In Finnish mythology "naisen väki" means the magical, supernatural power all women possess. ✨
Female body used to be seen as a borderline between our world and others, and especially sacred and powerful was the gate of life, female genitalia. So powerful that it could be used to protect the house from all kinds of misfortune. By lifting up their skirts and exposing their sexual power, women could keep bears from attacking cows and sheep, or cast a protection spell on men who were going for a war or for a hunt. Traces of this belief are still present in Finnish Midsummer spells, which are said to work better if you do them naked. 😉
Happy International Women's Day to all the magical, powerful women out there! ❤️
Happy Leap Day! ❤️ Or as the old folks called it, "the old maids' lucky day." It used to be unheard of that a woman would express interest to marry anyone, but once in every four years this crazy idea was allowed. In many European countries a man was expected to pay a penalty, if he refused a marriage proposal on this day. Finnish tradition dictates that he should buy her fabric for a new skirt.
Unsurprisingly, quite a few women used this as a trick to get new fabric... And apparently still do. According to the morning news, many single men are in hiding today, and the Finnish Tax Administration just posted advice on skirt fabric taxation on their Twitter account. Is anyone here planning to propose? 😜
I created this mushroom heart in 2018 for two friends, who were getting married. Can't wait for the new season to start! 🍄
Happy Matti's Day! And happy first day of spring, according to Finnish folklore. ☀️ Today brown bears are said to wake up from their winter sleep, so here's a throwback to the mushroom bear I created last fall. 🐻 Here in the south of Finland bears reportedly took a head start already a week ago though, at least in Helsinki zoo. This winter has been so warm that the bears began hibernating much later than normal, too.
Some of the other beliefs connected to this day are a bit more magical. You shouldn't comb your hair today, for example, or else it will start falling out. You shouldn't sew or stitch either, or else a snake will bite you in the summer. And you shouldn't take a nap, or even lay down on the couch, but stay up until you go to sleep. This should help you prevent bug bites in the summer. 🐝
I don't know about you, but I'm definitely testing the last one. Mosquitoes and ticks love me so much that I'll test anything... 😄
