Summer Services II: The Festive Gate Soundscape

Summer services (Suviseurat in Finnish) is the annual meeting of Conservative Laestadian movement. Leastadians are part of the Finnish Lutheran Church.

Summer services is the biggest spiritual meeting in Finland and one of the biggest summer festivals gathering somewhat 80000 people every year.

The four day program consist of sermons, hymns and the songs of Zion. The program is transmitted with the aid of loudspeakers all over the 270 acres festival area.

In 2018 Summer services were held in Äänekoski.

This soundscape was recorded near the Festive Gate, which was erected in the central part of the festive site. Festive gate is unique each year and designed to symbolize the theme of the current year.

You can hear a sermon in the background and children playing and chattering. Conservative Laestadians have generally large families and a huge part of Sermon goers are children.

Sound, photo, video: Antti Makkonen