Karelians (Finnish: karjalaiset, IPA: [ˈkɑrjɑˌlɑi̯set]), also known as Finnish Karelians or Karelian Finns, are a subgroup (heimo) of the Finnish people, traditionally living in Finnish Karelia. Karelians speak eastern dialects of the Finnish language: the South Karelian dialects are spoken in South Karelia, while the eastern Savonian dialects are spoken in North Karelia. The South Karelian dialects were spoken in the Karelian Isthmus prior to the Winter War. Karelians are traditionally Lutheran Christians, with an Orthodox Christian minority, belonging to either the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland or the Orthodox Church of Finland respectively.
Eastern Kymenlaakso belongs to the historical region of Finnish Karelia, as the Kymi River served as the boundary between the Tavastians and the Karelians during the Middle Ages. However, the Karelian presence in this region during the Middle Ages was weak, and migration from western Finland during this time resulted in an ethnic composition more closely resembling that of western Finland, rather than North Karelia or South Karelia. This is evidenced by the fact that the dialect spoken in much of Kymenlaakso (the southeastern Tavastian dialect) is of western Finnish origin (albeit with Karelian characteristics). Miehikkälä and Virolahti are exceptions, as the South Karelian dialects are spoken in these municipalities.
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