Käkisalmi Museum on display at the Karjala Club in Torrevieja

In Torrevieja, Spain, Karelian traditions are celebrated through songs, memories, and common meetings. Ville and Pirjo Kokko, who have been active in the Karelian club for about 20 years, visited and presented the Käkisalmi Museum and told about the Karelian summer festival to be held in Heinola in 2028. The theme of the visit was music and Karelian karaoke.

Ville and Pirjo Kokko (foreground) greeted the club members from the Käkisalmi Museum and the 2028 Karjalainen Summer Festival in Heinola.

The Karjala Club in Torrevieja is one of the foreign member communities of the Karjalainen Liitto. The club brings together Finns living in the area who are of Karelian origin and interested in Karelian culture. Sirkka Turunen organizes the meetings of the loosely organized club.

Karjalainen community spirit for two decades

According to Kaija Ylä-Herttuala, who writes about the history of the club, the activity began about 20 years ago when it was noticed that there were many Finns in the area who were interested in Karelian culture.
At first, the club operated in conjunction with a local Finnish sports club and later joined the Karjalan Liitto (Karjalian Federation). In its most active years, the club members met monthly, organized parties and dances, played skittles, and visited museums.
The meetings also heard the memories and life stories of people who lived in Karjala before the war.

Luck 90 plus 90 and Pirkko from the same class made it onto the podium at the Karjala club. Pirkko's mother was reportedly 108 years old when she passed away and Pirkko said she would do better. Video: Ville Kokko

The coronavirus pandemic slowed down activities, and now the club is trying to find new participants. It is no longer possible to travel to former hometowns, so the importance of memories, literature, and common meetings has become even more pronounced.
The Torrevieja Karjala Club is meeting In Ratto-Tall, at Calle Concordia 114. Information about the meetings is provided, among other things, in the Finnish EVENTS group on Facebook in Torrevieja.
The visit of Ville and Pirjo Kokko brought greetings from Heinola and Käkisalmi Museum to the club members, as well as an invitation to the Karjalaiset Summer Festival in 2028.