Finland at first glance seems harsh and cold. But looking closer, one wonders how the Finns know how to celebrate holidays on a grand scale. The traditions of the celebration of Christmas in Finland are sacredly honored and observed for centuries.
Preparation for the holidays
Finns are a people who love holidays. Of course, Christmas and New Year are especially appreciated. Probably, they are not celebrated anywhere in the world on such a scale as in this northern country. And the first feature is that the official start of the holidays falls on the last week of November. That is, Christmas is beginning to be celebrated in Finland a month before him.
Of course, this is not easy - hiking in taverns and crazy drinking of alcoholic beverages. Finns sacredly honor their traditions, and therefore every stage and every event is accompanied by many amazing features, which we will be happy to tell you about. And start with the first - small Christmas.
Little christmas
Little Christmas in Finland begins on the last Sunday of November. This decision to celebrate the main holiday of the year arose exactly 100 years ago. Then people decided that in one week you just do not have time to celebrate it with everyone and you need more time. Allocated for gatherings for a month.
Little Christmas or Piccuyoulu, as the Finns call him, are days when you need to celebrate a future event with everyone except your family. Moreover, it can be done every day by different companies. Particularly carefully, enterprises are preparing for Pikkuyulu. They organize corporate parties and noisy public celebrations. There are cases when the celebration in the team was delayed so that husbands and wives did not come home for weeks.
Pikkuyoulu celebrate with friends, acquaintances, neighbors, colleagues, but not with relatives. For the family there is only Christmas.
Small Christmas traditional drink
All strong drinks are drunk on Christmas in Finland. Photos and reviews of tourists confirm this. The Finns do not stand on ceremony and drink everything and a lot. Perhaps this is the only way to survive in the harsh northern conditions. But still, on Christmas Eve there are some drinks that should not be neglected.
So, mulled wine is considered traditional. This warming drink is served in any country in Europe. It is prepared from hot wine with spices and citrus slices.
But Finland has its own special warming drink. It is called glogs. The main ingredient is the same - hot wine. But besides him in the glass there is vodka and other components. And which ones are the secret of every bar. Not to try the ice on Christmas Eve means not to know what Christmas is in Finland.
What souvenirs to buy
Another tradition is associated with souvenirs. Her story will bring us back a hundred years ago, when women in Europe did not work in factories yet, and needleworked on long winter evenings. They began preparations for Christmas in advance - at least a month in advance. Since then, it has become fashionable to start celebrating little Christmas at the end of November, that is, a month before the holiday.
Women decorated houses with handmade souvenirs. The most important was considered a straw goat, decorated with scarlet ribbons. Presented as a holiday, it will bring happiness and prosperity to the house. Red has always been considered a symbol of Christmas. All kinds of garlands, balls and other decorations are chosen in this color.
If you are in Finland, pay attention that caring housewives who remember and follow traditions will lay a red tablecloth on their table. Be sure to have Santa Claus near the Christmas tree. He, as everyone knows, in Finland is called Joulupukki.
Christmas story
Even in the distant pagan times, the Finns celebrated a certain holiday, which was the beginning of the tradition of celebrating Christmas in Finland. The date of December 25 was not chosen by chance.
In those pagan times there was one rite. On the longest winter night, which fell on December 21-22, the Finns celebrated the Day of the Revival of the Sun or the Solstice. It was decided to generously set the table to attract next year's harvest, give each other presents and, dressing in animal costumes, congratulate neighbors and friends. This rite was called Youlu.
When the country adopted Christianity, people were in no hurry to abandon the fun holiday, and the Catholic priests had no choice but to turn Youla into Christmas. But all the traditions with carols and souvenirs remained. A goat is a very symbolic animal. Even the national Santa Claus is called Joulupukki, which translates as "Christmas goat."
Four advent
Along with Christianity, another Catholic tradition came to Finland - to celebrate Advent. These are symbolic events that take place every Sunday before Christmas. Each family lights candles, one per week, decorated with the symbols of the New Year. The first is lit 4 weeks before December 25, the second - for three weeks and so on. All candles should burn until the morning of December 26, and only after that they can be removed.
In the first advent, it is customary to decorate a house and a city. Helsinki is becoming especially bright these days. Without the main window of the city of Stockmann, it is impossible to imagine Christmas in Finland. Photos of tourists are simply amazing in their fabulousness. A showcase is a moving composition that tells an extraordinary Christmas story. Every year a fairy tale is new, and that is why thousands of tourists and residents come to the main window of the city. You can watch for several hours without breaking away from the beauty and fabulousness of the shop window.
Christmas Eve
On Christmas Eve, as usual, everyone is busy preparing for Christmas. When Christmas is celebrated in Finland, they not only put down a Christmas tree, but also remember the deceased loved ones.
December 24, on the eve of a bright Christian holiday, the Finns go to the cemetery and light candles on the relatives' graves. Thousands of lights scattered on the ground create a magical atmosphere.
By the way, the day before Christmas you need to come to the main square of the country in Helsinki. It is customary for us to listen to the president for the New Year and to raise glasses at exactly 12 o’clock. The Finns have something similar. Exactly at 12:00 on December 24, the mayor speaks on the main square of the capital. He solemnly announces the beginning of the Christmas world. And after his speech, the ancient bells of Turku Cathedral beat 12 times. From this moment, everyone should stop their work and send home to prepare for the holiday.
This tradition is more than 8 centuries old. But since then, everyone has become accustomed to ending their service at 12 a.m. on December 24. If you are in Helsinki, remember this, because not a single store, not a single cafe will be open on Christmas night.
Christmas
And finally, the long-awaited Catholic Christmas in Finland - December 25th. In the morning, the whole family gathers at a large table. For northern residents, this is an exclusively family holiday. Aunts, uncles, numerous brothers and sisters come. It is customary to gather at the oldest representatives of the family. There are a lot of dishes on the table, cooking hearty and a lot - these are all the same pagan traditions.
It is customary to give gifts symbolic. Dear surprises can be considered vulgar. Most often, these are souvenirs, sweets or chocolate, small trinkets or household items.
If a person is single, he can always find refuge in the Catholic Church. Holiday services begin early at 6 a.m. But visiting the church on December 25 is a must. After all, it is there that the true atmosphere of Christmas reigns.
Finnish Santa Claus
Finnish Santa Claus - Joulupukki - is very similar to ours. He also comes to the children and also asks if they behaved well. In a large basket, Joulupukki carries gifts that he gives out for a poem or song. The guest cannot sit in the same house for a long time, because other children are waiting for him.
The homeland of Santa Claus is located in Finland, namely in Lapland. You can visit the fabulous place at any time of the year. But only on Christmas do true miracles happen here.
Tapani Day
This Christmas in Finland does not end there. There is still the next day - December 26, Christmas Day or the day of Tapani (St. Stephen). The only tradition associated with it is to go celebrate Christmas with friends. December 26 is an official day off.
New Year
Celebrating New Year and Christmas in Finland is a lot of fun. True, the Finns are preparing less carefully for the New Year. At midnight it is customary to go out with champagne and congratulate each other. At this time, the sky is lit up with gorgeous fireworks.
Many people prefer to celebrate the New Year in costumes. To do this, themed parties are organized in clubs.
There is another tradition associated with the New Year. After the official part, everyone disperses home guessing on tin. For this, a tin coin is taken, melted in a special way and poured into a bucket of ice water. After that, they look at the outlines of the resulting figures. The meaning is interpreted, and this is to be expected in the coming year.
Conclusion
It would be nice to celebrate New Year and Christmas in Finland. This is an amazing fairytale country where miracles work and a fairy tale is written.