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The Finnish Karelian League was established by Karelian local governments, parishes and provincial organizations on 20th April 1940 — immediately after the Winter War finished. At first the chief aim of the association was to attend to the interests of Karelians who had lost their homes in issues of resettlement and compensation. After the resolution of these economic issues in the beginning of the 1960s, the association shifted its emphasis to the preservation of the Karelian cultural heritage. Today the Karelian Association comprises about 340 Karelian societies operating in Finland and abroad. The number of members is about 20 000 persons. The Finnish Karelian League is dealing with karelian cultural heritage and it arranges a host of activities for example in traditional food and recipes, handicraft, dialects and karelian language and music. These activities culminate in the Karelian Festivities, which gathers more than 10 000 people to attend seminars, processions, concerts and folk dancing and other activities throughout Finland.