karjalankäynti
Karjalankäynti is a Finnish term that literally means “going to Karelia.” It is used in historical, ethnographic, and literary contexts to describe the practice of Finns traveling to the region of Karelia, a cross-border area historically linked to Finland and Russia. The phrase conveys a broad sense of movement between Finland and Karelia, rather than a single fixed activity.
Historically, karjalankäynti encompassed various motives. People traveled to Karelia for family visits, trade, seasonal labor, or
Culturally, karjalankäynti has been linked to the Finnish Karjala tradition, or Karjala-ism (karjalaisuus), a movement that
In the aftermath of World War II, border realignments and population shifts reduced cross-border movement to