Pellas Lotshemman: Christmas of the Islanders

25.12.2013

Christmas of the Islanders

This year it was a Christmas full of music and festivals it seemed. Our small community has many lovely traditions and we were lucky to have children who lead us the way...

The First Advent

Grand-father in the choir and..

Isak's first performance in the children's choir, Hoosianna.

At every occasion the children and their leaders had made a huge effort preparing several songs and plays - Thank God I remembered my handkerchiefs - and there is no better way to find the Christmas spirit than by following the small ones.

X-mas by the Kindergarten...

Our local church and the Betania church arrange a club for the small ones every Thursday afternoon, where the children sing and play instruments and listen to the stories from the Bible with these charming old picture - do you remember these figures made of cloth that made the stories alive?

To Betlehem, to Betlehem...
And then 13th December came Lucia with light to darkness... At home we have turns, this year Iris with Isak as the star boy and the light was needed because of the power-cut, so it tasted especially nice to get hot chocolate and Lucia buns to bed! In Korppoo it was Jennifer's turn to be Lucia and our Ellen was one of the girls in her escort.

They began their day early from the local Old people's home Rainbow and continue to homes, school and in the evening with almost all islanders to our church St.Michael.

It is like a wonderful play, carefully performed and prepared by every step.

Last year's Lucia lit the crown.

Afterwards we were lead like a caravan around the centre with Lucia, the local young firefighters with their torches and one of us got even a chance to sit on Lucia's vehicle...

We had been preparing items to be sold at the local Christmas market for weeks at the table of parents. And so had many others. Local entrepreneurs, school classes, hand-craft enthusiasts... What a way to get something personal and something you cannot find from any supermarkets - woolen socks, honey by the archipelago bees, tomato juice glögg and...

puzzle toys, dried herbs, napkin holders, home-made carpets...

And of course Lucia came, too, to our island's meeting point, Kommunalgården, where we then met again at school Christmas festival few days later...

The school children had prepared songs and plays and the mystery play of the older ones was hilarious! Comissario Closeau had a case of smugglers in Korppoo and many locals had their fingers in the plot, too.

At home the evenings and weekends were full of preparations. Girls and I had picked up herbs to dry and now I could made wonderful teas and baths for Christmas gifts.

Lisää kuvateksti

Our X-mas mood was topped by a trip to Turku to visit museum Ett Hem and its old-time-Christmas and to see the native scene in Cathedral by an Italian artist this year. A choir was preparing for the ceremony singing like angels, people was touched by the lights, sounds and scenery. What I have thought most this season is how every effort is useless without the nearness and love-ones to share everything with. I have watched people how they touch, smile and come near, care and show it. Send messages over ocean and through the country to say that you are in their heart.