Christmas (‘Joulu’) in Finland has its own distinct charm: despite sharing many of the same foods and traditions as neighbouring Sweden, Finland is a little more unconventional than their Scandinavian neighbours. What would you expect from the home country of Santa Claus? Rovaniemi, located in the Arctic Circle in Finnish Lapland, claims the title of Santa’s hometown. This is where boys and girls of all ages can visit the ‘Santa Claus Village‘, while at the same time enjoying other Arctic activities like dog sledding, reindeer sleigh riding, snowshoeing and northern lights hunting.
In Finland, Santa (‘Joulupukki’) was not always the jolly old fellow we know and love today: its origins trace back to the ‘Nuuttipukki‘ or the ‘Christmas Goat’, a rather frightening goat-like creature wearing a mask and a pair of horns on his head in the old days. But over time the Nuuttipukki story turned into the gift-giving, reindeer sleigh-riding figure who makes short home visits during family Christmas Eve dinners. Christmastime in Finland brings some delicious festive treats: like the Swedish ‘julbord’, the Finnish ‘joulupöytä’ is a rich assortment of cold and warm dishes you can try, to be matched by some “glögi”, alcoholic or non-alcoholic mulled wine.
The Finnish Christmas food traditions vary around the country, but there are a few staple dishes intrinsic to this wintery feast: an oven-baked ham served with mustard is an absolute must, but an assortment of fish is also considered an essential part of traditional Finnish Christmas dinner. Vegetarian courses include a classic beetroot salad and various oven-baked root dishes like the popular rutabaga casserole. Sweet pastries such as prune jam tarts and spice cakes are Finnish Christmas delicacies beloved by people of all ages. Round off your meal with the Christmas rice pudding, flavoured with cinnamon, which often has a blanched almond hidden inside: as in the Danish ‘Risalamande‘, whoever discovers it in their bowl gets a small gift.
One of the most cherished tasks of Christmastime is decorating gingerbread, which is often hung from the branch of a beautiful spruce tree. Finally, it would not be a proper Finnish Christmas without Finnish sauna: parents might even tell their children to leave a little offering, such as a bucket of water, for the ‘Saunatonttu’, the friendly ‘sauna elf’.
