by December 6th, 1917
95 years ago today, Finland declared independence from Russia.
Windows with two candles, candles at the graves of former presidents and dead soldiers and a President’s Ball which many watch on television. Even Google honours Finland with the special logo above. Happy Independence Day!
Also 95 years ago today was the Halifax Explosion: Two war ships with explosives collided, the massive explosion killed numerous lives and destroyed part of the City of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
One happy event and one sad event, the former in my birth country and the latter in my adopted country.
December 6, 2012 in Canada and BC, Culture, Finland, Estonia & Finno-Ugric, History by Marja-Leena
Happy Birthday to Finland! Well timed too.
Yes, the Explosion was followed by a huge snow storm the next day. A sad anniversary.
Susan, as you can imagine I thought of you in Halifax. The media there must be full of this historical and tragic event, it’s even in ours.
Marja-Leena, Susan,
I never heard of Halifax Explosion before.
Actually I had to think what I know about Halifax or Nova Scotia (=New Scotland). Was it that Annie Proulx’s book Ship News was about that place?
At least it appears to be a wind whipped place and cold. The book had a story of a person who sank and was under water for a long time, and went to some kind hibernation and someone understood to dive to search for him and found him and he lived. That kind of hibernation has occurred in reality, it wasn’t Annie Proulx’s own head.
Well, I did not watch presidential celebration in the castle, I read Christmas magazine from my father’s home town something like 50-70 km West from Vaasa, Nurmo. Nice old stuff. I found a story that my great uncle wrote in 1916, and he was then the farmer in the family’s farm house. And died in the civil war that started in 1918.
Marjatta, ah, Annie Proulx’s Shipping News is a marvellous book, isn’t it? It is set in Newfoundland, northeast of Nova Scotia. Even the movie was filmed there. I believe Halifax winters are not as cold and windy.
Did you know too that Halifax was a major entry point for immigrants? That’s where my family arrived by ship – I wrote about it here.
I like the sound of your ‘celebration’ of Finland’s birthday.
Marja-Leena,
yes, yesterday was a very nice, cozy and snug day! Just sinking into the long time past.
I can’t keep my geography straight! Nova Scotia and Newfoundland! Newly found land? And where the vikings landed and called it Vinland. I always think of that tale: so, Columbus did not find America!
So you have Halifax over there and for my grandparents (both mother’s and father’s side!) it was Ellis Island. They also got their Ellis Island new names. My mother’s father changed from Asunmaa into Osman, my father’s father from Luomanni to Loman.
But of Canadian writer’s I like maybe the best Michael Ondaatje. He’s from Sri Lanka (Ceylon). Alice Munro has also in some book handled her family in Scotland. But then I don’t remember where Margaret Atwood’s family came from.
All those three writer’s could’ve earned their Nobel Literature prize many times over already!
Marjatta, here you are talking so much about Canada and Canadians when my focus is on Finland! 🙂 Newfoundland did indeed have earlier Europeans at Anse aux Meadows and the Colony of Avalon. And yes, we have many excellent writers.
I did not know your grandparents had emigrated to the USA. Did they return to Finland, or did their children (your parents)? I understood you were born in Finland.