ADVENT
Advent
is the beginning of the church year. In homes it is the start for the
Christmas time. We take out the decorations, candles, lights... It’s
very busy in the shops and there are Christmas bazaars in every village.
Christmas is also a time of peace and silence. In the middle of all
commercial fuss people go to church to find the real Christmas spirit.
Singing carols in church just before Christmas is very popular each year.
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Only
23 nights before Christmas |
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Making
a gingerbread house |
| Having
Advent coffee at the Turkansaari Museum.
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The museum church in Turkansaari |
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CHRISTMAS EVE
The
busy preparations are finally over. Shops close their doors at noon. From
the balcony of the townhall of Turku, the declaration of Christmas Peace
comes to every home through radio or TV. People visit graveyards,
hospitals, and old people’s homes to respect and remember their
relatives. In the afternoon the families prepare their Christmans dinner.
Traditionally we serve ham, different kinds of root pots, rosolli
(a salad made of red beet, carrots. potato, onion, cucumber and herring),
and different spicy fish dishes. For dessert we have various plum and
cream dishes. Home made beer is a traditional drink on the Christmas
dinner table. Later in the evening and throughout the christmas time we
have special Christmas cakes and gingerbread with coffee. Everyone goes to
sauna on Christmas Eve and we Finns say that there is no nation on earth
as clean as the Finns on Christmas Eve. The whole day the children have
been very excited because in the evening Father Christmas comes and gives
presents to everyone in the family.
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Making the Christmas ham |
| It’s a long day to wait
Father Christmas
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Christmas dinner |
| Father Christmas has arrived
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Father Christmas has arrived
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CHRISTMAS DAY
Early in the morning we go to Christmas church. After that we stay at home
and enjoy the special atmosphere of Christmas with the family.
BOXING DAY
After the peaceful and quiet
period people want to get out and drive around. Now it time to visit
friends and relatives.
THE TWELFTH DAY
The Christmas time is at an end.
We take off the decorations from the Christmas tree and take the tree out
of the house. We pack away all the decorations. The festival is over for
another year.
Nowadays it is quite common to
travel abroad for Christmas or enjoy the festival at a hotel in Lapland.
Many people spend Christmas at their holiday houses surrounded by the
beautiful winter nature.
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