In Pre-Christian times people across the northern hemisphere have celebrated spring equinox between 19th and 23rd of March. In Finland, Spring Equinox was known as Matopäivä the day of the snakes. Mato in old Finnish meant both snake and worm and everything that slithered. It was believed that on the day of spring equinox snakes and worms woke up from hibernation. There are several myths in Finnish folklore telling how snakes came to be and according to one version Akka the earth goddess, was the one who created the snakes.

Before the spreading of Christianity people in ancient Finland celebrated a festival called Hela. Hela was celebrated on May first and the celebration included singing, dancing, eating well and drinking beer and mead.

Hela was the beginning of the summer and festival to celebrate the earth´s fertility. There were many different kinds of superstitions and beliefs connected to Hela. One of the most important Hela symbols was helavalkeat, Hela bonfires. These fires were lit to keep the evil spirits away and to protect the cattle from predators.

Juhannus the summer solstice is one of the most joyous holidays in Finland. Cities become empty when families and friends travel to the countryside and to their summer cabins. From all the holidays Juhannus the summer solstice is the most pagan and the ancient customs of the holiday haven´t changed that much. For many, summer solstice is magical time simply because the sun does not go down. This is the time when the sun is closest to the earth in the northern hemisphere.

Kekri was not a communal celebration. It was celebrated within the family and each family decided themselves when to celebrate Kekri. The celebration usually took place after all the harvest work was finally finished. Festivities lasted three days (Kekri Eve, Kekri Day, and All Souls Day). In the modern Finnish calendar, Kekri takes place on the first of November and All saint´s day on the second of November. As a festival Kekri is similar to Samhain in Ireland, Calan Gaeaf in Wales, Day of the dead in Mexico, and Vélines in Lithuania.

There are many stories about the origin of the horse in Finnish mythology. The ancestor of all horses was a magical horse called Iku-tihku. Iku tihku was made by the trolls from fire and ice. This cold horse could only walk on land, among humans during winter time. He lived in the underworld and was connected to the element of water. He could move between the different rivers in Tuonela the underworld. Trolls used him as the model when they created all other horses, but these horses were made of iron.

The day of Nuutti was the end of the holiday season. Still today, in Finlad a lot of people get rid of their Christmas tree during this day. Nuutti was a joyous festival and all the household items that had been put away for the holidays, such as spinning wheels, were brought back inside. People were allowed to work again.