Sports and Pastimes, 1909
In a country like Finland, which consists of nearly as much water as land, and which has long, severe winters, when all outside work is at a standstill because the…
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“Sports and Pastimes” from Peeps at Many Lands: Finland by M. Pearson Thomson, 1909
In a country like Finland, which consists of nearly as much water as land, and which has long, severe winters, when all outside work is at a standstill because the land is frozen, the people must vary the monotony of their indoor life by active exercise of some kind. This the Finns do by indulging in many exhilarating sports and pastimes, at which they are adepts, finding compensation in this way for the severity of their climate. The waterways becoming highways, they form a quick and cheap means of travel, so from necessity as well as choice the people become expert on skis, travelling many miles in this way, peasants often carrying their knapsacks strapped upon their backs.
These ski-ers cover the ground quickly and gracefully, seeming quite untroubled by their packs. It is very amusing to see several of them gliding along together. To these people the winter travelling on skis is as natural as walking, for they start learning in early childhood, tiny “tots” of three years old having their own small skis made for them just as we have our shoes. In the towns and villages competitive races for ski-ing and skating are organized and frequently held. Boys and girls take their part in these national sports, and all schools stimulate a wholesome rivalry of achievement between them by holding race-days, when guests are invited and prizes given.
As ski-ing is the chief winter sport, and the most difficult to excel in, as well as requiring experience and nerve to avoid its dangers, it naturally follows that keen sportsmen like it best. Ski-ing races, therefore, take first place, and are always attended by an enthusiastic crowd of spectators, this sport inspiring excitement in the onlooker as well as in the performer. No doubt it will interest English boys to hear some details of this popular pastime, which, to the uninitiated, appears so perilous. Perhaps you know that the skis are long, narrow strips of wood, with leather fastenings in the centre, to attach them to the boots. The front ends of these skis are pointed, and curved upwards, so as to glide over obstructions. The proper length for each wearer is determined by his standing erect with his arms extended above the head, and the skis, being placed on end, should then reach to his finger-tips. Leather boots, cloth puttees, knickerbockers, thick woollen jersey and cap with ear-flaps, are generally worn to make the skier’s outfit.
In Finland the little children, fully equipped, have their first lesson when about three years of age. Balance being the first essential, they are taught to stand on their skis, one foot in advance, knees bent, and the body thrust forward. Then they start off, tumbling, of course, at first, but soon looking upon the matter as a game, and, picking themselves up, try again. By the end of their second winter they are fairly proficient, and thoroughly enjoy a turn on their skis as well as on their skates, for skating is taught at the same time. All children must learn ski-ing and skating, as it is a necessary means of getting about the country. It is entertaining to see a party of children start off to school on their skis, warmly clad in rough homespun and knitted woollen clothing, a happy, chattering throng, keen as to who will arrive there first, the girls often being the winners.
A ski-jumping competition and race is a fine spectacle to witness, but it is only when you have realized how very difficult it is for a novice even to stand and keep his balance on the skis that you are fully impressed by the Finnish ski- jumper. The best of these competitions take place in the Djurgarden at Helsingfors, as some of the cleverest ski-ers in the world are to be found among the Finns. The excitement begins when the competitors mount the steep slope which is the starting-point. As the men gather at the top of the slope, a great shout goes up from the crowded grand stands at the bottom. The whole course is decorated with bright-coloured flags and banners, and these, together with the smart costumes of the ladies and gay-coloured jerseys of the men, make up a very pretty scene. At a given signal a hushed silence falls on the assembly as the first man starts down the slope. Gaining impetus, he comes on at a terrific speed till he reaches the bottom of the slope and its platform, which is raised some distance from the ground. When he arrives on the platform, he leaps up high into the air, with his feet close together, his body almost erect, with arms stretched out in a wonderful attitude of balance. After this gymnastic feat, he lands, much to our surprise, safely on the slope below, and rushes on, accompanied by the cheers of the crowd. Men stand below the platform ready to rake over the disturbed snow, which has been scattered right and left by the jumper, before the next competitor arrives. The judge’s box is on one side of the platform, in order that he may ascertain the highest “jump,” and award the prize accordingly. So intense is the excitement of the spectators, as each man comes down the slope, jumps, and sails away, that you almost feel them holding their breath in readiness for the great cheer which goes up when he jumps and successfully lands on his skis.
The Finns are also clever skaters, of course, and in this, as in ski-ing, they have many professionals and skilled amateurs. Tobogganing is also a favourite pastime, and in every school recreation-ground a snow-covered erection is arranged for the children’s toboggan exercise. Boys and girls are comrades in Finland, sharing equally in the home, the school, and in the field of sport.
Though the people often go to market on skis or skates, the sleigh is always used when carrying a load. It is the principal means of travelling, and takes the place of cart or carriage. These sleighs are drawn by the sure-footed, fleet, strong Finnish horses, with their smart bell-adorned harness, which makes such sweet music as they fly along. What a jolly time the youngsters have when they start off in sleighs for a visit to a neighbouring town! Half a dozen sleighs packed with gay, laughing people drive through the exhilarating air to the merry chime of sleigh-bells, for this is St. Stephen’s Day, and it is customary to drive in these large parties—“driving Steffan” it is called. Often the back view of a fat woman off to market in her sleigh is quite a comical sight! The sleigh being meant for two ordinary-sized people, the girl who accompanies her to drive is squeezed into one corner, while the woman “boils over” in every direction! The girl appears from behind to be a large, bright-red toadstool, as her head is tied up in a crimson handkerchief, which covers her woollen cap; while the old woman looks like an enormous bundle of parti-coloured clothes, with a mandarin’s bobbing head on top!
How beautiful is this country, the kingdom of Jack Frost, in its winter glory—the trees heavily laden with snow, and the ground, in its sparkling dress, making a veritable fairy-land, especially with the pale glint of winter sunshine on it! The Northern winter nights are exquisitely beautiful; the deep purply-blue of the heavens is ablaze with glittering stars, which intensify their sombre setting, while moonlight serves to add mystery to its charms. Often, too, the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) float like flaming ribbons across the heavens, illuminating them brilliantly. This twinkling, scintillating canopy sheds a soft, radiant light throughout the land, which is not quite so dark as you might suppose.
Fishing and shooting are the chief summer sports, and Finland being a fisherman’s paradise, as yet little known, there are plenty of fish waiting to be caught by any young Briton who may be lucky enough to get the chance of throwing a fly in its waters. Shooting, also, is good, and birds plentiful, such as ptarmigan, black game, capercailzie, and wild-duck; or, if you like big game, and go North in winter, you may shoot a bear. As the birds settle in the trees, the Finnish sportsman is accompanied by his trained dog, who stands under the trees barking, which frightens the birds, who fly out, and are then shot.
Yachting takes preference with some Finlanders, and there is a good yacht-club in Helsingfors, where races often take place, competing yachts coming also from St. Petersburg and Stockholm. Canoeing and boating have attractions for the youthful fraternity. The former, however, ranks first with the majority of young Finns, as only the skilled oarsman is allowed to go far afloat by canoe. Every boy and girl can manage a boat, and they often take the farm produce to market from their island homes. Swimming lessons begin very early in a Finnish child’s life, and this is as it should be in a land of “many waters.” It is an amusing sight to see a bevy of naked little urchins taking a morning swim. You would think they had been born in the water, like the fish, as they dart about in the clear, sunny lakes, laughing, spluttering, and talking in their soft native tongue. Tennis, hockey, football, and cycling have all become fashionable within the last few years with the Finlanders, but they have yet to learn the fascinations of our national and beloved game of cricket.
Thomson, M. Pearson. Peeps at Many Lands: Finland. Adam & Charles Black, 1909.
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