Hyvää joulua - Merry Christmas from Finland!

We wanna wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

This is our Christmas greeting for you. Listen to our Christmas song and learn something about Christmas traditions in Finland.

We (class 5 and class 6) are singing "Kulkuset" which is "Jingle Bells" in English.

Christmas calendar at our school

Every morning in December we have a Christmas calendar in our assembly hall. We hear stories written by elves and we sing traditional Christmas songs. 

Here our headmaster is reading a story written by an elf.

That morning we sang Rudolf the red nosed reindeer.

Joulumaa (Christmas land)
A special "Joulumaa" (Christmas land) is situated in Saari village next to our school. There you can experience a real Christmas feeling. There is a Christmas market, elf path, Christmas forest, farm animals, Christmas carol sing along etc: You can also enjoy different concerts there.

During the last week before our Christmas holiday pupils from our school go and sing there in the afternoons.

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS 

Here class 6 is telling about Finnish Christmas traditions.

Christmas songs
At Christmas we sing Christmas songs such as Jingle bells, Christmas Wonderland, We wish you a merry Christmas, Rudolf the red nosed reindeer, Christmas tree is built and Silent night.

Christmas decorations

We decorate our homes with different Christmas decorations such as Christmas trees, lights, candles, stars, balls, tinsels, ribbons, angels, elves, lanterns, paper snow flakes and Christmas wreaths.

Christmas food: 

At Christmas dinner we usually have ham, turkey, salmon, herring, Baltic herring, mashed potatoes, swede casserole, potato casserole, carrot casserole, liver casserole, peas, rosolli - beetroot salad. Some families also have reindeer meat at Christmas.

For dessert we have rice pudding, plum pudding, plum dessert cream, mince pies, chocolate, gingerbread cookies, cheese and mulled wine.

The Christmas peace is declared on Christmas Eve in Turku

The Christmas peace is declared on Christmas Eve at 12.00 in Turku in western Finland.

Many families watch that on TV. After the declaration of Christmas peace Christmas really starts. Everything is closed and people spend Christmas Eve with their families.

Santa Claus visits children on Christmas Eve

Santa Claus lives in Korvatunturi (ear fell)  in Finland. He has many elves helping him. On Christmas Eve he visits children and gives them presents. He travels on the sleigh, which Rudolf and other reindeer pull.

    Christmas church service

      Before Christmas many people go to sing Christmas songs in their local churches. In Finland we say “Kauneimmat joululaulut” (the most beautiful Christmas songs).

Many people attend church services at Christmas. Some people go to Christmas Eve service in the afternoon before Christmas dinner. Other people attend the Christmas Day morning service.

When people go to church they also light candles on the graves of the deceased relatives and friends.

      Christmas sauna - something different!

      Christmas sauna is a Finnish tradition at Christmas time. Usually we go to sauna on Christmas Eve before Christmas dinner. Some of us use birch whisks in sauna.

Christmas lights in Aleksanteri street in the city of Helsinki  (18 December 2013)