Juminkeko Center’s theme for the year 2022 is Vepsian culture. We are celebrating International Mother Language Day by organising activities that raise awareness of the Vepsian people, their culture and their language.

Vepsians are Finnic people who live in the south-eastern part of Russia – mainly in the area of lake Onega and Ladoga, the Republic of Karelia, and in the Vologda and Leningrad regions.

The language of the Vepsians, Veps, belongs to the Finno-Ugric language family. It has retained many elements from the Proto-Baltic-Finnic language, and it is closely related to the archaic form of Finnish. By celebrating this minority people and their language, Juminkeko Center and Kuhmo City of Literature office wish to contribute to preserving their rich culture and linguistic tradition.