Heikinpaiva: the halfway mark of winter

“The Bear rolls over” is a reference to the mid–winter point celebrated by the Finnish–American festival Heikinpaiva.

ABC Ten’s Keweenaw Bureau Reporter Rick Allen covered the story.

The Heikinpaiva festival means we are half way through winter.

The traditional parade marched through downtown Hancock on Saturday with Heikki Lunta riding on the world’s largest kicksled.

Following the parade…couples competed in the wife carrying contest where they had to clean their house, enjoy a brief sauna, and entertain their guests before tumbling across the finish line with the missus on his back.

The snow–covered lawn of the Quincy Green provided fun for the younger children as well…with a whipsled and kicksled races.

When it was time to warm up…there was plenty of shopping at the Tori featuring crafts and terrific food and great music.

With FinnFest only a few months away…Heikinpaiva showed this group of students visiting from Finland that the Copper Country will be ready.