University of Helsinki
You may have guessed from roadside trees for sale and twinkly lights popping up everywhere that it’s the final countdown for Christmas. But what exactly does that mean in Finland?
There is a very beautiful tradition of visiting the graveyard on Christmas Eve and lighting a candle to place on the grave in memory of those friends and family members not with us anymore. Finnish graveyards also have special areas that are for all those without a resting place or buried elsewhere which anyone is welcome to visit. Hietaniemi cemetery can be visited at Hietaniemenkatu 20.
Father Christmas is called ‘joulupukki’ in Finnish and he lives in Lapland (ask him yourself if you don’t believe me!). But because he lives so close Finnish children get the benefit of being first on the list and they get their presents on 24th December. It is fairly common Santa arrives on the doorstep at some point during the day and personally hands out the presents.
