Juhannus lectures and presentations resume Friday morning after a ceremonial close to the celebration opening on Thursday.
The four-day summer solstice celebration kicked off with an open forum inviting the community and international visitors to explore the connections built through a shared Finno-Ugric heritage. The day ended when Aleksi Palokangas of Finland, moderator of the cooperation panel discussion, gifted the Finno-Ugric flag to Copper Country Finns and Friends President Jim Kurtti.
“With this gift, we welcome all residents of Hancock, all Finnish Americans and all Finno-Ugric residents of North America to become part of the Finno-Ugric family,” Palokangas said, translated from Finnish by Nate Kilponen-Fix. “I especially appreciate that you have cherished the culture of your ancestors here, far from their homeland. With this gift, you can also cherish Finno-Ugric culture on holidays of various ancestral peoples, especially on International Finno-Ugric Kindred Peoples Day, each year on the third Saturday of October.”
The Finno-Ugric flag features a stylized Nordic cross in red, blue, green and black on a white field. A central octagonal star at the intersection of the cross serves as a symbol of unity among Finno-Ugric communities. The three largest countries home to the Finno-Ugric diaspora are Estonia, Finland and Hungary.
Presentations begin at 8:30 a.m. Friday at Hancock High School. Registration is available online. The community is also invited to join Hancock’s Finnish-American community and Finno-Ugric visitors from Europe at the kokko bonfire Friday evening. Details are available online.
