Finlandia Club in Thunder Bay Marks 100th Anniversary
According to a Finish resident, the redder you are when wearing a traditional Rautjarven costume, the better you look.
The Finlandia Club, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in late March, finally had its chance to hold celebrations this summer. The festivities were kicked off on Friday, and ran over the weekend.
Hundreds of people crammed themselves outside the Finlandia Club in Thunder Bay on Saturday, with club members wearing traditional garb to commemorate the anniversary. Raija Tilus was one of those who came dressed in the Rautjarven costume, which was adorned with accessories in red, matched with extra-large brooches.
She comments that the redder your costume is, the higher up you are. She didn’t really explain the significance of the color, except to say that she thinks red is a hard color to make.
Perhaps red is significant because of the Rautjarven costume’s origins. The costume traces its roots to a region in Finland which was taken over by the Russians after World War II, Tilus points out.
Tilus was proud of the opportunity to celebrate and share their heritage and culture. The Finnish community, which is traditionally a reserved one, certainly let their inhibition go as they partied hard at the Finlandia Club.
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