Finnish Christmas is steeped in traditions, many of which can be traced back hundreds or even thousands of years. For Finns, Christmas is the time of the quiet calm that only comes when the snow blankets the land in soft white, when the day is as dark as night and every light shines all the more beautifully for it, when the delicious food and joyous company of loved ones is contrasted by the solitary peace within. It’s the season for all the senses.
When Finns speak of getting into the spirit of Christmas, they use the expression “tuning into the atmosphere”, as of an instrument. Indeed, music plays a major part in setting the ambiance. Many of the most beloved seasonal songs have more sombre tones and lyrics, offering a respite in the middle of the holiday hubbub for a moment of reflection. When so much of this season orbits around the more mundane things, Finnish Christmas songs, with their arresting wistfulness, accompany the listener on a journey inward.
Spruce has long been the one true Christmas tree for Finns. The signature scents of the evergreen and hyacinths wafting through the household welcome the season in. Decorations are brought out, and thus begins the ritual of preparing for Christmas. Gorgeous ornaments are carefully placed on the tree, candelabras shine on the windowsills. The table setting is elevated by festive tablecloths and napkins.
A Christmas feast is a delight that caters to both the nostalgia and novelty hungry, as most dishes are traditionally only enjoyed once a year. Hints of aromatic clove, fragrant cinnamon, zesty ginger and floral cardamom flavour the season’s treats. There is a distinctively serene sense to sipping on the spicy-yet-sweet heat of glögi after a stroll in the crisp winter air, bundled up in a warm woollen blanket, watching the snow fall outside.
Amongst all the abundance, the Christmas sauna soothes the soul. With the gentle sizzle of the löyly, a feeling of reverence and quiet introspection fills the mind. For a little moment that seems to stretch on for an eternity, there is no need to go or to do, only to be. Afterwards, linen towels envelop the body in tranquil softness that seems to reach past the physical.
Seasonal lighting features prominently in the Finnish Christmas setting, illuminating the ambient darkness with its warm glow. Inside, the advent candles count the days of Yuletide, while the innumerable fairy lights, outdoor candles and self-made ice lanterns light up the way home outside.
Many also bring remembrance candles to cemeteries to pay respects to those who have passed. The Christmas season comes to a close on the Three Kings’ Day, or Loppiainen in Finnish, on the 6th of January. The Finnish name shares its roots with loppu, the end; thus, Loppiainen literally refers to
the end Christmas time. It’s time to clean up the dried-out spruce needles and put the decorations away, to wait for the next Christmas season filled with long-lived and heartfelt traditions.
Text: Jenna Suomela
Photos: Katja Lösönen
Amongst all the abundance, the christmas sauna smoothes the soul.
