BEMIDJI — While many people spend a lot of time and money looking for the perfect gifts this holiday season, one can never undervalue the gift of an unforgettable experience.
Bemidji hosts a jewel of global culture just north of town on Old 71: the Concordia Language Villages. Reservations are being accepted there for the unique winter experiences of the Nordic Family Weekends, coming up in January.
Susan Harstad, assistant dean of the Finnish village Salolampi, has worked at the Concordia Language Villages since she was a teenager. After a hiatus of many years, Finnish Family Weekend will return Jan. 17-20, 2025.
"Bemidji looks like the Nordic countries — the lakes, the forest and the cozy cabins,” Harstad said.
“We're talking about the Finnish and the Norwegian programs coming up, but we probably all heard about the word ‘hygge,’ which is about the coziness, the candlelight, the crackling fire. And I feel like that is just kind of pan-Nordic. It fits the vibe of all the Nordic villages.”
While not the language immersion-based program one could expect at a Concordia Language Village in the summer, Harstad said participants can expect to experience Finnish fun and culture. Activities include playing a Finnish harp called the kantele, trying your hand at Finnish-style weaving, and of course, enjoying a sauna.
“Salolampi boasts having not one but two saunas,” Harstad said. “We have a wood-burning sauna, which is right on the shore of Turtle River Lake and it's very close to the Norwegian village. We also have a very large indoor sauna with an electric stove in the main building.”
Some of the Family Weekend participants span three generations. There are no age limits, with some participants younger than 3 years old attending.
The Finnish language is not Scandinavian, like its neighbors in Sweden and Norway. Harstad explained that it’s a linguistical mystery.
“It's in a language family called the Fino Ugrik language, and so Estonian is the closest possible language to Finnish, they're kind of mutually intelligible. And then Hungarian, which is not even close geographically to Finland or Estonia — they're in the same language family also.”
Reservations will be accepted through Friday, Dec. 20.
