How they celebrate Christmas in Finland

Sometimes the best way to know the traditions of a country on certain dates is to travel there. However, for those who are deciding whether to pass a special date, such as Christmas, abroad but do not know very well in which country, it is advisable to document before what kind of traditions are those that prevail where they plan to travel. If one of your destinations is Finland, in the next post we tell you how they celebrate Christmas in Finland.

one

Preparations to celebrate Christmas in Finland begin one month before the Christmas holidays. The Finns tend to be very careful at these parties and want everything to be perfect, hence the concern to take care of all the details.

two

The traditions of the Finns during Christmas Eve are the same as in Spain, for example. Families gather at home and have dinner together before the arrival of Santa Claus or Santa Claus.

3

The Christmas Eve dinner is composed of ham, salmon, potatoes au gratin, boiled cod, cream of rice and turkey. However, dinner does not start until you have looked out the window and seen the first star in the sky.

4

Once the family has finished the meal and they have picked up the kitchen, many choose to visit the cemetery and light candles on the tombs of their deceased. In addition, during the afternoon and to calm the cold that makes the area, Finns usually attend a sauna before waiting for the arrival of Santa Claus. According to tradition, in Finland the inhabitants have to take a bath and dress in clean clothes before celebrating Christmas.

5

In Finland the 'Jouluppuki', as Santa Claus is known there, does not leave the gifts to the children while they sleep. It is a custom in Finland for Santa Claus to visit each family's house after dinner, walk in the door and ask the children if they have behaved well before handing over their gifts.

6

On the 25th, Christmas Day, in Finland people get up very early. It is a custom that the most religious attend the Christmas Mass celebrated at 6 o'clock in the morning. While it is the next day, on December 26, when it takes advantage to go to visit relatives.

7

The Finns usually cut trees to decorate them for Christmas, and whoever has a garden takes the opportunity to place a bag with grains, seeds and nuts hanging from a stick as a gift to the birds in the area. In addition, they prepare the house with abundant decoration and clean it thoroughly to receive the guests.