J.L. Runeberg's Day

It's time to celebrate the birthday of our national poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg with the Runeberg muffins. We continued our family tradition and had a tasting competition. We chose three challengers and last year's winner muffin (Vaasan). One of the challengers (Pyymäen Oma) was the winner of the local newspaper's tasting competition.
 
We had a new winner! The results are:
 
1. Sarpi (Pori) = 18 points
2. Vaasan (has 10 bakeries around the country) = 16 points
3. Pyymäen Oma (Sastamala) = 12 points
4. Laitilan leipä (Laitila) = 9 points
 
Comments
1. Great texture, had a special rasberry jam filling, perfect moisture.
2. Quite perfect but lacked character compared to the winner.
3. Too much bitter almond, mybe too moist, lacked texture
4. The product was ok but did't taste like the Runeberg's muffin should have tasted. A bit dry..
 
We ate four half of muffins and I'm not feeling too good now... It was too much.
 
Johan Ludvig Runeberg’s most famous poem is Maamme (“our land”). It’s the title of Finland's national anthem. There is no law regarding an official national anthem in Finland, but Maamme is firmly established by convention as it is played at sporting events, such as the Olympics.


The music was composed by the German immigrant Fredrik Pacius, with (original Swedish) words by J. L. Runeberg, and was performed for the first time on 13 May 1848. The original poem had 11 stanzas and formed the prologue to the great verse cycle The Tales of Ensign Stål ("Fänrik Ståhls Sägner"), a masterpiece of Romantic nationalism.
 
Maamme (Finnish version)

Oi maamme, Suomi, synnyinmaa,
soi, sana kultainen!
Ei laaksoa, ei kukkulaa,
ei vettä, rantaa rakkaampaa
kuin kotimaa tää pohjoinen,
maa kallis isien.
(repeat last four lines)
 
Sun kukoistukses kuorestaan
kerrankin puhkeaa;
viel' lempemme saa nousemaan
sun toivos, riemus loistossaan,
ja kerran laulus, synnyinmaa
korkeemman kaiun saa.
(repeat last four lines)
 
 
Our Land (translation from the Finnish version)
 
Oh our land, Finland, land of our birth,
rings out the golden word!
No valley, no hill,
no water, shore more dear
than this northern homeland,
precious land of our fathers.
(repeat last four lines)
 
Your splendour from its shell
one day will bloom;
From our love shall rise
your hope, glorious joy,
and once your song, fatherland
higher still will echo.
(repeat last four lines)




-2° C, cloudy (surprise surprise...)