Kalevala Day (Kalevalan päivä), known as Finnish Culture Day by its other official name, is celebrated every February 28 in honor of the Finnish national epic, Kalevala.
Kalevala Day, for Finnish culture
Kalevala is a 19th-century work of epic poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot from folklore and mythology Finnish and Karelian oral history. It is considered the national epic of Finland and Karelia and is one of the most important works of Finnish literature.
Kalevala has inspired artwork by many famous artists, including the music of Finnish classical composer Jean Sibelius and the illustrations of Finnish painter Akseli Gallen-Kallela.
The title, Kalevala, can be interpreted as The Land of Kaleva or Kalevia. The first version of Kalevala, called The Old Kalevala, was published in 1835. The second version, the best known today, was first published in 1849. It consists of 22,795 verses divided into fifty poems/songs (Runot).
The author of Kalevala, Elias Lönnrot (9 April 1802 – 19 March 1884), was a Finnish physician, philologist and collector of traditional Finnish oral folklore.
The material was collected by him from Finnish oral tradition from the distant past, including short ballads, lyric poems and mythology, during his several expeditions to Finland, Russian Karelia, the Kola Peninsula and the countries Baltic.
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Today is Finnish Culture Day, represented by the national epic Kalevala. This collection of epic poetry brings together many tales and myths from Finland and Karelia. #mythology #myth #legend #calendar #February 28 #kalevala #finland #karelia
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