Kalevala Festivals

Kalevala Festival - A Long Tradition

The Kalevala Day Tradition goes back to 1835, when the national epic of Finland, the Kalevala, was published for the first time by Elias Lönnrot. The Kalevala epic played an important part in developing Finland's national identity and Finnish language, art, and music. The first Kalevala Day was celebrated on February 28th, in 1885. The Kalevala Day celebration continues to this day in Finland with cultural events.

The Finnish Choral Society of Seattle has maintained an Annual Kalevala Festival since 1976 in Seattle, hosted at the National Nordic Museum since 1982.  The Kalevala Festivals during the pandemic are available on YouTube:

46th Annual Kalevala Day Festival (2022)

Finnish Kantele: Re membering Wilho

The 46th Annual Kalevala Event: Finnish Kantele: Remembering Wilho - YouTube 

This 45-minute YouTube program will feature the Finnish Choral Society of Seattle, the Evergreen Livakat Kantele players, and Arja Kastinen, kantele player and first Finnish folk musician to earn Doctor of Music at Sibelius Academy, Helsinki, Finland.  The program will honor the passing of Wilho Saari, Washington State kantele player and composer who received numerous awards including the Washington State Governor’s Heritage Award, the Finlandia Foundation National Performer of the Year, and the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship in 2006 - the highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.

45th Annual Kalevala Day Festival (2021)

The Healing Power of Singing

The 45th Annual Kalevala Day Festival - The Healing Power of Singing - YouTube 

With Inspiration from the magic of Kalevala and Kanteletar the program of the 45th Kalevala features:

 Guest Speaker: Marita Toivonen, Master of Theology and Ethnomusicology, Helsinki, Finland, speaking about “The Kalevala Rune Song”Guest Performer: Anna Fält, Renowned Loitsu Singer and Researcher, talking and singing about the Spells, Charms and Magic of the Kalevala.  Anna, born and raised in Finland, living in Sweden, combines the different voice traditions, languages and singing aesthetics to a unique combination of sounds.

44th Annual Kalevala Day Festival (2020)

A Tribute to the Finnish Sauna

44th Annual Kalevala Day: A Celebration of the Finnish Sauna - YouTube 

The 44th Annual Festival was  a tribute to the Finnish sauna and sauna culture in honor of the authentic log sauna, built in 1914-1918, relocate d from Finn Hill in Bothell, WA to the East Sculpture Garden of the Museum. On the program:

Choir sings “sauna songs” and choral songs inspired by the Kalevala; Presentation of the “Finnish sauna culture” by Kaija Kauppinen, Fulbright Scholar at UW; Instrumentals by Kalevala Trio and Evergreen Kantele Players, Dancing, Maria Männistö solo performance, Presentation of the NNM refurbished sauna.