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Seanson’s Greetings 2024 & “Old-time Christmas in Finland”.

Posted on: 23.12.2024 by Team Atexor

A Few Words About the History of Finnish Christmas

Even before the current Christmas tradition arrived in Finland, we celebrated a special winter celebration. The beginning of the Christmas season coincides with the winter solstice. At that time, it was thought that the sun was “resting in a mountain cave”. In Finland, Christmas has incorporated elements of the old harvest festival, Kekri. The old-time “Santa Claus” was a man who dressed as a fertility rite figure, a goat. He put goat horns on his head to resemble a real goat. The costume also included a mask and a sheepskin coat worn inside out. The “Pukki” of old times was certainly scarier than its current successor.

Preparations for the celebration included feeding small birds at Christmas is an old tradition and part of the agricultural magic of peasant culture. The purpose of the Christmas barley or oat sheaves was to keep the birds away from the crops in the summer. In the old days, people also played social games on Christmas Eve. Various “spells” were also performed at Christmas to promote the success of the grain harvest and livestock. The tradition of eating abundantly at the Christmas meal comes from ancient Finns and is related to the agricultural year and the light festival celebrated around the winter solstice. Throughout Finland, it was customary to offer the best possible Christmas foods and drinks during the holidays to ensure the satisfaction of protective spirits.

One of the important traditional Finnish and Swedish Christmas decorations is the straw goat. Decorations made of straw remind us of Kekri, the harvest festival. The first Christmas trees arrived in Finland only in the mid-1800s.

Sauna bathing at Christmas is also an old tradition. In the ancient Christmas sauna, people washed themselves before celebrations, and food and drink offerings were brought to the house elves.

The tradition of eating abundantly at the Christmas meal comes from ancient Finns and is related to the agricultural year and the light festival celebrated around the winter solstice. Throughout Finland, it was customary to offer the best possible Christmas foods and drinks during the holidays to ensure the satisfaction of protective spirits.

The current way of celebrating Christmas is a relatively new tradition in Finland, as it started only in the late 1800s. The custom came to us through Sweden, and at first, Christmas was celebrated by upper-class families in cities. For example, the practice of giving Christmas gifts began among wealthy families during the 1800s.

PS: This year we decided not to send Season’s Greetings cards, but instead donated to UNICEF’s Children of the World collection. Because children are the most important! ❤️❄️❤️