Calgary Finlandia Cultural Association

Sunday, Jan. 20: Movie Night, 5pm. Valhalla Room. $5 coffee and snacks. Movie: Suomen hauskin mies (“Laugh or Die”).

FEBRUARY

Sunday, Feb. 24: Annual General Meeting, 4 pm, Viking Hall (must be 2019 member to attend)

MARCH

APRIL

Sunday, Apr. 7: Movie Night, 5pm, Valhalla Room. $5 coffee and snacks. Movie: Ikitie (“The Eternal Road”)

Monday, Apr. 29: Guest Speaker, Dr. Shauna Zenteno (Athabasca University), will present her talk “So, you’re 4% Finnish! What do popular DNA testing kits really tell us?”; 7pm, Viking Hall

MAY

Wednesday, May 1: Impromptu Vappu Celebration, 7:30pm, Swans of Inglewood

Let’s celebrate Vappu/International Labour Day/May Day (May 1) together!

 

Get yourself to Swans of Inglewood (1336 9 Ave SE, Calgary) around 7:30 pm to celebrate with a drink with other CFCA members. Interested non-members also welcome.

 

Hats and costumes are welcome and encouraged.

 

Please note, this event/refreshments are not covered by the Association. This is an impromptu gathering of members and interested non-members.

Saturday, May 11: Mother’s Day Potluck Lunch, 12 pm, Valhalla Room.

Saturday, May 25: Board and Casino Volunteer Appreciation Pizza & Board Game Party (invitation only), 7pm, Viking Hall.

JUNE

Saturday, June 8 to Sunday, June 9: Seniors’ 2-Day Trip to Brooks (contact finlandiacalgary@gmail.com for more details, or refer to email sent to membership 08/04/2019)

Saturday, June 22: Midsummer, 3-7pm, Sandy Beach Picnic Site #3 (more info to come).

JULY

Summer break.

AUGUST

Summer break.

SEPTEMBER

Sunday, September 15: Movie Night, 5pm. Valhalla Room. $5 coffee and snacks.

Metsän Tarina (Tale of a Forest, 2012). Documentary for all ages. Length 1h 15min. Tale of a Forest is a film for the whole family about the unique Finnish forest with its colourful and diverse life. The main characters of the film are the various inhabitants of the forest: the bears and the elk, the snakes and the owls, the ants, the frogs and the flying squirrels, the ancient soul birds such as the Siberian Jay, the Lapland Owl and many, many others.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2066922/

OCTOBER

Sunday, October 6: Baking, crafts, and more. Viking Hall. 3-10 pm. Stay tuned!

Sunday, October 13: Baking, crafts, and more. Viking Hall. 3-10 pm. Stay tuned!

Thursday, October 17: Lecture by Dr. Samira Saramo. 7pm, Valhalla Room.

“Finnish Immigrant Letters and the History of Everyday Life in Canada”

Abstract: In the time before readily available telecommunications, the international post connected Finnish immigrants in Canada with their friends and family remaining in Finland. By turning to archived personal letters, written between the 1860s and 1960s, we can see Finnish immigrant experiences in new ways. Through their descriptions of work, food, missed Finnish items, and home life, these letter writers provide access to historical everyday lives. In their discussions of language barriers turning into language integration, encounters with other ethnicities and religions, Canadian customs, and growing levels of prosperity and integration, we see the ways Finnish immigrants actively sought to bridge their lives and relationships between two countries. While coming from different backgrounds and even generations, the letter writers can be united through their negotiation of transnational identities, actively living in Canada, while socially, psychologically, and even materially maintaining strong connections to their homeland.

Sunday, October 20: Himmeli Workshop. Free admission! Please RSVP (finlandiacalgary@gmail.com).

Come join Calgary Finlandia Cultural Association for a Himmeli Workshop lead by Nina Rahkola. Himmeli originates from the Swedish word for sky or heaven, himmel, the Himmeli are a traditional Finnish Christmas ornament, a mobile decoration that is traditionally made out of straw, or reeds in Finland. They are typically extremely ornate and are suspended above the dinner table during the holiday season. It is thought that the larger the Himmeli, the larger the rye crop will be in the coming year. During the holidays, the dining room ceilings can be covered with these intricate mobiles.

All ages welcome! We encourage everyone to donate the finished artwork to the Calgary Finlandia Cultural Association for the annual Scandinavian Centre Christmas Bazaar on November 10th at 10:30 AM. All proceeds from the sale go to running the Finnish club.

Sunday, October 27: Baking, crafts, and more. Viking Hall. 3-10 pm. Stay tuned!

NOVEMBER

Sunday, November 10: Scandinavian Centre Christmas Bazaar (info to come)

DECEMBER

Saturday, December 7: Christmas and Independence Day Celebration (Viking Hall, details to come)