How Christmas is Celebrated in Finland

Christmas is one of the major festivals all over the world. Like for instance, in Finland, people celebrate Christmas with great fun and enthusiasm. The three holy days, namely, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the Boxing Day, which is called as St. Stephen’s Day in Finland, are all treated as public holidays in Finland. People decorate their homes, have delicious meals along with their friends and family members, visit church to offer prayers, and indulge themselves in lots of fun and merry-making. So if you are planning a trip to Finland with your loved ones, then just check out some of the traditions which are followed as part of Christmas in Finland.

Christmas in Finland – In a Nutshell

On December 21 every year, the Vikings who belong to the Nordic countries celebrate winter solstice by eating lots of food, drinking, playing different types of games, offering sacrifice to their Gods, and offering gifts to their near and dear ones. Christmas in Finland also has its origin from Kekri, which is a pagan festival. Kekri was celebrated in the month of November till the time of arrival of Christianity in Finland during the 12th century. As part of Christmas in Finland, people usually decorate their homes with the help of lovely Christmas trees. People usually purchase the tree and decorate it beautifully on 23rd December night or in the morning of December 24th. The decorations that are used include electric candles, silver and golden colored satin ribbons, and glass balls. A silver or golden colored star is usually positioned on the tree top to give the tree a more vibrant and attractive look. In Finland, you will hardly come across a Christmas tree made of plastic. People usually buy a real spruce tree and treat it as their Christmas tree.
Apart from decorating their Christmas tree, people also decorate their homes with the help of different types of Christmas decorative items like electric lights, candles of different shapes and sizes, beautiful flowers like poinsettias and hyacinths, Christmas ornaments, and colorful tablecloths. However, Christmas decoration in Finland is a bit traditional and you will not come across any excessive decoration.

From Turku, which is Finland’s old capital, Christmas Peace is declared on December 24th. On this day, people usually go to their local graveyards in order to light candles in remembrance of their departed loved ones. On Christmas Eve, people usually take rice, porridge and the juice of plump fruit during the morning and in the evening, they enjoy a conventional Christmas dinner comprising of macaroni, potato, rutabaga and carrot along with turkey or ham in cooked form. People also visit church on Christmas Eve or on the day of Christmas to offer prayers.

So if you are still thinking about which place to visit during Christmas, then Finland is the ideal place to be. Christmas in Finland has its own uniqueness and one must visit this exotic country to get a glimpse of it!