Christmas vacation in finland
Finland is a country in the Northern Europe. It has a total area of 337, 304 km2 and 6 million inhabitants. As I planned my vacation to Finland I found out it will be extremely expensive plane ticket if I made a stop-over in one of the European countries on the way, so I decided to go straight to Helsinki by flying over the Arctic Ocean, Greenland and Iceland.
Did you know that Finland is a country that celebrates Christmas? It’s true! The Finnish tradition is to have meat and vegetable broth for dinner on Christmas Eve. Finland has no official patron saint, so Father Christmas — as he is called here — comes on December 24 and stays until the New Year.
Christmas vacation in Finland is a tradition that has endured the test of time. The holiday is celebrated with family and friends, and children are given presents by Santa Claus. The most common Christmas decorations found in Finland are candles, wreaths, and stars. A popular Finnish Christmas tradition is to light candles on Advent wreaths, which can be made from evergreen branches or straw. Decorated with ribbons, bows, and other festive decorations, these wreaths are often hung in windows or on doors as a sign of welcome during the holiday season. Another popular decoration is the star. Stars made from paper or wood are used to decorate trees and create a festive mood throughout the house during this time of year.
Christmas vacation in Finland is a great time to visit. The country has a lot of unique traditions, and the people are very friendly.
This is the perfect time to try some Finnish cuisine and get a taste of their interesting culture. You can also enjoy many different types of entertainment, including theater, music, and art.
The weather during this time of year is usually quite cold and snowy, so it’s important to bring warm clothes if you plan on going outside much while you’re there. However, if you stay inside most of the time then you shouldn’t have any problems with being too cold!
CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS IN FINLAND
Christmas traditions in Finland are based around family and the warmth of the family home. Christmas in the Nordic countries is celebrated on Christmas Eve. In the morning of the 24th of December families gather together for Christmas rice pudding, served hot and topped with cinnamon, sugar and other spices. After breakfast, everyone heads out in the snowy forest to hunt for the perfect Christmas tree and bring it back for the whole family to decorate.
In the afternoon most families pay a visit to the Christmas Sauna to bath and relax. Some attend a Christmas Eve service or visit the cemeteries to light candles for deceased relatives and loved ones.
Then it is time for Christmas Eve dinner, which usually consists of a variety of special holiday foods, such as herring dishes, gravlax, smoked salmon, root vegetable casseroles, mixed beetroot salad, liver casseroles and pâtés and of course the king of the table – the oven baked ham.
Following the long leisurely meal, the children’s wait is rewarded when Santa Claus himself come for a visit in his reindeer sleigh and brings some gifts for every kind child, big and small.
Image: Visit Finland
Our Christmas Tours stay in beautiful places away from the crowds, offering you a genuine Christmas experience. Our tours include winter activities, and festive traditions including delicious food and Santa’s visit of course. Christmas time in Lapland is also a great time of the year to see the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) but you need to be above the Arctic Circle to see them. Depending on the lodge, children can decorate the tree, help prepare cookies, enjoy Christmas arts and crafts and meet local children where possible.
Christmas in Aurora Village, Finland tour will offer you an authentic, rustic Finnish Christmas experience with lots of snow for children to roll around in and build snowmen. Offering a landscape of snow, Finnish Christmas traditions and a hearty cuisine together with Santa and his elves this tour will set the perfect setting for your white Christmas. All your nights are in a glass igloo cabin, making it a great holiday for young children to watch the Northern Lights from their beds, fingers crossed.
Image: Kakslauttanen
For a action packed Christmas experience, we recommend Christmas in Winter Wonderland. Combine the traditional White Christmas with the Finnish traditions together with husky and snowmobile safaris, reindeer farm visit and a private visit from Santa himself and much more – this tour will give your family memories that will last a lifetime.
If you want to combine a White Christmas with winter activities and the Aurora Borealis you can experience both on our Santa, Elves and Glass Igloos tour where you will be spending one night in a glass igloo and the rest in your own private, cosy, log cabin. This tour is escorted so all your worries are taken care of.