The European tradition of St. Nikolaus giving presents arrived in Finland in the early 19th century when it merged with old Finnish traditions of masked men. The Finnish Santa Claus was dressed in a grey coat, but after World War II, the coat was changed to the American style red. Santa Claus lives in Korvatunturi, Lapland.
Have you seen Santa Claus in a grey coat?
Today is winter solstice and the shortest day of the year. On the North side of the Arctic Circle the sun doesn’t rise at all. In out hometown the sun rises around 10am and sets at 3pm.
Finnish word “joulu” comes from the name of the old pagan German winter festival yule. It was celebrated during the winter solstice and it was later combined with the Christian celebration of Christmas.
We love the scent of the Christmas tree! A traditional Finnish Christmas tree is the tree for us: a spruce brought home from the forest on Christmas Eve and deorated with candles and different ornaments. Nowadays you can find specially grown Christmas trees and even foreign imports, but for us the traditional one with its subtle beauty is the best. If you are allergic, you can choose a plastic tree or make your own e.g. recycled materials!
Sauna is also part of the Finnish traditions during Christmas. According to tradition, Christmas Sauna warms up during the day and last “löyly” (steam) was for the spirits and sauna elf. Our traditions include tar scented löyly, and the bravest of us might dip in the lake or roll around in the snow naked!
Have you tried sauna or rolling in the snow?
Today is Saint Lucy’s Day. It is celebrated in Scandinavia and it combines medieval winter solstice and Catholic tradition in honor of Saint Lucy. Saint Lucy is a young woman dressed in a white gown and red belt, wearing a crown of candles. She brings light into the arctic darkness that surrounds us Finns in December.
This is one of our favorite Finnish Christmas pastries: puff pastry filled with prune marmalade and topped with powdered sugar. Yummy! We have already baked some here at the office…
Do you have a favorite Christmas pastry that you are tempted to bake in advance?
The savory scent of hot mulled wine (in this case non-alcoholic) floats around our office early November. And we drink gallons of it before Christmas! The non-alcoholic mulled wine is made of grape or blackcurrant juice, cinnamon, cloves, bitter orange peel, ginger and cardamum. The original version is a spicy drink made of red wine. Some add almonds and raisins to the mix.
Have you tried this?
When the Yule goat walks in, it brings Christmas. The Yule goat is a very traditional Christmas ornament made of straw. It is one of the oldest Scandinavian Christmas symbols and traditions. In ancient pagan Finland, the Yule goat was a man, who put on horns to become a goat, a figure from a shamanistic fertility rite. This figure later became Joulupukki, a.k.a. Santa Claus.
When the weather gets colder we start using woolen socks. When we were little and saw soft packages under the tree, we knew that our grandmas had made new woolen socks for us. As a child we weren’t always happy but as we got older we understood that handmade knittings are made with love. What would be lovelier than to wear warm woolen socks when it’s cold?
What are your favorite socks like?
In the past in Finland, all traveling during the wintertime was made by sleigh. People used to wrap in warm sheep or reindeer pelts and cover their faces from breeze and snow. Last year we enjoyed a sleigh ride pulled by a small Finnish horse.
Have you tried a sleigh ride?
