Hyvää Joulua kaikille!
Merry Christmas everyone!
So another Christmas has just been and gone. My Christmas this year was definitely one for the history books! My first Christmas away from the Australian Summer and my own family's Christmas traditions.
There are many differences between the Australian and Finnish Christmas'. Aside from the obvious weather difference (summer in Australia and winter here in Finland) there are many differences in how it is celebrated. I feel that the traditions are much stronger here in Finland. That's not to say that I think it is more festive or that there is more Christmas spirit here in Finland compared to Australia, I actually felt the opposite but I'll get to that later.
In Finland Christmas is celebrated on the 24th of December. The main Christmas meal was on Christmas Eve and my host sister and I read the Christmas story from the Bible and my older sister played a Christmas Carol on the clarinet before we began eating. On Christmas Eve my youngest three siblings also reenacted a traditional short skit for the family.
Presents are opened in the evening of Christmas Eve rather than the morning of Christmas Day. I was lucky enough to be with a family that has younger children so I had the chance to see the Christmas Eve traditions around present opening. Joulupukki (Santa) comes to the home, we sing the song 'Joulupukki, Joulupukki' to invite him in, he chats and hands out presents and then we sing the song again as he leaves.
Lapset (children):
Joulupukki, joulupukki,
valkoparta, vanha ukki,
eikö taakka paina selkää?
Käypä tänne, emme pelkää!
Oothan meille vanha tuttu,
puuhkalakki, karvanuttu.
Tääl on myöskin kiltit lapset
kirkassilmät, silkohapset.
Joulupukki, joulupukki,
valkoparta, vanha ukki,
vietä iltaa joukossamme
täällä meidän riemunamme.
Tervetullut meille aina,
käypä tänne, puuta paina
tai jos leikkiin tahdot tulla,
kahta hauskempaa on sulla!
Joulupukki (Santa):
Kiitos, kiitos, kiltit lapset,
kirkassilmät, silkohapset.
Terve teille, pienokaiset,
leikkiväiset, laulavaiset!
Hauska tääl ois iltahetki,
vaan on vielä pitkä retki:
kuusen luota kuusen luokse
mulla matkan suunta juoksee.
Lapset (children):
Joulupukki, joulupukki,
valkoparta, vanha ukki,
viivy vielä pieni hetki,
vaikka onkin pitkä retki.
Tässä tuomme sulle mettä
vilpoisaa kuin lähdevettä.
Sitten jaksat pitkän tiesi
kulkea kuin aimo miesi.
Joulupukki (Santa):
Kiitos vaan nyt kiltit lapset,
kirkassilmät, silkohapset!
Täs on teille muistiaiset,
pienet joulumaistiaiset.
Lapset (children):
Kiitos sulle, oiva ukki,
ystävämme joulupukki.
Taas kun päästään ensi jouluun,
tervetullut meidän kouluun!
On Christmas Eve we also went to the church at 11pm where, for about an hour, the local choir sang Christmas carols. The Church was dark except for the soft light from the Christmas tree and some candles. It was really beautiful. The church was completely full, apparently it's quite a big thing every Christmas.
To top it all off, when we walked outside afterwards, it was snowing! We had already had a bit of snow but it was so beautiful to actually witness it snowing over the Christmas period! It was a white Christmas for me this year!
It was a little funny for me to see Christmas creeping up but not really notice, the only indication that Christmas was coming was the few lights that were strung up in the streets of my town and the cities I visited in the month lead up.
In Australia it's normal to have the Christmas tree, lights and decorations up for a couple of weeks even before Christmas Day. However, in Finland the tree is usually put up maximum a few days prior (I think this is mainly due to the fact that most people have real trees rather than plastic, so this is more a practical thing).
Not many people in Finland have house lights, they have simple candle decorations, etc. but don't really decorate the outside of the home with lights. As a part of Christmas in Australia, not all but many, people decorate their houses in lights for about a month before Christmas. It's all a part of the lead up to Christmas when families go out driving and looking at the people's house Christmas lights, a lot are quite impressive! You can also hear Christmas Carols being played just about everywhere you go, and maybe it's annoying for some but I love that about Christmas. Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year!
There were many differences between Christmas here and the Christmas' I've had in Australia but of course I didn't expect it to be the same nor did I want it to be! I came to Finland excited to experience the different traditions and lifestyles of Finnish people and I was not disappointed! Finland is full of quirky traditions and lifestyle habits, some of which I have fallen in love with and will definitely be integrating into my own life and traditions when I get home to Australia.
Christmas this year was different for me but it was great! I was so lucky to be able to have a true Finnish Christmas which was filled with their traditions and I was so blessed to be a part of a beautiful family that I love to bits for it!
Some might be surprised to hear that I was not homesick at all during this festive season. Maybe it was because it felt very different to the Christmas I know and so it didn't feel like Christmas, maybe it was because I was a part of a family that I love and I really feel a part of, or maybe it was because I am leaving soon and so it's not so sad to be away when I'll be back in a matter of weeks... or maybe a combination of all of those things or something else completely. I don't know, but what I do know is that I'm grateful that despite spending Christmas away this year, I didn't spend it without family ♥♥♥
Piparkakkutalo (Gingerbread house) making with my sisters!
We went a little crazy and it looks more like a bunch
of 3 year olds made it...
of 3 year olds made it...
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| But it was fun to make and it'll taste good which is the main point! ;) |
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