – one of them designed exactly like that: a rocket.

It should also be mentioned that the band generously releases additional versions of Speed of Darkness, including a Japanese edition featuring a bonus track for Japan, Let Myself Out of Love, making it fifteen compositions in total to listen to and enjoy on the CD.

A special edition

Generously, they have also creatively produced something they call an “ear-book”. This combined CD edition includes fourteen tracks, accompanied by a kind of comic book-meets-book filled with illustrations, texts, and an exclusive D-A-D photograph, rounding out this hardback edition. It’s a mix of inner, outer, and surrounding punk-rock art. Its value is sure to grow over time – so thanks to all the artists, graphic creatives, composers, musicians, performers, and more who think freely in an otherwise tightened, gray everyday life.

The drawings that enhance the songs’ bodies, souls, and lyrics in the book are created and designed by Stig Pedersen – so we can guess that D-A-D’s bassist also possesses this golden touch. Many music lovers can thus feel gratitude for all the fun this world contains – offering substance, added value, and an oasis to escape into. Finally, it should be noted that in size, the book resembles an LP record sleeve, making it fit perfectly in a collection or as decoration when placed on a shelf.

So next time we want to listen to this work of art, the CD Speed of Darkness, we can let Jesper’s words from Sweden Rock Festival 2025 echo in our minds:

Now we’re going to have a cozy moment, a really cozy moment, Jesper said, in that uniquely wonderful raspy, rocking, Danish voice of his.

 

Mikael Rasmussen alias Artist Razz

Speed of Darkness is the thirteenth album by Danish band D-A-D and was released in October 2024 by German label AFM Records.

Woody Allen added to Ukrainian “kill list”

The war in Ukraine

Published 29 August 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Woody Allen, 89.
2 minute read

American director and actor Woody Allen has been added to Ukraine’s controversial Mirotvorets list. The reason is said to be his video appearance at a film festival in Moscow.

Woody Allen, 89, has been placed on Ukraine’s disputed Mirotvorets database – also known as the “kill list”. The list describes Allen as an “enemy of Ukraine” and accuses him of participating in “a Russian propaganda event”.

The background is that Allen recently participated via video link in Moscow International Film Week. There he spoke primarily about his long career and his personal experiences as a filmmaker.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry condemned his participation and described it as “a disgrace and an insult to the victims among Ukrainian actors and filmmakers”.

Allen: “Putin is wrong”

As a consequence, the Lviv National Academic Theatre in western Ukraine has canceled planned productions of Allen’s musical Bullets Over Broadway.

The Oscar-winning director has defended his participation and emphasizes that his appearance was not political.

I believe strongly that Putin is totally in the wrong, Allen said, but stressed that artistic conversations should be able to continue.

Mirotvorets has existed since 2014 and lists people considered to threaten Ukraine’s security or participate in Russian propaganda. The site has long been criticized internationally, as several people added to the list have been subjected to threats, violence and even killed.

Banned from Hollywood

Woody Allen has been the subject of allegations of sexual abuse against his adoptive daughter Dylan Farrow, which her mother Mia Farrow claims occurred in 1992.

The alleged abuse was investigated at the time by social services and police, but the case was dropped without charges due to lack of evidence.

In connection with the controversial #MeToo movement, the allegations gained new life and sparked extensive debate, although again without any actual legal proceedings taking place.

Allen has since been effectively banned from Hollywood, but has continued to release films internationally, including Rifkin’s Festival (2020) and Coup de chance (2023).

Fact: Mirotvorets "death list"

Mirotvorets, which roughly translates to "peacemaker" or "peacekeeper" in English, is a Ukrainian database that publishes names of individuals considered to threaten Ukraine's security or participate in Russian propaganda. The list was started in 2014 and is highly controversial, criticized for lack of transparency and linked to threats and violence against listed individuals.

Among examples of confirmed and notable names on the list are:

  • Alexander Ovechkin, Russian hockey player, listed for his support of Putin.
  • Roger Waters, musician and activist, after statements supporting Russia's position on Crimea.
  • Gerhard Schröder, former German chancellor, listed for "pro-Russian" statements.
  • Viktor Orbán, Hungary's prime minister, placed on the list in 2022.
  • Zoran Milanović, Croatia's president, added for "pro-Russian" comments.
  • Vasyl Lomachenko and Oleksandr Usyk, Ukrainian boxers, listed after participating in Russian projects.
  • Anatolij Shariy, Ukrainian opposition politician and journalist.

Sources: Wikipedia ("Myrotvorets"), UNIAN, OSCE, Human Rights Watch.

Finnish horses will soon be required to have a companion

Published 27 August 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Horses need muzzle-to-muzzle contact.
2 minute read

Finnish horses will soon be required to have larger stalls and a companion present in the stable, according to a new regulation. The companion can be another horse, mule, or donkey.

Finland has decided to promote horse welfare with a new regulation. Horses should, for example, have better opportunities to move around in larger areas and have daily outdoor time. In newly built stables, the paddock must be at least 300 square meters.

Stalls must also be expanded for horses with a withers height over 170 centimeters, and stables must have natural light. Water must always be available and during winter it must be changed every six hours. Horses may not be without hay for more than six hours.

New requirements also stipulate that horses must have a companion on site that they can see, hear, and feel daily. Horses are herd animals and loneliness can negatively affect their health.

Particularly the fact that it is now clearly prescribed that equines may not be kept alone is, in my opinion, one of the most important reforms for improving equine welfare”, writes Terhi Simonen-Jokinen, a specialist expert at Finland’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, in an email to Finnish public broadcaster Yle.

Muzzle contact

The horse’s companion must be either another horse, donkey, or mule. However, donkeys must have another donkey as company in the stable. One detail included in the regulation is that horses must be able to have daily muzzle-to-muzzle interaction, something that horse owner Anna Tujulin, who owns 22 horses herself, considers particularly important.

There is research showing that this is even more important than them seeing each other. I have also seen stallions that during periods haven’t received that touch and they can quite quickly develop even aggressive behavior, she says.

The regulation also states that foals may not be weaned before six months of age, and that young horses under two years old must be allowed to live in herds.

The changes will take effect at the turn of the year.

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