Saturday 5 January 2013

Seeing the Sun

Today the sun shines for the first time this year. The pictures are from last summer.

The yarn bombed boy is called Martti. He is a part of a sculpture located behind the Town Hall. It is my favourite in Oulu. It exhibits people of Oulu in different times doing things that Oulu is famous for. Martti is the best known single figure of the sculpture's characters. The only one know by a name. He wears a hat and a scarf and if they go missing, new ones always appear.
A tar barrel. Oulu's past wealth was based on tar export. It was produced upriver in Kainuu province and brought to Oulu port by the river.
The current wealth is based on technology, mobile industry being the most well known part of it.
Before the dams were build, the river Oulu was famous for its salmon. The forests were full of game and furs were used to keep warm.
This little chap is one fourth of a famous band called the Star Boys. They perform only at Christmas time by singing a rather violent liturgical drama based on the Gospel of Matthew. The singing procession is an old tradition and very much alive in the area. There is a Star Boy group competition organised every year and the City of Oulu uses the phrase "Oulu - the Star Town" in its marketing campaigns.


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