Chill out in the North with Sámi, they have a Wonderful Culture

I hope it is okay for the Sámi people that I tell in this blog of mine a little bit about them, having been visited in the northern part of Finland during last 5 years various times.

And informing you already now, look to the end of this story of mine. Two info bits of very interesting kinds... 

In winter and in summer. Sámi have their national day soon, that is on the 6th of February.

In my opinion it is nice that we have here in Finland such a wonderful culture present and they are one and only indigenous people group in the European Union.

I have had a wonderful opportunity to visit 2 festivals of Sámi people up in the North, in Lapland. Ijahis Idja, the "Nightless Night" Indigenous Music Festival is held in August

and the Skábmagovat Indigenous Film Festival is held in January. About "Ijahis Idja" I have also written an article. You can read it here.

 

So the Sámi live in the Northern part of Finland, Norway and Sweden as well as in parts of North-Eastern Russia. All in all there are about 75 000-100 000 Sámi. Sami languages are classified as a branch of the Uralic language family. the same language family where Finnish also belongs. Here you can hear a little bit how Sámi language sounds.

In Finland, the Sámi population is approximately 9 000 strong. There are 3 Sámi languages spoken in Finland: North Sámi(1), Skolt Sámi(3) and Inari Sámi(2). Of these languages, Inari Sami is spoken by about 600 speakers as well as Skolt Sámi too.  Inari Sámi is the only one that is used entirely within the borders of Finland, mainly in the municipality of Inari. Talking about Skolt Sámi, so far I have understood there are very few Skolt Sámi speakers left in Russia left.

About Popular Music of Sámi

Check below what kind of popular music they make! Some examples

Ailu Valle, Rap 
Amoc, Rap
Niillas Holmberg and Roope Mäenpää, Singer-Songwriter
Tiina Sanila, Rock
Somby, Rock
Wimme, Joik
Angelin Tytöt, Joik

To end this story of mine, here for you to listen one new, very good Sámi band from Norway, the Arvvas. Yes, do not miss to listen to it...you will fall in love as I did.

And everybody knows Mari Boine from Norway, I suppose so...Here a wonderful video from her.

So visit Lapland!

But did you know that...

PS. I just read that the forefathers of Sámi came to Finland at the end of ice age. From Spain and France along the cost of Norway. Little bit later they began to arrive in Finland from Ukraina and Southern Russia and through Baltic countries. Probably Sámi are descendants of these people. (Docent, antropologist Markku Niskanen, University of Oulu/Newspaper Karjalainen 6.2.2016)

PS2. Dear friends / buorit ustibat / hyvät ystävät!

I am extremely happy to tell you that my dream of publishing a bilingual book in Northern Sámi and English has finally become reality. You can already order The Way Back from Francis Boutle Publishers (link below). 

Of course I am happy for myself for this achievement, but what is more important is that this is a very rare possibility for English speakers to have a peek into modern Sámi literature. 

The poems in this book are fresh and they haven't appeared in my previous Sámi volumes. They are translated into English by me, Lisa Jokivirta (CA) and Clive Boutle (UK). 

You can order the book and read more about it here . Feel free to share the news with the link in social media. 

Finally, I want to thank everyone of you for supporting me and Sámi literature over the years! GIITU!
Niillas Holmberg

YLE: Rare Poems from Niillas Holmberg.

 -------

Munnje lea stuorra illun muitalit ahte mu niehku almmustahttit guovttegielat diktagirjji davvisáme- ja eaŋgasgillii lea šaddan duohtan. Girjji namma lea The Way Back ja dan sáhttá dál jo diŋgot lágádusastan, Francis Boutle Publishers (liŋka vuollelis). 

Lean dieđusge ilus maiddái iežan dihtii, muhto ávvudan eandalit dán hárvenaš vejolašvuođa eaŋgasgiela hálliide guovllastit dálá sámegirjjálašvuođa máilbmái. Girjjis leat ođđa divttat eaige dat leat almmuhuvvon mu ovddit diktačoakkáldagain. Divttaid leat jorgalan eaŋgasgillii mu lassin Lisa Jokivirta (CA) ja Clive Boutle (UK). 

Dáid ođđasiid ja liŋkka oažžu áinnas muitalit viidásut sosiálamedias.

Háliidan maiddái giitit din buohkaid mu ja sámegirjjálašvuođa doarjumis dáid vássán jagiid áigge! 

Dearvvuodain Niillas Holmberg.  

Wonderful! Soon visiting Russia and Northern Spain...and so 5-6 Times until the autumn 2016

It seems so that during more or less the first half of the year 2016 I will be visiting St.Petersburg and Northern Spain various times.

Above all Business, but also Freetime.

I hope the Spanish, Russians and Finns follow my visits through this blog of mine. As well as others interested in these countries and regions are upmost welcome.

 

So there will be business adventures coming on...in St.Petersburg, Vigo/Galicia, Barcelona...As well as other adventures. I hope, some useful tips for you that way.

First in St.Petersburg

There will be ... the 10th Seminar on cooperation between Russian and Finnish Institutions of Higher Education: "Melting the Ice: Ten Years of Success".

And then there will be ... the 6th Come Together of the Finnish students, Finnish Russia Club, CIMO and the Consulate General of Finland in St. Petersburg:  "How to turn a student exchange into a job in Russia"?

Then in Barcelona the LEO-NET meeting.

Read here what we wrote about it last year.

 

After that some wonderful happenings in Galicia Vigo.

Business as usual for me...

Annual International Administrative and Teaching Staff Training Week at the Universidade de Vigo "Employment and Entrepeneurship developing Students Capacities under Eramus+"

...and up also holidays later during the year, same mood - same place...

I hope to meet with you in Russia or in the Northern Spain!

Streets of bloody good bars in Vigo, Bilbao and San Sebastian (Galicia and Basque country)

 

Well, if you travel to Galicia...

...in Vigo you have to visit Churruca . 

Most bars there are only open from late evening on, but couple of them also earlier like one of my favorite bars called La Casa de Arriba: 

More suggestions check my other story about Galician bars. 

And if you visit Basque Country (Euskadi)...

...in Bilbao (Bilbo) you should visit the Goienkalea -street. There you can find many kind of very basque bars...

 

  

...and also nice bars nearby, like for example the Bar Ormaetxe...

 

 

 And in Bilbao you can find also the very known concert venue called Kafé Antzokia , there are some nice bars in the same street too.

In San Sebastian (Donostia), the street to go is Kalea Juan de Bilbao

 

 So in Spain try something else for a change than Madrid or the southern part of Spain!

...as have done maybe Snufkin by Tove Jansson...

Worth seeing: Rural Sports in Basque Country (Euskadi)

Yes as in Switzerland, they have also very interesteresting ancient traditions in Basque Country. What come for exampel to local Sports. Maybe you have seen some films where they practise some of these local Sports like the first film of the very known Spanish Director Julio Medem. the film is called "Vacas" (Beiak). 

Well, on the countryside there are plenty of possibilities to see these rural sports and there is also a big festival of one week and couple of days more called "Euskal Jaiak" in the beginning of September. I took part in Euskal Jaiak 5 years ago in San Sebastian (Donostia).

Then once again, I visited also some of the nearby small cities of San Sebastian. They organize there also these kind of festivities. I wrote an article about "Euskal Jaiak". The article is in Finnish, including also info about the festivities of similar kind in Switzerland. More about the Swiss celebrities of this kind in my blog " Gruss und Grüezi-Mementos from Germany and Switzerland".

But what was kind of interesting then, it was very difficult to find information about the festival in beforehand. I as an freelancer had to phone to the city hall of San Sebastian couple of days before the festival begun and collect some info from there, that is when arriving to San Sebastian... Maybe they think this kind of festival is only interesting for locals? Anyway I noticed that they have put at least now the progamme in the web page.

During the Festival you can taste local cidre.

You can follow "Aizkolari" , Wood-chopping competition and "Basque pelota".

By the way...I by chance had in Bilbao in the year 2013 the possibility to follow the Padel World Championships.

 Padel is the game which comes originally from Mexico, if I remember right. It is played in Spanish speaking countries, and I suppose at the moment elsewhere too. To Finland it came less than 10 years ago. Well, I think they organize Padel World Championschips every second year and so this year in Miami.

During "Euskal Jaiak" you can also follow Regatta-competitions.

You can eat well, the basque tapas called pintxos for example.

There are cooking competitions.

 

There are processions of "Gigantes and Gabeduzos", musicians are also taking part in these processions...

 

 

...On the whole lots of music, dancing, drinking and celebrating...

Yes, you will be in a happy mood!

Ongi etorri! Welcome!