Kekri (festival)

Kekri, also known as keyri, köyri, köyry (in Torne Valley) kööri and kegri (in Karelian),^[1] is a Finnish and Karelian harvest festival, celebrated in the fall. Kekri was once widely celebrated in Finland and Karelia,^[2] but it has been largely eclipsed by Christmas, to which many old Kekri traditions have migrated. Historically, Kekri has also referred to a deity.

Originally, the celebration of Kekri was not tied to a permanent calendar date, but – instead – was determined by the ongoing year's agricultural autumn activities. However, by the early 1800s it came to coincide with All Saints' Day in Western Finland and Michaelmas in Eastern Finland.^[3]