Karelian lament singing course draws emotional response

Interest in Karelian lament singing has grown, with courses led by folk musician Emmi Kuittinen drawing full attendance, as seen in a recent session at Mattila House in Rautalampi.

Kuittinen, whose roots trace to the Karelian Isthmus and whose father hails from North Karelia, teaches the traditional itkuvirsi—a form of Karelian lament. She recently performed her first self-written lament, Kaiho, in Karelian, expressing longing for departed loved ones in the afterlife, or tuonilma. In Karelian tradition, birds are believed to carry messages between the living and the dead, as their souls are thought to visit from the afterlife.

Kuittinen initially questioned her right to perform and teach laments due to the cultural sensitivity surrounding Karelian heritage. However, recognizing the pain of losing the Karelian language, she decided to learn it herself. “Few of us learn oral folk traditions at home anymore. A lot of knowledge would be lost if I stopped just because I don’t have Orthodox Karelian roots,” she said.

Lament singing has seen a revival since the early 2000s. The Äänellä itkijät association, founded 25 years ago, now has around 100 members. The Rautalampi course attracted 25 participants, each drawn by different motivations—some seeking to process personal grief, others to connect with their roots or explore the history and unique language of laments.

Jenni Rutonen, from Kuopio, whose family originates from Laatokka, grew up hearing her paternal grandmother speak Livvi Karelian until age eight. She only discovered her interest in laments two years ago, after her father’s death. At his funeral, she learned she had a natural aptitude for lament singing. During Kuittinen’s course, a snippet of an old Karelian lament moved her to tears. “After my grandmother died, I rarely heard the language. Karelian took me back to my childhood and history, evoking a strange longing. It’s odd to miss a place you’ve never been,” Rutonen said.

Pekka Makkonen, the only male participant in the Rautalampi course, has Karelian grandmothers on both sides. He previously attended a course led by Pirkko Fihlman, honorary chair of Äänellä itkijät, where he composed a lament of gratitude for his father. “This is healing. Now I let all my emotions show—I cry and I laugh. Compassion is incredibly important,” he said.

Kuittinen emphasizes empathy in her performances, aiming to create space for the audience’s emotions rather than her own. Traditionally, skilled lament singers did not weep the most themselves but moved others to tears, particularly in funeral rituals.

Kuittinen’s own laments closely resemble traditional ones, as she believes the tradition renews itself naturally when modern experiences are incorporated. Some sorrows, she notes, remain timeless—such as the loss of a child or parent, which likely felt much the same in the 1800s as today.

She hopes Karelian identity will strengthen within the lament tradition. “There are signs that more Karelian-language laments are coming. Even as laments evolve, I hope the core ideas of the tradition are not forgotten,” she said.