Religion & Nature

The Lutheran Church is the church of the majority of Finns. A total of 4.4 million persons belong to Evangelical-Lutheran congregations in Finland. Around 85% of the population are members of the Lutheran Church. Orthodox believers make up 1% of the population, as do Pentecostals. Some 10% of the population do not belong to any religious group.

During the last years a lot of Finns have left the church. There is even a hompage, Eroa kirkosta, in Internet and via that you can leave the church fast and easily.

Finns have a close connection to nature, our forests, lakes and mountains mean a lot for us. Also the sauna takes a special and important place in our life. Even is many Finns have forgotten their own holy nature places they are still there even if not used actively anymore. Places like Pyhäjärvi, Pyhäsaari (Holy Lake, Holy Island), Ukonmäki, Äijänsuo and Louhisaari are old holy places where Finns made sacrificial's to the nature gods.

Pyhäkankaan karsikko (click on the photo and you see a larger one)

Ukko-Koli, sacred hill related to the worshiping of the Thunder Storm God Ukko.

Pyhäkankaan karsikko

A "karsikko" is a holy place for remembering people or happenings. The event has been marked on trees. It can be bark taken away and dates incarved into the tree or it can only been branches taken away from the tree (often spruce). Dramatic happenings were often marked such like if you managed to stay in live in a boat on a stormy weather, managed to escape from a tree falling, first visit to town, somebody died etc. All are very personal.