Karelia

Karelian people live everywhere in the world, but their home regions are in North and South Karelia of Finland and in Viena, Olonez, Petrozavodsk area, vepski villages and Tver in Russia. There is a famous Karelian folk song, which tells about the people in both side of the border.  

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In Viena Karelia you will meet traditional, Karelian hospitality while staying overnight in families, old "saunas" are warm, delicious dinner ready at the table and people are always friendly to meet guests. Jyskyjärvi, Paanajärvi, Kalevala, Vuonninen and other small villages will lead you to the places, which have already disappeared in Finland or in other world - to a living traditional Karelian life. 

In Olonez Karelia people are living more in mordern way than in Viena. Petrozavodsk, the capital of Karelian Republic is near and people visit there often.  They meet all the morder influences in this big city. On the other hand in villages here people live very traditional way, which was common hundred years ago in Finnish Karelia.  Modern and traditional culture meet in Olonez Karelia. 

In Tver Karelia people are closer to Russian culture than in Karelian Republic or in Viena.  Language has got a lot of influence from Russia.  While visiting there sometimes it is very difficult, sometimes easy to imagine how Karelian people left their homes in North Karelia of Finland in the 17th century and fled to this region to settle here just 160 km from Moscow. The reason why they did this was the war between Sweden and Russia and Karelian people wanted to keep their religion and culture.  

Monasteries have always been very important for Karelian people and we also visit these holy places. Valamo, Solovetsk, Aleksander Svirski and Vasojärvi monasteries in Karelian Republic and St Catherine and Orsha convents are our destinations in the tours to Karelia.