Finnish Independence Day program to honor women Dec. 6 at Finnish American Heritage Center

Finnish author and renowned women's rights advocate Minna Canth (1844-1897), is pictured here in her youth (age 13-16). (Photo courtesy wikimedia.org, published under Creative Commons)  

HANCOCK -- It’s been nearly 100 years since women in the U.S. earned the right to vote, exactly 100 years since the U.S. began official diplomatic relations with Finland, and 175 years since Minna Canth, Finland’s most famed champion for women’s rights, was born. Finlandia University’s Finnish American Heritage Center invites everyone to a program on Friday, Dec. 6, celebrating all of these milestones and Finland’s Independence Day.

Beginning at 6 p.m. at the Finnish American Heritage Center, the program honoring Finland’s Independence Day will feature some high-caliber music and drama, with a series of vignettes honoring six notable women from Finnish-American and Finnish religious and political circles who left an indelible mark on Finnish history on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. These portrayals will be interspersed with Finnish songs and hymns performed by a cadre of local musicians, including rising young vocalist Matt Riutta and acclaimed pianist Kathy Alatalo-Arten.

The program will also include a performance by the Kivajat Youth Folk Dancers, as well as the announcement of the Hankooki Heikki honoree for 2020 by the City of Hancock’s Finnish Theme Committee. In true Copper Country and Finnish-American style, this program is a collaboration of numerous volunteers who enjoy sharing their talents with the greater community.

The program is open to the public, and attendees are encouraged to wear their national costumes -- Finnish or otherwise -- to the event. For further details about the program, call (906) 487-7549 or (906) 487-7347.