The Language Nest (Kielipezä)
The activities of The Language Nest started in the spring of 2017. It was launched by Natalja
Antonova, with the contribution of the Karelian Culture Society of Finland (Karjalan Sivistysseura). The Language Nest operates in the same way as a day care center. The only difference compared with a day care center is that the instructors use only the minority language that is the Karelian Livvi dialect, when interacting with the children. The children are free to speak any language they like. The group size has to be small, so that the instructors will have enough time to communicate with the children. In the spring of 2022 there were 11 children in the Language Nest, three instructors and a cook.
Courses and other leisure time activities
Different kinds of courses, hobby circles, concerts and many kinds of gatherings for the villagers are arranged in The Home of Karelian Language.
Nina Barmina teaches the Karelian language for persons of various ages: twice a week for children, and once a week for adults, the staff of the Home and for others who are interested. Courses in the Karelian language are also arranged by telecommuting.
The Randaine village theater took action already during the construction of the Home. The leader of the theater Vera Ivanova with her enthusiastic actors has produced several performances. These have been performed in Vieljärvi, elsewhere in the Republic of Karelia and in Finland.
The Tähkäine-puppet theatre is led by its director Julia Jegorova, who works as a teacher in the primary school of Vieljärvi. The children of the village, instructed by their director, rehearse the plays, get oriented in making the puppets and learn the Karelian language. The puppet theatre has performed several times in the town of Petroskoi, and has been awarded in puppet theatre festivals.
Natalja Antonova leads the women’s health club three times a week. Regular gymnastics keep the club members healthy and in good shape.
Aleksandra Nikolajeva leads the women’s needlework club. The participants learn how to make all kinds of needlework, such as knitting and sewing.
Those children, who have moved on from the Language Nest to primary school, join the afternoon club after school. Here they make handicrafts, prepare food and learn more of Karelian language while doing their job.
The Home of Karelian Language also provides food and accommodation services. It provides cozy premises for family celebrations and meetings. It is also a pleasant place for tourist groups to have a break during their journey. You can bring your own food to the functions, or order them from Zinaida Artemjeva, who takes care of the guest service. Zinaida also accommodate those who stay overnight – we have 7 beds in four guest rooms. The shared toilet and shower is near the guest rooms. For groups, on subscription, we arrange a house tour, a short Karelian language course or for example a course in how to bake Karelian pasties. In the summertime you can enjoy coffee or tea with pasties on the nice terrace by the lake, just outside the House.
