Hyvää Joulua!
Happy Christmas Eve to you all…
Tonight is the big night!
In Finland, Christmas Eve is the most important day of the holiday season, all the presents are given, the main meal is cooked and eaten and not forgetting… the decorating of the tree! The tree which today, many Finnish men would have gone out to chop down and drag back to their homes on snow sleds!
And Finns often need no excuse to have a Sauna, but of course, a Christmas Sauna is had by all!
In Turku, Finland’s oldest city, the 13th century tradition of ‘Christmas Peace’ was proclaimed at 12 noon to celebrate; well you guessed it, a message of peace at Christmas!
The Christmas gifts are usually given just before or after Christmas dinner.
Traditionally, the gifts are presented by Santa Claus when he knocks on the door asking if the children have been well behaved or not.
The traditional Christmas dinner in Finland is not turkey and roast potatoes, but boiled codfish – made white and fluffy, ham, vegetables and boiled potatoes, with a creamy sauce.
After the meal, the children will go right to bed, leaving the adults downstairs sipping coffee and chatting until around midnight.
The next morning, Christmas day, Finnish families will just relax at home reading books and playing games together, whilst eating leftovers from the night before.
(St Stephens Day) Boxing Day will be spent visiting friends and relatives and visiting any St Stephens Day celebrations in their local areas.
Christmas is the biggest holiday season in Finland yet it is still only a pretty quiet celebration spent with close family and friends.
So have a good Christmas everyone, both in Finland and everywhere else.
Hyvää Joulua!
Yaymie
xxx
