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History of the Church Boat
Church boat, "kirkkovene", is a traditional Finnish long rowing boat, which carried our ancestors almost every Sunday sometimes tremendously long distances to the holy mass.
The early model for the Finnish church boats was the large boats of Scandinavian Vikings. Since the Reformation in the seventeenth century, the maintaining of the boats was demanded by the Church. This explains the fact, that church boats were used almost everywhere in Finland.
Owning the Boat
Church boat was usually built for and owned by a boat company consisting of many householding peasants. In most cases the partners were equal, each owning for example one oar or pair of oars. The expenses of building and maintaining the boat were also divided equally. The chairman of the company was the oldest partner, having the privilege to steer the boat as a cox. The landless peasants could redeem a seat at the boat by participating the boat maintenance, doing small favours for householders or by paying for the seat with money, berries, butter or fish. The boat could also be owned by one big farm or a whole village.
Building the Boat
The timber for the church boat was carefully chosen as soon as in January or February. Tall straight pines and spruces were hand-sawed into boards. Arches were made of juniper or ash. The building process took place in spring, led by a boat company's hired boat-building expert accommodated by each partner at a time. When the boat was finished, it was treated with tar several times, painting became common only in the last days of the traditional church boat. The shape of the boat depended on the local traditions and the size was related to the number of the partners and the length of the trips they were going to row.
Probably the biggest boats were made in Sääminki, having 60 oars and up to eight people in the row on one bench. The boat must have been almost 40 meters long and 3 meters wide!
The Name of the Boat
Most localities named their boat after their own or the company's name. But sometimes they also picked the name from fauna or people.
The Rowing to the Church
In the times when living was rough and pleasures rare, the journey to the holy mass made a welcome change to everyday life and an opportunity to meet other people. For the young people it might have been the only chance to meet the future spouse.
Depending on the distance to the church, the trip took place every other week or few times during the summer. If the distance was extremely long they might have left the day before. For the best travel speed the boat was loaded balanced. The partners were allowed to decide their seats and usually the back of the boat was considered more appreciated.
People rowing the same oar or rowing side by side were chosen by their similar skills, that was especially important when racing (see next chapter).
If there where deceased aboard, the coffin was placed at the back of the boat. The cox, one of the old partners knowing the routes and winds, steered the boat and took care of the general discipline. When rowing they sang spiritual and folk songs.
On long journeys they usually had regular camping place along the route where to rest, make coffee, eat snacks and sometimes even have a quick nap. If there were enough participants, they swapped the rowers before leaving the camping place.
When rowing people were wearing casual clothing; women with plain shirts, scarves, underskirts, night gowns and bare feet; men with underwear and shoes made of birch bark or none at all. It was important to arrive in time, so that there was time left for have a wash, change better clothes on and meet other people.
The Race of the Churchboats
After the holy mass they almost immediately set themselves up for the trip homewards. If there was time waiting for the others they gathered strength by eating and resting for the race with the other boats sharing the same trip or part of it back home. The winner party of the race collected plenty of admiration and respect from other competitors.
To develop a greater speed the outside of the boat was lubricated with tallow, butter or eggs. The cox yelled the tempo for the rowers and the non-rowers swayed themselves. And so eager were they to win that they were aching all over after the race even for several days.
Usually the winner was clear in the early parts of the route, but sometimes the battle became so furious that they passed they home beach to see the winner. The church boats were fast those days due to the amount of people actually rowing, up to 40.
The races were important for the development of the church boat, shaping and formatting the boat models for faster ones. When one village succeeded to make an especially fast boat, they were trying to hide its structure from others preventing them to make a similar one.
After the journey at the home beach they dismantled and pulled the boat ashore and then covered it. Ores were carried to the nearest farm or every partner took his own home. Besides for the trips to church, the boats were used for several other multi-participant trips.
Sources: Mirja Kosunen: Kirkkovenematkat, Sylvi Sääski: Suomalaisista kirkkoveneistä ja -matkoista.
