New Year and Christmas are the favorite holidays of children and adults around the world. No matter how different their traditions in each country, faith in miracles is common. Her personification is certainly the good winter wizard, every year mysteriously bringing gifts to children ... What is the name of the Finnish Santa Claus? Who is he and where does he live? Why don't we just peek into the old Lapland tale? ..
What is the name of the Finnish Santa Claus?
Far, far away, in the severe frosty Lapland region, in the very north of Finland lives ... Santa Claus. In Finnish, "Joulupukki" - and that is the name of the fabulous Grandfather in this country - means, oddly enough, "Christmas goat." According to legend, in the Middle Ages this character traditionally dressed in goatskin. According to another belief, sitting astride a goat, he carried gifts.
This tradition has long sunk into oblivion - now Joulupukki is more like Santa Claus, known throughout the world. However, his funny name remained that way - however, he seems to have nothing against ...
The Tale of Youlupukki
In the twenties of the last century, Finnish children heard on the radio a fairy tale story about a good Christmas old man. She was told to them by Uncle Marcus, the host of the popular program "Children's Hour". Once, carrying a heavy bag of gifts on his shoulder, grandfather went around the world, and finally reached Lapland. He was very tired on the way. He sat down on a stone to rest and was saddened: the path is still far, the bag is heavy ... No, he will not have time to give out all the gifts on time.
It is not known what would have happened if the Dwarves and Elves had not heard the Joulupukks. They got out of their shelters and promised to help the old man in time to deliver all the gifts. But they only set one condition - that grandfather stay in Lapland forever.
Since then it has been so. Finnish Santa Claus, Joulupukki, settled in Lapland, on Mount Korvatunturi. The shape of this mountain is like rabbit ears, and not just like that: after all, it manages to hear the requests of children from all over the world ... Moreover, the magic mountain has another tricky feature - in some incomprehensible way, it can recognize whether the children behaved well or badly. year. She passes this information to Grandfather, and he decides who to congratulate on the holidays, and who, perhaps, did not deserve ...
What does Finnish Santa Claus look like?
Nowadays, Joulupukki wears a red coat with a white fur trim just below the knee and red pants that he tucks into high boots. He girdles a fur coat, as a rule, with an elegant red sash decorated with white and green bells. On Joulupucca's head is usually a red cap with a white edge and a pompom that hangs almost to the waist.
Joulupukki does not see very well, so he puts on round glasses. But he has no staff.
In addition, Finnish Grandfather can often be seen in public without outerwear. Indoors, he walks in a white shirt and red vest.
Yowlupukki Residence in Rovaniemi
The name of the Finnish Santa Claus is no longer a secret for us. But does everyone know that on Mount Korvatunturi he lives mainly in the summer, because in winter he receives guests in his own residence? It is located in Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland, and is a real Christmas town.
Talks with visitors to Joulupucca usually in the winter and a couple of months in the summer. He is assisted by a spouse, whose name is Muori (she personifies winter), as well as fairy-tale gnomes and elves. In addition to the workshop in which Christmas Grandfather and his assistants prepare gifts for children all year round, next to the estate there is also an ice sculpture museum, a bakery that sells Muori gingerbread cookies , and an "elf school". There is also a post office in the residence, from which you can send a postcard to anywhere in the world. The Chief Postal Gnome carefully monitors correspondence constantly arriving at Joulupukki and keeps track of how many letters have been received on a special board.
The Jowlupukki Residence in Rovaniemi is today famous all over the world. Guests from different countries who want to see the fairy tale with their own eyes know perfectly well what the name of the Finnish Santa Claus is, and with bated breath they expect the question: “Are you good children?”, Which will ask everyone in a stern voice a strict but kind wizard sitting at a table in his workshop ...