Tiernapojat

Yet another unusual Christmas tradition imported to Finland by the Swedish is something called the Tiernapojat, a sort of roving band of Magi players who sing and perform on Christmas Eve. There aren't any Carolers in Finland so I suppose that in order to comply with some EU regulation Finland adopted the Tiernapojat. :) I asked Jarkko last night about the blackface king since I wondered if he was some obscure Finnish LotR character I wasn't familiar with. Being the expert on guiding me through his native culture he told me to look it up on google....so I did.

Tiernapojat, also known as tähtipojat ("Star Boys"), have been around a long time--for centuries. Students in old Oulu, a town in Northwestern Finland, who were in need of some extra cash, put together a Christmas pageant with singing, costumes and dialogue that has its roots in the Medieval mystery play. This little show was then taken "on the road," from house to house, and after the performance, donations were solicited in the form of a few coins. The story was of the maggi visiting King Herod and Baby Jesus, told with boyish vim and vigor. (It becomes quickly evident that tiernapojat is a distant echo of the Spanish Posada and Reyes Magos.)

I also wonder if the Mänkki, the star twirler, who has the exact same costume as the boys in the St. Lucia procession are somehow connected. Perhaps one costume influenced the other or one tradition borrowed from the other. I'd be curious to see Tiernapojat perform but I don't suppose that they come around to apartment houses in downtown.