Lust, mating and spells were the traditions of Vappu (Walpurgis Night) in the Old days of Finland

In the peasant culture Walpurgis Night, Vappu in Finnish, wasn’t a celebration of work, but a celebration of free-time, the traditions
included banishing the beasts, the interaction between youth and the protective, magical force that came from between
the legs of the lady of the house.

John Björkman, a folklorist from Turku works in a museum in Varsinais-Suomi as a researcher of the cultural traditions of
the nation. He knows the celebration of Vappu amongst the peasants from centuries back.

In folklore Björkman is interested in “basically every period”, but his expertiece lie in the customs and traditions
dating back 100-400 years.

The peasant culture of farming and living in villages is very old in Finland, especially West- and South-Finland. The
peasant culture was thriving up until the beginning on 20th century.

” I was just at an archaeological seminar, that strongly raised the fact, that the coming of Christianity…