We were asked what these wooden contraptions were early in our tour of Kotka Finland. At first we thought fish cleaning because they eat a lot of fish in Finland. Of course, we missed the sign in English saying “no fishing”!

We learned that they are for cleaning rugs. Finns do not have wall – wall carpeting. They use throw rugs. When summer arrives in June they bring them here to the side of the sea. After shaking them out they scrub them with sea water and soap made from pine needles. The process is very social, with lots of catching up while enjoying the arrival of summer. Once scrubbed they can squeeze out the extra water with the rollers and hang them here to dry.

It is a custom that goes back centuries. Now the European Union is pressuring them to stop — because they might be polluting the ocean. If these racks get destroyed by a storm they will not be allowed to rebuild them.