Jak se slaví tradiční Vánoce ve Finsku?
Christmas just ended, it is about a time to share how Finnish people celebrate it. My big disadvantage right now is that I do not share a household with a Finn, so I have never trully experienced Finnish Christmas traditions... but you know what? I think some of it has actually rubbed off on us ... and I can always find online sources and ask Finnish friends, right?
Finns celebrate Christmas on the 24th December (Christmas Eve), just like Czechs. There are Christmas services being held in churches and people usually visit graves of their deceased loved ones to light up candles.
In the afternoon, the whole country seems to freeze down as the public transport seizes and all the stores are closed.
After the last preparations for the evening have been made, families gather together to have Christmas dinner. In some families it is a custom to read aloud at the table the Christmas gospel by St. Luke, describing the events at the time of the birth of Jesus. If there are young children present, the reading is usually done by the youngest literate child.
After the Christmas dinner, some families may have a visit from joulupukki, the Finnish Santa Claus. He is bringing Christmas presents, which are placed under the Christmas tree (joulukuusi). They are handed and opened later that evening.
Everyone tries to be at home for Christmas, including fishermen who try to get their boats into the harbour by December 21st, St. Thomas' Day.
Christmas Day (25th December) is usually spent quietly at home, relaxing and resting, with some people perhaps attending the early morning church service.
The following St. Stephen's Day (Boxing Day, 26th December) is traditionally a day for family visits. It is interesting, that horse-drawn sleigh rides were popular on St. Stephen's Day, as Saint Stephen is a patron saint of horses. Since the Middle Ages, it was a custom to race home from church after the service. Following the old traditions, many horse farms and riding schools provide horse riding or sleigh rides on the 26th.
Christmas in Finland officially ends 13 days after Christmas Day. Finns start wishing each other a hearty Hyvää Joulua (Merry Christmas) weeks before Christmas day and continue to do so for nearly two weeks after the official holiday.
Warming up the sauna on Christmas Eve is an ancient custom in Finland. It was believed that the spirits of dead ancestors came to bathe in sauna after sunset. It is common to use sauna before attending the celebrations in the evening.
Every year there is a free Christmas sauna warmed up for all the inhabitants of our house (men and women separately) and this year was no different. I was lucky enough to share it this time with some neighbours I already met. We got to exchange couple polite smiles and little small talk (while sweating together naked :)) ) and contemplated in silence about our own stuff.
I gratefully gave up the duty of adding water on to the stove and it was very good decision. 'Cause if you wanna have real sauna experience, you have to have it with a Finnish person...they do not shy away from the heat, and the sentence "Lisää löylyä." is used every couple minutes. At some point it was so hot inside, that I had difficulties to breath and I felt like my skin was peeling off... When I pointed it out, my sauna-mate smiled and said in Finnish "Let's get some colour to our cheeks, right?" :)
I loved it. It was surprisingly pleasant, and when I ended up alone, I realized that, even though I thought I was adding same amount of water on the hot stones as others, I was always much more careful and reserved,...cause it did not hurt as much.
If you are interested, read two more articles about sauna, I had finnished some years ago - Sauna (from Feb 2012) and In the Sauna (from Nov 2014)
This basic Christmas dinner menu is of course enriched with all kinds of dishes in different families, according to their individual liking, traditions or diets - for example liver casserole and pâtés, meat aspics, gravlax or smoked salmon, fish roe or herring dishes.
Dessert is baked rice pudding/porridge eaten with spiced plum jam. One almond is hidden in the pudding. Whoever finds the almond has to sing a song and is considered to be lucky for the next year.
Glöggi, a type of mulled wine, is a favoured hot drink at Christmas time. It is usually made out of red wine or red juice of some sort, mixed with spices like cardamon and cinnamon, then served with raisins and almonds.
It is also traditional to eat rice porridge and plum fruit juice for breakfast.
USED ONLINE SOURCES:
Christian Traditions
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| Christmas service in Tuusula |
In the afternoon, the whole country seems to freeze down as the public transport seizes and all the stores are closed.
After the last preparations for the evening have been made, families gather together to have Christmas dinner. In some families it is a custom to read aloud at the table the Christmas gospel by St. Luke, describing the events at the time of the birth of Jesus. If there are young children present, the reading is usually done by the youngest literate child.
After the Christmas dinner, some families may have a visit from joulupukki, the Finnish Santa Claus. He is bringing Christmas presents, which are placed under the Christmas tree (joulukuusi). They are handed and opened later that evening.
Everyone tries to be at home for Christmas, including fishermen who try to get their boats into the harbour by December 21st, St. Thomas' Day.
Christmas Day (25th December) is usually spent quietly at home, relaxing and resting, with some people perhaps attending the early morning church service.
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| Lighting up a Christmas tree at Senaatintori 26.11.2017 |
The following St. Stephen's Day (Boxing Day, 26th December) is traditionally a day for family visits. It is interesting, that horse-drawn sleigh rides were popular on St. Stephen's Day, as Saint Stephen is a patron saint of horses. Since the Middle Ages, it was a custom to race home from church after the service. Following the old traditions, many horse farms and riding schools provide horse riding or sleigh rides on the 26th.
Christmas in Finland officially ends 13 days after Christmas Day. Finns start wishing each other a hearty Hyvää Joulua (Merry Christmas) weeks before Christmas day and continue to do so for nearly two weeks after the official holiday.
Joulupukki
Finnish people believe that Santa Claus (or Joulupukki, Father Christmas) lives in the north part of Finland called Korvatunturi (in Lapland), north of the Arctic Circle. People from all over the world send letters to Santa Claus in Finland. There has been built a big tourist theme park called Christmas Land (Czech out the article about Santa's Village I wrote in November 2014).
However, Santa Claus has some pretty dark past. He was not always as jolly.
Joulupukki translates to Yule Goat. Yule, a pre-Christian pagan festival, was a midwinter celebration with feasting and sacrifice that took place in many Germanic cultures. The most popular theory suggests that goats are linked to the god Thor - who commanded a goat-driven chariot. Goats became associated with harvest and fertility through him. Traditionally men were dressing up in horned goat costumes as part of the rituals.
In Finland, nuuttipukki were evil spirits who would go door to door demanding gifts and leftovers from the Yule feast. The Finnish Santa is a blend of nuttipukki and modern Santa Claus. Sometime in 19th century he became benevolent and instead of demanding gifts started to pass them on children. He rings the bell and enters house politely through the door, asking the still-awake families: Onko täällä kilttejä lapsia? (Are there any well-behaved children here?).
Yule goats are still common in Nordic countries as decorative goats made of wicker.
In some areas of Finland nuuttipukki still makes visits on Nuuttinpäivä (St. Knut's Day, 13th January). Traditionally young men dressed as scary nuuttipukki characters (usually in inverted fur jacket, a leather or birch bark mask, and horns) would visit houses, and typically demanded food from the household and especially leftover alcoholic beverages.
This tradition is still kept alive in areas of Satakunta, Southwest Finland and Ostrobothnia. However, nowadays the character is usually played by children and encounters are happy.
A Christmas tree (joulukuusi) is brought home on December 24th the latest. A star is placed at the top of the tree and the branches are adorned with sweets, elves, stars and apples (relating to Adam and Eve - in the Finnish, as well as in the Czech calendar, Christmas Eve is the name day of both Adam and Eve).
First public outdoor Christmas tree was placed in Tampere in 1894. Helsinki authorities have placed a Christmas tree on Senate Square every year since 1930.
Helsinki has also donated a Christmas tree to Brussels every year since 1954, just as Oslo (Norway), sends one for Trafalgar Square in London.
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| Meeting real Joulupukki in November 2014 |
Joulupukki translates to Yule Goat. Yule, a pre-Christian pagan festival, was a midwinter celebration with feasting and sacrifice that took place in many Germanic cultures. The most popular theory suggests that goats are linked to the god Thor - who commanded a goat-driven chariot. Goats became associated with harvest and fertility through him. Traditionally men were dressing up in horned goat costumes as part of the rituals.
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| Nuuttipukki, 1926 zdroj InkTank |
Yule goats are still common in Nordic countries as decorative goats made of wicker.
In some areas of Finland nuuttipukki still makes visits on Nuuttinpäivä (St. Knut's Day, 13th January). Traditionally young men dressed as scary nuuttipukki characters (usually in inverted fur jacket, a leather or birch bark mask, and horns) would visit houses, and typically demanded food from the household and especially leftover alcoholic beverages.
This tradition is still kept alive in areas of Satakunta, Southwest Finland and Ostrobothnia. However, nowadays the character is usually played by children and encounters are happy.
Joulukuusi
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| Finnish Christmas tree, source Meillä Kotona |
First public outdoor Christmas tree was placed in Tampere in 1894. Helsinki authorities have placed a Christmas tree on Senate Square every year since 1930.
Helsinki has also donated a Christmas tree to Brussels every year since 1954, just as Oslo (Norway), sends one for Trafalgar Square in London.
Sauna
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| Selfie from sauna in our house |
I gratefully gave up the duty of adding water on to the stove and it was very good decision. 'Cause if you wanna have real sauna experience, you have to have it with a Finnish person...they do not shy away from the heat, and the sentence "Lisää löylyä." is used every couple minutes. At some point it was so hot inside, that I had difficulties to breath and I felt like my skin was peeling off... When I pointed it out, my sauna-mate smiled and said in Finnish "Let's get some colour to our cheeks, right?" :)
I loved it. It was surprisingly pleasant, and when I ended up alone, I realized that, even though I thought I was adding same amount of water on the hot stones as others, I was always much more careful and reserved,...cause it did not hurt as much.
If you are interested, read two more articles about sauna, I had finnished some years ago - Sauna (from Feb 2012) and In the Sauna (from Nov 2014)
Traditional Food
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| rosolli, source Snellman |
The three most essential dishes on Finnish Christmas table are:
- oven-baked ham (joulukinkku), which takes hours to prepare and years of experience to get the juiciness right. :) Find a recipe at Genius Kitchen.
- rutabaga casserole (lantulaatikko) - rutabaga is a cross between a cabbage and a turnip, its name is derived from a Swedish word rotabagge which means root ram. Find a recipe on My Dear Kitchen in Helsinki.
- mixed beetroot salad (rosolli) - the name rosolli comes from the Russian word rosol, meaning salty. It is very colorful and easy to make salad - though it takes time because of all the peeling and cutting. It is recommended to make it a day ahead, as it tastes better. Find a recipe on My Dear Kitchen in Helsinki.
Without the taste of these traditional dishes, there would be something missing in Finnish Christmas celebration.
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| Christmas rice pudding with almond, source Travelettes |
Dessert is baked rice pudding/porridge eaten with spiced plum jam. One almond is hidden in the pudding. Whoever finds the almond has to sing a song and is considered to be lucky for the next year.
Glöggi, a type of mulled wine, is a favoured hot drink at Christmas time. It is usually made out of red wine or red juice of some sort, mixed with spices like cardamon and cinnamon, then served with raisins and almonds.
It is also traditional to eat rice porridge and plum fruit juice for breakfast.
USED ONLINE SOURCES:
- Nordic Recipe Archive - articles Finnish Christmas Celebration and Finnish Christmas Dinner
- Why Christmas - article Christmas in Finland
- Tripsavvy - article Finland's Christmas Traditions
- The Official Travel Guide of Finland - article A True Northern Christmas
- ThisisFINLAND - article A Time of Tradition
- InkTank - article How Joulupukki the Finnish Santa went from naughty to nice
- Wikipedia - article St. Knut's Day
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| Opening presents... |
Vánoce skončily, je na čase podělit se o to, jak je slaví Fini. Mojí velkou nevýhodou je, že s Finem nesdílím domácnost, takže jsem nikdy skutečné finské Vánoc nezažila ... ale víte co? Myslím, že se toho na nás za ty roky života tady dost nalepilo ... a vždycky si můžu najít zdroje online a poptat se finských kamarádů, ne?
Křesťanské tradice
Finové slaví Vánoce 24. prosince (Štědrý den), stejně jako Češi. V kostelech se konají vánoční bohoslužby a lidé obvykle navštěvují hroby svých zemřelých blízkých, aby zapálili svíčky.
Odpoledne se veškeré dění zastaví, včetně veřejné městské dopravy, všechny obchody jsou zavřené.
Po večeři některé rodiny navštěvuje joulupukki, finský Santa Claus. Přináší vánoční dárky, které jsou umístěny pod vánočním stromečkem (joulukuusi). Rozdávají se a otevírají později večer.
Všichni se snaží být doma na Vánoce, včetně rybářů, kteří dopravují své lodě do přístavu nejpozději do 21. prosince, den sv. Tomáše.
První svátek vánoční (25. prosince) lidé zpravidla tráví doma, odpočívají, někteří se účastní ranních bohoslužeb.
Následující den sv. Štěpána (Boxing Day, 26. prosince) je tradičně dnem návštěv rodiny. Zajímavé je, že jízda na saních tažených koňmi byla v den svatého Štěpána oblíbená (svatý Štěpán je patronem koní) - již od středověku bylo zvykem po bohoslužbě domů z kostela závodit. Podle starých tradic tedy mnoho jezdeckých škol poskytuje jízdu na koni nebo na saních 26.prosince.
Vánoce ve Finsku oficiálně končí 13. ledna. Finové si začínají přát srdečné Hyvää Joulua (Veselé Vánoce) týdny před Vánocemi a pokračují tak téměř dva týdny po oficiálním svátku.
Joulupukki
Finové věří, že Santa Claus (nebo Joulupukki) žije v severní části Finska, nazývané Korvatunturi (v Laponsku), severně od arktického kruhu. Lidé z celého světa posílají dopisy pro Santa Clause ve Finsku. Byl tam dokonce postaven velký turistický zábavní park nazvaný Christmas Land (Mrkněte na článek o Santově vesnici, který jsem napsala v listopad 2014).
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| Joulupukki exhibition in Santa's Village |
Jméno Joulupukki pochází z Yule Goat (goat je angl. koza). Yule, předkřesťanský pohanský festival, byl středozápadní oslavou s hody a obětinami, která se konala v mnoha germánských kulturách. Nejpopulárnější teorie naznačuje, že kozy jsou spojeny s bohem Thorem - který řídil vůz tažený kozami. Ty se skrze něj staly symbolem sklizně a plodnosti. Podle této tradice se muži v rámci rituálů oblékali do rohatých kozích kostýmů.
Ve Finsku existovali také nuuttipukki, zlí duchové, kteří chodili od dveří do dveří, a žádali o dary a zbytky ze slavnosti Yule. Finský Santa je směsí nuuttipukki a moderního Santa Clause. Někdy v 19. století se stal joulupukki benevolentnějším a namísto požadování dárků je začal předávat dětem. Ve štedrý večer vždy zazvoní na zvonek, zdvořile vstoupí do domu a zeptá se celé rodiny: Onko täällä kilttejä lapsia? (Jsou zde nějaké dobře vychované děti?).
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| Joulupukki by a Finnish cartoonist , source InkTank |
V některých oblastech Finska se nuuttipukki stále ještě objevuje - a to na Nuuttinpäivä (Den svatého Knuta, 13. ledna). Mladí muži se tradičně převlékají za strašidelné nuuttipukki (většinou do kožešiny a masky z kůže nebo břízy s rohy), chodí dům od domu a vyžadují jídlo z domácnosti a zbylé alkoholické nápoje.
Tato tradice je stále ještě živá v oblastech Satakunta, jihozápadní Finsko a Ostrobotnie. Nicméně v dnešní době se obvykle převlékají děti a návštěvy jsou to veselé.
Joulukuusi
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| joulukuusi, source Valitut Palat Reader's Digest |
První veřejný vánoční strom byl umístěn v Tampere v roce 1894. Helsinské úřady umisťují vánoční strom na Senaattintori (Senate Square) od roku 1930.
Helsinky také každoročně darují strom Bruselu, stejně jako Oslo (Norsko), posílá jeden pro Trafalgar Square v Londýně.
Sauna
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| selfie from our sauna |
Každým rokem je pro všechny obyvatele našeho domu vyhrazena bezplatná vánoční sauna (odděleně muži a ženy) a tento rok nebyl jiný. Měla jsem to štěstí, že jsem se tam letos potkala s některými sousedkami, které už znám. Vyměnily jsme si pár úsměvů a zdvořilostních vět, a pak jsme se nahé potily v sauně a mlčky si přemýšlely o vlastních věcech.
Vděčně jsem se vzdala povinnosti přidávat vodu na kameny (a bylo to velmi dobré rozhodnutí). Protože pokud chcete mít ze sauny skutečný zážitek, musíte ji zažít s Finem ... oni se tepla totiž nebojí a věta Lisää löylyä. se používá každých pár minut. V určitém okamžiku bylo uvnitř tak horko, že jsem měla potíže s dechem a měla jsem dojem, že se mi kůže odlupuje ... Když jsem to zmínila, moje kolegyně se usmála a řekla ve finštině Pojďme přidat trochu barvy do tvářiček, ne? :)
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| after-sauna glow :) |
Tradiční jídlo
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| joulukinkku, source Yhteishyvä |
- pečená šunka (joulukinkku), jejíž příprava trvá několik hodin, je třeba dlouholetých zkušeností, aby byla správně šťavnatá. :) Recept v angličtině najdete třeba na Genius Kitchen.
- zapečená rutabaga (lantulaatikko) - rutabaga je křížené zelí a řepa, její jméno pochází z švédského slova rotabagge, a je podobná našemu tuřínu. Recept najdete v angličtině na My Dear Kitchen in Helsinki.
- míchaný salát z kořenové zeleniny (rosolli) - název pochází z ruského slova rosol, což znamená slaný. Je velmi pestrý a jeho příprava je velmi snadná - ačkoli vyžaduje čas kvůli všem tomu loupání a krájení. Doporučuje se připravit ho den předem, protože pak chutná lépe. Na recept mrkněte třeba na My Dear Kitchen in Helsinki.
Bez těchto tradičních jídel by ve finských Vánocích něco chybělo.
Vše je samozřejmě obohaceno různými dalšími pokrmy (záleží na zvycích, chutích a dietě různých členů rodiny) - např. pečená játra a paštiky, masové aspiky, gravlax nebo uzený losos nebo herringy.
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| Glöggi, source Community from epicurious |
Glöggi, typ svařeného vína, je oblíbeným vánočním horkým nápojem. Obvykle se vyrábí z červeného vína nebo nějakého červeného džusu, smíchaného s kořením, jako kardamon a skořice, a podává se s rozinkami a mandlemi.
Ke snídani se obvykle servíruje rýžová kaše a švestková ovocná šťáva.
POUŽITÉ INTERNETOVÉ ZDROJE:
- Nordic Recipe Archive - články Finnish Christmas Celebration a Finnish Christmas Dinner
- Why Christmas - článek Christmas in Finland
- Tripsavvy - článek Finland's Christmas Traditions
- The Official Travel Guide of Finland - článek A True Northern Christmas
- ThisisFINLAND - článek A Time of Tradition
- InkTank - článek How Joulupukki the Finnish Santa went from naughty to nice
- Wikipedia - článek St. Knut's Day
1 comment:
Very fun. Naked sauna
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