Laskiainen: Slide Festival 2016

The 79th annual Finnish Sliding Festival — Laskiainen — served up bowls of pea soup and oh so many toboggan rides Sunday. We have the history behind the festival.

The story behind the Finnish Festival is dowsed in old country history.

“Laskiainsen is a flax festival and it marks the time between weaving and spinning.” said Kathleen Jackson, a Finnish demonstrator. 

Cotton did not grow in Finland, so flax was very important.

The Finnish had many superstitions around their harvest. One being the further down the hill the farmer slid the lankier their flax would grow.

A variety of superstitions emerged.

“Women wore white to ensure that the flax was clean and bright.” Jackson said.

But the most important superstition was to stay on your sled because falling off would be disastrous for your crop.

Luckily for the kids sledding Sunday afternoon, that superstition is just a relic of the past. Now, sledding down this hill is for fun.