With wiggles and reindeer: at home with Santa Claus
Am Polarkreis, ganz im Norden, da wohnt er: Santa Claus. Und man kann ihn treffen. Im Weihnachtsmann-Dorf in Rovaniemi wartet der berühmteste Rauschebart der Welt mit seiner gesamten Sippe auf kleine und grosse Besucherinnen und Besucher. Wir geben Tipps und liefern Fakten rund um den finnischen Weihnachtsmann und sein Dorf.
Favourite legend: Visiting Santa Claus
In Finnish, he’s called Joulupukki: the north European Santa Claus was born on the Finnish mountain of Korvatunturi and now lives in Rovaniemi. He is married to Joulumuori and has many assistants: elves, reindeer and Christmas imps who make gifts all year round and which can then be delivered at Christmas. The name Joulupukki means “Yule goat” in Finnish and is derived from the Swedish Julbock tradition. Made of straw, this billy goat is an important symbol of the Christmas season, as it used to be the one that brought the gifts.
A village like no other: “SantaPark”
Thousands come to Rovaniemi every year to be enchanted by the Santa Claus Village. “SantaPark” has existed since 1998, where not only Santa Claus can be found daily, but also his wife Joulumuori. It has reindeer and alpaca, an indoor playground, numerous small stalls with Finnish crafts and traditional cuisine and, in winter, huge snowmen. To be part of an audience with Santa Claus in his office, sometimes you have to wait a little while. He patiently receives gift wish-lists and is of course ready for a souvenir photo.
Post from all over the world: Dear Santa...
Santa’s main post office, a real office run by Posti, the Finnish Post Office, is located right next to Santa’s office. Postcards or letters can be sent to loved ones at home, bearing the official stamp and greetings from Santa Claus. Upon request, letters and cards are stored and only sent out shortly before Christmas. Of course, it also works in the other direction too. If you want to write something nice to Santa or send him your wish list, post it to: Santa Claus Main Post Office, 96930 Napapiiri, Finland.
A word with Mrs Claus
Fancy a chat with Mrs Santa Claus? She has many exciting stories to tell about Lapland and her famous husband. She welcomes her audience to the Santa Claus House at the Santa Claus Reindeer Resort on the site of the Santa Claus Village, and is assisted by her elves. Also to see, of course: reindeer. In winter, you can book excursions, safaris and Northern Light tours with the animals here. The Mrs Claus’ café has Finnish pastries, as well as gingerbread and cold and hot drinks.
Snow-white pleasure
First ice skating, then sliding, then going to the ice labyrinth and later to the igloo bar – all this is possible from December when the “snowman world” in SantaPark comes out of summer hibernation. A fascinating winter dream that doesn’t amaze just children. The rustic cabins are surrounded by powdery white and are guarded by tall snowmen; from the 6 December until 17 March.
The moss issue: Visit to reindeers, etc.
It’s not just lamas, alpacas and reindeer that have their cosy home on the “Elf’s Farm Yard”. Ponies, donkeys, sheep, rabbits and goats are also looking forward to being pampered – and special food. Moss, for example, is considered a delicacy for reindeer. You can buy bunches of it in the “Elf’s Farm Yard” and feed it to the animals. Best of all: You can even go for a walk with the reindeers and alpacas or have a ride on them.
Little Christmas – as early as November
Christmas does not start in Finland until Christmas Eve. For many people, the most beautiful time of the year starts as early as November. “Pikkujoulu” is celebrated everywhere, which means “little Christmas”. In kindergarten, in businesses, in clubs and at home there are small Christmas parties, with (often joke-type) gifts, karaoke, biscuits and Christmas decoration crafts. Glögi, traditional Finnish mulled wine, is also popular. It is made from red wine or berry juice and refined with cinnamon, cardamom, almonds and raisins.
Ham is a must: the Finnish feast
Christmas Eve is the most important part of Christmas in Finland too. Father Christmas is not the only thing longingly yearned for, but rather the feast with the whole family too. You cannot imagine Christmas without the traditional Finnish Christmas table: the Christmas ham called Joulukinkku, which, together with the crust, must be prepared several days in advance. On Christmas Eve, it goes into the oven for cooking, later it is covered with a coating of sugar, mustard and breadcrumbs – and then baked for a while. It also has casseroles made from potatoes, carrots or turnips.
Header - Photo by Andrey Kobylko on Adobe Stock
Paragraph 2 - Photo by Dieter Spears on Getty Images
Paragraph 2 - Photo by Martin Wahlborg on Getty Images
Paragraph 3 - Photo by Moment RF on Getty Images
Paragraph 4 - Photos by Europe on Getty Images
Paragraph 5 - Photo by Visit Rovaniemi on Visit rovaniemi
Paragraph 5 - Photo by Mari Mur on Adobe Stock
Paragraph 6 - Photo by Roman Babakin on Shutterstock
Paragraph 6 - Photo by Visit Rovaniemi on Visit rovaniemi
Paragraph 7 - Photo by Visit Rovaniemi on Visit rovaniemi
Paragraph 8 - Photo by Tsuguliev on Shutterstock
Paragraph 8 - Photo by Ekaterina Smirnova on Getty Images
Paragraph 9 – Photo by GMVozd on Getty Images
Paragraph 9 – Photo by Jana Mänz on Getty Images