Stories of Springs – a webinar exploring cultural heritage

Last year Executive Director of the Aura River Foundation attended the National Board of Antiquities’ webinar “By the Springs – Myths and Reality”. The event offered a unique glimpse into how springs have historically connected nature, stories, and everyday life.

The webinar highlighted, among other things:

• Sacred springs and rituals: Offerings of coins, pins, and other small items, and traditions linked to healing.

• Springs in daily life: Before water pipelines, springs served as water and laundry sites, places for storing fish, and paths through villages.

• Traditions of holy springs: In Southwest Finland, holy springs combine Christian and non-Christian elements, including healing and divination rituals, as well as midsummer celebrations.

The webinar materials provide a broad and nuanced view of the significance of springs, both historically and as part of cultural heritage today.

Materials are available as PDF files on the National Board of Antiquities’ website (in Finnish): Lähteiden äärellä 2025.