Christmas and New Year in Finland
It looks a lot like Christmas. The air is cold and crisp, and the snow crunches when you walk. It also feels like Christmas here, in the home of Santa Claus. His Arctic Circle Village near Rovaniemi in Finnish Lapland is full of visitors at all times of the year, but especially during the festive season.
Meeting Father Christmas at his own home in Lapland is every child's dream. Sure - everyone knows him; most people have even seen him but nothing can compare to the experience if actually meeting him in Finnish Lapland at Christmastime. It is a magical experience for both adults and children alike. Imagine - the sun sets behind the mountains and the landscape is soon shrouded in a mysterious blue veil; with some luck, the Northern Lights will illuminate the dark skies as you crunch through the snow on Santa's own front path, before finally you get to meet the man himself.
1 Santa Claus - the real one lives in Finland!
As well as being Santa's home, wintry Lapland is a snow-carpeted playground full of magical experiences for everybody. From exhilarating safaris on snowmobiles, to sleds driven by teams of reindeer or huskies, to all types of skiing, ice fishing, tobogganing, Lapland offers endless fun in the snow. And if you are looking for something at a different pace, why not come and explore a different type of wilderness or simply indulge yourself in the relaxed atmosphere and the romance of a search for Father Christmas?
No matter how modern it may become, Christmas will also always be synonymous with age-old traditions. Please take a look at the high points of the Finnish Christmas season, from early December to the day after the big day. (http://finland.fi)
Tours to Lapland
Many tour operators offer a variety of package tours to Lapland, giving you plenty of options of trips lasting from one day to a whole week. The best packages are fully inclusive and in addition to return flights, transfers and accommodation, you will have options such as a private family meeting with Santa, reindeer, husky dog and snowmobile rides, tobogganing, the Magical Arctic Circle Ceremony, access to the Children's Club; many even provide thermal outer-suits to keep you snug during the trip. Each tour operator's package is unique so please contact the relevant companies for further details and lists of inclusions.
Massive firework displays at midnight
On New Year's Eve in Helsinki and some other cities the sky lights up with massive firework displays at midnight. Find a place with a good view. Senate Square in the middle of Helsinki is a popular spot - wrap up warm and enjoy the show.
New Year – New choice
New Year celebrations are just as much fun in Finland as they are elsewhere. However, the Finnish scenery, the snow and the Arctic weather add local flavour to the celebrations. Firework displays mark the turn of the year, but with luck visitors to the north may also witness nature's own spectacular fireworks in the form of the Northern Lights.
New Year celebrations are just as much fun in Finland as they are elsewhere. However, the Finnish scenery, the snow and the Arctic weather add local flavour to the celebrations. Firework displays mark the turn of the year, but with luck visitors to the north may also witness nature's own spectacular fireworks in the form of the Northern Lights.
Restaurants are full of revellers seeing in the New Year.
With Christmas over, the wait for the New Year begins. The Finnish winter prevents any big New Year celebrations in the streets. But at midnight on New Year's Eve, the mayor of Helsinki wishes the townspeople a Happy New Year from the steps of the Cathedral. Firework displays and rockets launched around the city add colour and a boisterous note to the occasion.
Glasses of champagne are raised in homes and restaurants. But the most important tradition of all is telling your future by casting molten tin into a container of water and interpreting the resultant shape of the metal.
Christmas and the festive season that follows last until Twelfth Night, or Epiphany. Twelfth Night (January 6) is not observed in Finland with any specific celebrations but it is a public holiday. It concludes the Christmas festive season, and it is the time to take away the Christmas tree, enjoy the last of the Christmas fare and get back into daily routines.
Glasses of champagne are raised in homes and restaurants. But the most important tradition of all is telling your future by casting molten tin into a container of water and interpreting the resultant shape of the metal.
Christmas and the festive season that follows last until Twelfth Night, or Epiphany. Twelfth Night (January 6) is not observed in Finland with any specific celebrations but it is a public holiday. It concludes the Christmas festive season, and it is the time to take away the Christmas tree, enjoy the last of the Christmas fare and get back into daily routines.
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