Aholansaari and Ukko-Paavo Ruotsalainen are key names in the birth of the heraldry
Joona Raudaskoski(the article was published in NuoriYty magazine 1/2012, published by the Herättäjä Association)
The most famous figure of the Renaissance is the Nilsi peasant Ukko-Paavo, or Paavo Ruotsalainen . However, it was not during Ukko-Paavo's time, nor through his efforts, that the movement as we know it was born. However, the influence of his person and thought on the Cistercianism of our time is undeniable.
During the 19th century, revival meant a strong religious experience and a sense of sin. Such were the ecstatic revival experiences of small groups. They led to a new form of church worship in people's homes, separate from the formal worship life of the church. However, private devotional practice was a criminal activity in Finland in the 1700s and 1800s. As a result, the authorities did not look kindly on Ukko-Paavo and other revivalist leaders.
Already during the time of Ukko-Paavo, the awakening was a diverse group. There was no organised group, let alone an association, as there is today. People were bound together by their common experience of God. After Uko's death, however, the group dispersed.
The legacy of the revivals and Uko did not disappear, however, but spent a few decades in the clubhouses. This silence was ended by Wilhelmi Malmivaara' s founding of the Spiritual Monthly, which brought together the Church Fathers, and later the Herald's Inner Missionary Society. This can be seen as the beginning of the history of Pentecostalism as we know it.
Under sorrow, the whispering is the brightest
Spiritualism has always been a lay movement. It has been born out of the gathering together of perfectly ordinary and often uneducated people to share their feelings of their own inadequacy before God.
At the same time, Cartholicism is also a strong ecclesial movement. It operates within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and has made a significant contribution to its life. The movement's influential figures still include priests from bishops to parish pastors.
This year marks the centenary of the founding of the Inner Missionary Society of the Awakener. Along the way, the association, which has changed its name to the Herald Society, has played a huge role in preserving and passing on the tradition of the Herald to our generation.
The main thing that has brought it all together has been the publication of the Awakener. Hymns of Zion. Edited by Wilhelmi Malmivaara, this collection of songs encapsulates everything that is central to the revival: the sense of sinfulness, man's inadequacy before God, grace that overcomes all, and being good enough for God even when one is bad.
They are based on hymns translated from Swedish into Finnish in the 1700s. The collection has been added to several times along the way. The most visible achievement of the latest ongoing reform has been the introduction of an additional booklet of Hymns of Sion a few years ago.
Where can I get help?
Part of the living legacy has always been a focus on children and young people.In the early 1900s, the Awakening Student House began in Helsinki. It has had a wide influence on Pentecostalism through its clubs and the warm atmosphere of Pentecostalism that it gives to its residents.
Today, in addition to Helsinki, there are student unions in Joensuu, Oulu and Kuopio. All of them have active social activities and their doors are open to new and old friends.
For Aholansaari, one of the most important forms of the Awakener's activities today is youth and student work. Indeed, Aholansaari is the most important centre for youth work, especially in the spirit of the Heresians. Another important centre for youth work is Wanha Karhunmäki in Lapua. Awakener's confessional schools, fathers' training, early youth camps and other youth gatherings gather friends to sing in the atmosphere of Paavo's inn year after year.
In these places, it is easy to experience the essence of spirituality. An old and secure tradition is combined with the new voice of each singer. Staring into the crevices of the floorboards of the barn will continue to produce many a companion piece of food for the journey.
"By it we share our lives together like Christ, listening, walking alongside, helping with our hands." (SV 311 in the previous 1972 edition)
You can read more about the history and present of the Heraldry on the website of the Heraldry Association.
Watch the documentary on the pear people from 1968 in the Yle's Living Archive documentary on the pear people.