When celebrating Christmas in Finland? Traditions of celebrating Christmas in Finland

Finland at first sight seems harsh and cold. But, having looked closer, you wonder how the Finns are able to celebrate holidays with a big wave. The tradition of celebrating Christmas in Finland is sacredly honored and honored for centuries.

Preparing for the holidays

Finns are a people who adore holidays. Especially appreciated, of course, Christmas and New Year. 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 holidays falls on the last week of November. That is, Christmas in Finland is beginning to mark another month before him.

Of course, this is not easy - hiking in taverns and insane drinking alcohol. Finns piously honor their traditions, and therefore every stage and every event is accompanied by many amazing features, which we will gladly tell you about. And start with the first - a small Christmas.

Small Christmas

A small 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 need more time. Allocated for a whole month.

A small Christmas or Pikkuyulu, as the Finns call it, are the days when it is necessary to celebrate the future event with everyone but your family. And you can do this every day and different companies. The enterprises are prepared especially carefully for Pikkuyoul. They organize corporate parties and noisy mass gatherings. There are cases when celebrations in the collective were delayed so that husbands and wives did not come home for weeks.

Pikkujolu is celebrated with friends, acquaintances, neighbors, colleagues, but not with relatives. For the family there is only Christmas.

Traditional drink of a small Christmas

All the hot drinks are usually drunk at Christmas in Finland. Photos and reviews of tourists serve as confirmation. Finns especially 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 can not be neglected.

So, traditional is mulled wine. This warming drink is served in any country in Europe. It is prepared from hot wine with the addition of spices and citrus lobules.

But in Finland there is a special warming drink. It is called gley. The main ingredient is the same - hot wine. But besides him, there is vodka and other ingredients in the glass. And which is the secret of every bar. Do not try glue on Christmas Eve - then do not know what Christmas in Finland is like.

What souvenirs to buy?

Another tradition is associated with souvenirs. Its history will return us a hundred years ago, when women in Europe did not yet work in factories, and worked on long winter evenings. Prepare for Christmas, they began in advance - at least a month. It was from then on that the fashion began to start celebrating Christmas at the end of November, that is, a month before the holiday.

Women decorated the house with handmade souvenirs. The most important was the straw goat, decorated with scarlet ribbons. Gifted on a holiday, he will bring happiness and prosperity to the house. Red was always considered a symbol of Christmas. All sorts of garlands, balls and other jewelry are chosen in this color.

If you are in Finland, please note that caring housewives, who remember and observe the tradition, will place their red tablecloth on their table. Necessarily near the Christmas tree must be present Santa Claus. He, as everyone knows, in Finland is called Joulupukki.

The Story of Christmas

Even in the distant pagan times, the Finns celebrated a holiday that marked the beginning of the tradition of celebrating Christmas in Finland. The date of December 25 is not chosen at all 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 Renaissance of the Sun or the Sun. It was customary to cover the table generously to attract crops for the next year, give gifts to each other and, dressing up in costumes of animals, congratulate neighbors and friends. This rite was called Yulu.

When the country adopted Christianity, people did not hurry to abandon a merry holiday, and the Catholic priests had no choice but to turn Yulia into Christmas. But all traditions with carols and souvenirs remained. The goat is a very symbolic animal. Even the national Santa Claus is called Yolupukki, which translates as "Christmas goat".

Four Advent

Together 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 symbolism of the New Year. The first lights up 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 adventure, it is customary to decorate a house and a city. Especially bright these days are Helsinki. Without the main showcase of the city "Stockmann" it is impossible to imagine Christmas in Finland. Photos of tourists are simply amazing with their fabulousness. A showcase is a moving composition that tells an unusual Christmas story. Every year the fairy tale is new, and that's why thousands of tourists and residents come to the main showcase of the city. You can watch for hours without detaching yourself from the beauty and fabulousness of the display case.

Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve, as usual, everyone is busy preparing for Christmas. When in Finland they celebrate Christmas, it is necessary not only to put a Christmas tree, but also to remember deceased relatives.

On December 24, on the eve of a bright Christian holiday, the Finns go to the cemetery and light up on the graves of the relatives of the candle. Thousands of sparks scattered on the ground create a magical atmosphere.

By the way, the day before Christmas, you need to come to the main square 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. There is something similar among the Finns. Exactly at 12:00 hours on December 24 in the main square of the capital is the mayor. He solemnly declares the beginning of the Christmas world. And after his speech, the ancient bells of the cathedral of Turku are beaten 12 times. From that moment, everyone should stop their work and send them home to prepare for the holiday.

This tradition has more than 8 centuries. But since then, everyone is used to finishing the service at 12 am on 24 December. If you are in Helsinki, remember this, because no one shop, no cafe will not be open on Christmas Eve.

Christmas

And then finally came the long-awaited Catholic Christmas in Finland - December 25. In the morning the whole family gathers at a big table. For northern residents this is an exclusively family holiday. Aunts, uncles, numerous brothers and sisters come. It is customary to gather with the most senior representatives of the family. There are a lot of dishes on the table, they are ready to cook well and a lot - these are the same pagan traditions.

Gifts are accepted to give symbolic. Dear surprises can be considered vulgar. Most often these are souvenirs, sweets or chocolate, small knickknacks or items for the house.

If a person is lonely, he can always find shelter in the Catholic church. Holiday services start early, at 6 am. But to visit the church on December 25 is necessary. It is there that the real atmosphere of Christmas reigns.

Finnish Father Frost

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, Jolupukki wears gifts that she gives out as a poem or a song. A guest can not stay in the same house for a long time, because other children are waiting for him.

The birthplace of Santa Claus is in Finland, namely in Lapland. Visit a fabulous place at any time of the year. But only on Christmas here there are real miracles.

Tapani Day

This Christmas in Finland does not end. There is still the next day - December 26, the Day of Svyatok or the day of Tapani (St. Stephen). The only tradition associated with him is to go celebrate the coming of Christmas with friends. December 26 is the official day off.

New Year

Celebrating the 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's customary to go out into the street with champagne and congratulate each other. At this time, the sky illuminates chic fireworks.

Many people prefer to celebrate the New Year in costumes. For this purpose, theme parties are organized in clubs.

There is one more tradition related to the New Year. After the official part, everyone goes home to guess on tin. For this, a pewter coin is taken, melted in a special way and poured into a bucket of ice water. After that, look at the outlines of the resulting figure. Meaning is interpreted, and this should be expected in the coming year.

Conclusion

It would be nice to celebrate New Year and Christmas in Finland. This is an amazing fairy-tale country, where miracles happen and a fairy tale is written.