Star Boys Procession

Alright, folks! 

...and now something completely different. 

This is for all my international friends and to those who show at least slight interested into Finnish culture.
Here's a lot of reading this time, but it will - hopefully - be rewarded in the end.

As being abroad, I started to think and wonder about Finnish Christmas time traditions. What to tell.
So yeah. This is an old (Northern) Finnish tradition, called Tiernapojat. In english Star Boys Procession. 

..sounds like a glam-proge-band, doesn't it?

I find this quite freaky because I've never truly understood why it is played in every school and almost everywhere in Finland, before Christmas. Though of course understand the topic and the message.

So, gladly, for all of you, my dear readers, I found some facts about it. 

It was originally played by little boys in northern Finland who went from door to door begging some coins. 

As so many other (protestant) Christian tradition (as well St. Lucia bringing light to darkness), also this has come to us from Sweden and it is apparently few centuries old tradition (in Finland). 

Literally tiernapojat means the star boys. Word 'tierna', 

meaning in modern Finnish absolutely nothing, comes from Swedish word 'stjärne', the star.

 So therefore the english translation is the Star Boys Procession.

So, there's always four characters. One is king Herod;

 The second is the king of negroes - finnish word 'murjaani' comes from Swedish loan word from medieval French 'le murian' (one of the three magi - the black guy in the play); 

The third one is king Herod's soldier and servant 'knihti' (comes from Swedish word 'knekt', meaning soldier or servant) 

and the fourth is in Finnish called 'mänkki' ('männchen' of german), he is basically just a statistic character who holds and wheels the star.

Complicated enough?

Well, basically the story is based on the gospel according to St. Matthew and the epiphany about Christ. 

If you don't know the story, you can check it from your nearest Holy Bible, or from here:

Meanwhile, we who are familiar with the storyline, shall continue about this specific play. 

It starts when in the very beginning the soldier comes and asks can they come to sing. 

Then they come and start with greetings for the residents of the household.

Herod is on his way to Betlehem where he meets the Magi, king of le murian. Then he tells him to kneel in front of him and submit. 

Which le murian does after his solo. 

Mänkki, the star, tells the news about new-born Christ. 

They sing about star of Betlehem and the magi who come to give presents to baby-Christ. 

Herod asks from Knihti, the soldier, have he seen "these three wise men from the eastern land" in which he answers that they went each different way to their own land. 

Herod gets mad and tells Knihti to go to Betlehem and kill all baby boys under 2 years. 

(This  is the most 'authentic', the most common way to perform it. By school boys. They seem to be winners of some competition.)

Knihti sings solo: 

He is a brave soldier who is taught to obey the emperor, who therefore is responsible of his acts. 

Meanwhile Knihti is away, the others sings and praises the grand duke Alexander (Aleksanteri) and thanks him of ending the slavery and 'styrangy' (tyranny). 

Btw, this is a part which I don't really get in this context.. but it refers to finnish history (during its autonomy under Russia in the 19th century)

Knihti comes back and announces that he killed all the baby boys. 

Herod rewards his bravery. 

Everybody sings how the angels told to the shepherds about the born of Messiah. 

After that they thank God.

In the end Knihti asks for a coin and Mänkki a bit of candle for the star. 

In the very end they thank again and wish a good christmas.

So, if you had patience and interest until here, I shall give you two other, different versions.

The first is performed by four finnish rock singers and it is accompanied of a hard rock band
(Trio Niskalaukaus - Neckshot)

 Personally I like their costumes the most.

And the last one is the freakiest... 

..if anyone reads until here, I shall thank my friend Jaakko.

And wish you all happy and peaceful waiting of Christmas (whether you celebrated it or not)!