Welcome to the village route of chiming stones

 

 

Kaustinen with its slightly over 4,000 inhabitants is a significant centre for Finnish folk music. The fiddle tradition of Western Finland, dating back at least to the 1760s, has retained its original stylistic features and unique strength in the municipality. The Kaustinen folk musicians (‘pelimanni’) have mastered the tradition but also created new music based on it.

 

Since its inception in 1968, the Kaustinen Folk Music Festival has been the main annual event for Finnish folk music and its performers and enthusiasts. From the very beginning, it has also been an international event.

 

Almost every village has its own local folk ensemble, and these ensembles have always played an important role in the folk music culture of Kaustinen. The folk music tradition is present in practically everything in the municipality. In the centre of town, various interesting destinations have been created around the folk music festival over the decades.

 

The café keeper and heritage activist Santeri Isokangas used to say that “one day, even our stones will chime and the whole universe will know our music”.

 

Welcome to the village route of chiming stones!

 

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