What do lv and joulupukki have in common. Where in Finland is the magical Santa Claus village? What does Finnish Santa Claus look like?
Is the North American Aerospace Defense Command tracking the movements of Santa's sleigh? Which American state passed a law that made celebrating Christmas a criminal offense and punishable by a fine?
Every person who believes in Santa Claus knows that his official residence is in Lapland. Joulupukki is exactly what Father Frost, or rather Santa Claus, sounds like in Finnish because he brings gifts to children at Christmas. Let's understand the history of this character.
In those centuries, when Christianity had not yet established itself in Finland, people traditionally celebrated the Yule holiday - the winter solstice. According to legend, each person received a gift from the Yule goat. Another legend tells that a man with a gray beard, wearing a red hat and a goat’s fur coat walked from house to house. Later, all the images were generalized, and the result was Joulupukki - a Christmas grandfather giving gifts to children. The Finnish Santa gives gifts to the child personally, without having to climb through the chimney or wait for the child to fall asleep.
Joulopukki's signature phrase: Are there any obedient children in this house/ Onkos taalla kiltteja lapsia?/ Onkos taalla kiltteja lapsia?
Finnish Santa has a real passport. In the “date of birth” item it says: “A long time ago”, and in the “marital status” item it says “married”. Joulupukki's wife is Muori ("Auntie Christmas").
Muori and Joulupukki are helped to manage the household by gnomes, who on New Year's Eve form and beautifully decorate gifts. Gnomes appear from fir cones, which Auntie Muori collects in the forest, and then puts in a huge cauldron and covers with a soft blanket. The gnomes “keep up” in just one night.
Any citizen of Finland is proud that Santa lives in Lapland. On the slope of Mount Korvatunturi (the name translates as “Hill-Ears”) he has a hut, an office and a post office. The mountain received this name because its shape, when viewed from a bird's eye view, resembles a hare's or dog's ears. Therefore, Joulupukki can hear the wishes and dreams of any child, and all data is recorded in a magic book.
If a child stops believing in magic and fairy tales, then the rain of stars washes away all records about him. Joulupukki believes that someday these children will again believe in the dream, and their names will again appear on the pages of his book.
You can tell Finnish Santa about your wishes in a letter. Postal address: Finland, index 99999, Rovaniemi, Korvatunturi. Don't forget to put the required number of stamps on the envelope.
Joulupukki's assistants spend the whole year in the Echo Caves and listen to how children from different countries behave; on New Year's Eve they sort out parcels and arrange gifts. Postmen bring about 700 thousand letters every day.
A line passes through the village of Santa, which marks the Arctic Circle. If you cross it for the first time, you will be awarded a diploma. Not far from the village, a cozy guest house was built where travelers can stay, and on a festive night they have the opportunity to invite the Finnish Santa to visit them.
Fun facts about Santa Claus
In the UK, Santa is called Father Christmas;
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) regularly monitors the movements of Santa Claus' team. In fact, this is not their direct responsibility, it all started with the fact that a certain department store mistakenly passed off the organization's phone number in an advertising brochure as the phone number of Santa's office. Hundreds of children began to call to hear Santa's voice, and the management decided to take upon itself the responsibility of annually monitoring the route of the winter wizard;
In Massachusetts, there was a ban on celebrating Christmas for a long time. The Puritans did not approve of libations and fun, which were indispensable attributes of the holiday. In 1959, celebrating Christmas was a criminal offense and was punishable by a fine (5 shillings). The law was repealed only in 1681. All residents of the United States began to celebrate this holiday only in the second half of the 19th century;
Finnish Santa's name Joulupukki. The literal translation of his name into Russian means “Christmas goat.”
You can recognize Santa by his red fur coat, hat of the same color and white beard.
Until the 19th century, it wore goatskin and had small horns.
Joulupukki has a wife, Muori, whose name means "Old Mistress". Help them with housework gnomes, who live in the “Echo Caves” and monitor how children behave. Before Christmas, the responsibility of preparing gifts falls on their shoulders.
Joulupukki lives in a wooden house built in the forest on Mount Korvatunturi. This place is known as “Sopka-Ears”. It is located on the border with. This is not the only residence of Joulupukki in Finland, but it is to this house that children send their letters with their requests for gifts.
Official address Joulupukki residences: Finlandia, 99999, Korvatunturi. Every year up to 500 thousand letters arrive here. You can also write a letter to Santa Claus at: Joulupukki, 96930, Arctic Circle, FINLAND.
Village location
That Santa Claus lives in an ancient region of Finland, Lapland, all the children on the planet know. This amazing land geographically affects 4 states:
- Finland;
- Russia;
You can find Santa in northern Lapland, whose cultural region is the country of Suomi (Finland). This region is inhabited by Lapps and Laplanders. Santa Claus Village is located 8 kilometers from the city of Rovaniemi.
How to get to Lapland?
You can get to the official residence of Santa Claus “Santa Village” by driving to Rovaniemi by train or by flying to it. It's only an hour's flight from Rovaniemi. This city is the center of Lapland and is considered the twelfth largest in Finland.
Choose your plane ticket right now using this search form. To get into a fairy tale, just enter cities of departure and arrival, date And number of passengers.
At his official residence, Santa Claus welcomes guests all year round.
Rovaniemi has its own airport And Train Station. From the airport to the city you can take an Airport Taxi. The best way to get from the city to Santa Claus Village is by taxi. You can call him at the hotel reception.
The cost of a taxi depends on the number of passengers, time of day, day of the week and distance to be traveled. Children under 12 years of age are not considered passengers. For groups of tourists more than 4 people served "tilataksi". This is a small minibus.
There are also buses in the city, but they run very rarely. At each stop there are special devices that serve as a help desk. Departs from Rovaniemi train station to Santa Claus Village bus number 8. The bus travel time from the station to the village is 8 minutes. The final stop of the bus is in the center of Santa Claus Village next to his shopping center. It is only 100 meters from Santa's office.
Where can I stay?
In Santa Claus Village, built to accommodate guests cottages. They are all located in the same part of the city. Each house has 2 rooms with an area of 37 sq. meters. They are equipped with everything necessary for a comfortable stay. You can park your car next to the cottage.
The room has wide bed, folding sofa, wardrobe, table, TV. You can prepare your own food in the small kitchen located in the room. The bathroom has a small sauna. There is Wi-Fi.
You can also stay in hotels in neighboring cities and travel to the village by bus. This way you can visit more interesting places.
To book a room, use our convenient search form. Enter city, check-in and check-out dates And number of guests.
Find out what visa is needed to visit Finnish Santa Claus.
Tours to Finnish Santa Claus
Lapland has an amazingly beautiful nature, reminiscent of a fairy tale. In addition to the Santa Claus village, you can see a lot of interesting things here.
Among the best tours to Lapland are tours of natural areas and reserves, safaris, skiing, and visits to the zoo.
You can relax in Lapland all year round. In the summer there is beauty on the local lakes and rivers, of which there are a large number in these parts. In these places you can go skiing, reindeer riding, and sledding. The Finnish sauna leaves an unforgettable impression.
Official website of the residence
You can find out all the news about the life of Santa Claus in Lapland on the village websites:
On these sites you can write letter to Santa Claus, it will definitely be read.
The birthplace and home of Santa Claus - photo
The residence of Santa Claus consists of several objects, all of which are open to the public and are very popular among tourists. The most important object is Santa Claus post office. Correspondence from all over the world arrives here. Santa's famous reindeer live on a farm in the village and can also be visited.
You can learn everything about Christmas traditions at the local exhibition-museum. IN Santa Claus's workshop They will show and tell you everything about New Year and Christmas gifts, and you can buy souvenirs in the shops.
Tourists visiting the village love to visit Santa Park and the Arctic Park known as "Winter World".
Office
Read about the ski resorts in Finland that you can visit during your trip to see Santa Claus.
Santa Claus's office is the most popular place in the village. More than 500 thousand tourists visit it annually. Every day guests come from all over the world to Santa's office. You can get to the office by passing a long fairy-tale corridor. Santa Claus's office has a massive wooden door. In the office you can take a photo with Santa Claus as a souvenir. There is a belief that if you make a wish at this moment, it will certainly come true.
Santa mail
After visiting Santa Claus's office, tourists head to his mail. There are elves working there, they all have different nationalities. Their main job is to process letters coming to Santa Claus. You can send cards and gifts to your friends and family using mail.
Next to the post office there is a house that is known as Eleanor Roosevelt's cabin. She is considered the first tourist to visit these places.
Santa Park
This unique place is very similar to a fairyland. It is interesting to visit it not only for children, but also for adults. There is Elven School, all year round it reveals to students all the ancient secrets of these mysterious characters. Graduates of the school are issued diplomas of completion. In Santa Park there is also an elf workshop and a calligraphy school.
IN gingerbread In Mrs. Claus's kitchen they bake gingerbread cookies that are amazing in taste and aroma. It is very difficult to resist the temptation to try them.
Along with gingerbread, you can also find other Finnish delicacies here, as well as wine prepared with special spices.
IN Ice Gallery bar You can try the “Kiss of the Ice Princess” soft drink. Ice sculptures are located in the gallery halls.
Special train "Seasons", passing through the secret workshop of the elves, takes a tour of the four seasons.
Operating mode of objects
You can get to the village any day of the week. From 1 to 30 November and 7 to 31 May it is open to the public from 10:00 to 17:00. During the summer period from 1 to 31 August the village is open from 9:00 to 18:00. And from January 1 to 6, its operating hours are from 9:00 to 19:00.
What else to see?
In Pilka there is a center created to get acquainted with the forest, its industrial processing and protection.
Educational games for children are held at the center. Near Pielke there is Arctic Museum.
On the hill Ounasvaara, which is located a few kilometers from the center of Rovaniemi, there is a gaming pavilion known as Funpark, a swimming pool, a gym, massage and bowling.
A real ice kingdom - Snowland. Even the tourist hotel there is made of ice. True thrill-seekers stay here for the night. Only a glass of hot mulled wine can save you from the cold. Special unforgettable impressions remain after the Arctic disco.
There are many nature reserves and nature parks in Lapland. One of them worth visiting is "Ranua". This is the northernmost zoo in the world. There you can see not only the most northern animals, but also a large number of different species of birds living on the planet. All the inhabitants of the zoo live in huge enclosures, so traveling around the zoo resembles a safari.
Since 1966, every January in Lapland there has been a famous rally, which runs along icy, snow-covered roads.
- When going to Lapland, you need to remember what kind of climate. Winters here are quite harsh, and temperatures can reach +30C. Your travel wardrobe should be selected according to the season.
- In Lapland good roads, and there is a railway connection between the cities, but public transport leaves much to be desired. You shouldn't count on him. You will have to travel by taxi or rented car.
- In winter, some roads in Lapland closed due to ice. Before traveling by car, it is better to make inquiries about which routes in the country you can travel on. Santa Claus knows)
- All countries have their own Christmas traditions and an original main character. In Poland, gifts are delivered by Saint Nicholas, in the Czech Republic by Grandfather Mikulas, in Italy by Babo Nattale with his assistant fairy Befana, and in France by Père-Noël.
- In 1996, children saw an animated film called “Yolupukki and the Shaman’s Tambourine.” The director was Mauri Kunnas, and the main roles went to Esa Saario, Ulla Tapaninen and Henne Haverinen.
- In 2017, a traditional meeting between Joulupukki and his Russian colleague Father Frost, with whom his granddaughter came, took place on the Russian-Finnish border. In addition, a truck carrying Finnish gifts for Russian children entered the city of Sortavala.
- If in Russia on New Year's tables there are "Olivier" and "Herring under a fur coat", then in Finland they prepare traditional milk rice porridge with spices, which is served to children for breakfast. Residents of the northern state also prepare vinaigrette without peas and sauerkraut, fish appetizers, Karelian stew, and red wine-based glög. Among other things, milk and fish soup is prepared for the holidays.
- In Finland, they prepare for Christmas in advance, and the countdown to the cherished holiday continues throughout the month. Boys and girls have special calendars where chocolates are hidden behind numbered windows. And before the holiday, women organize charity fairs where they sell jewelry.
- Christmas in Finland is a family holiday, where all relatives gather around the table. Therefore, Christmas lovers who remain at work have come up with an adult holiday that is reminiscent of corporate parties.
A song called "Santa Claus knows this" (Pukki tietää sen). Performed by the group Rajaton (No Borders). They really have no boundaries when it comes to depicting musical instruments with their voices.
And from the lyrics of the song you will learn a lot of interesting things: for example, how gnomes are born and why they don’t have a navel. Interesting? And here are the lyrics of the song in Finnish and Russian.
Taas revontulet laulaa hiljaa lauluaan,
Again the northern lights sing their song quietly,
ja lumi peittää alleen joulupukinmaan.
And snow covers the land of Santa Claus.
Ei korvatunturilla nuku yksikään,
No one sleeps on the hill (where Santa Claus lives),
Tontut ovat työssä, pukki pakkaa rekeään
The gnomes are at work, Santa Claus is preparing a sleigh.
refrain:
On jouluyö, hän liitää halki taivaan poroillaan
Christmas night, he (Santa Claus) cuts through the sky with his reindeer
On jouluyö ja kohta joka oveen kolkuttaa
Christmas night will soon knock on every door
hän tuntee kaikki toiveet pienten suurten sydänten
He knows all the wishes of small and large hearts
ja joulun salaisuuden, Pukki tietää sen!
And the secret of Christmas, Santa Claus knows it!
Voit ihmetellä kuinka pukki oikein selviää
You might be surprised how Santa Claus copes.
Kirjeet, sähköpostit, ei kukaan unhoon jää
Letters, emails, no one will be forgotten
Suuri joulukirja taas kohta aukaistaan
The Big Christmas Book Will Be Opened Again Soon
milla toivoo molla Maijaa ja Tero formulaa
What do the Maya and Tero dolls want?
refrain
Hey! Miksei tontuilla oo napaa?
Hey! Why don't gnomes have belly buttons?
Pukki tietää, Pukki tietää!
Tontut syntyy tällä tapaa:
Dwarves are born this way:
Pukki tietää, Pukki tietää!
Santa Claus knows, Santa Claus knows!
Kuusenkerkut pataan vaan! Muori laittaa kiehumaan
Spruce needles - in a cast iron pot! The old woman sets it to boil.
Pata kuplii, porisee, tontut padast hyppelee!!
The cast iron boils and gurgles, the gnomes jump out of the cast iron!!
(pukki tietää, pukki tietää)
Pukki tietää!
Santa Claus knows, Santa Claus knows, Santa Claus knows!
Ken uskoo joulun taikaan se sille avautuu
Who believes in the mystery of Christmas and opens up to it?
ja sydämmessään silloin joulun ihme tapahtuu
The miracle of Christmas then happens in his heart.
Finnish Santa Claus Joulupukki answers children's letters.
Rovaniemi - Lapland residence of Joulupukki 
"Youlu" means Christmas and "pukki" means goat. Many years ago, the Finnish Santa Claus wore a goat skin and delivered gifts on a goat... Now on reindeer! Translated, the name does not sound very nice - Christmas goat. The Finnish Santa Claus received such a strange nickname thanks to the villagers who on Christmas night put on a goat's fur coat and delivered gifts home. They say that it was these impostors who scared Santa away. He no longer walks the streets on Christmas Eve, but sits in his winter residence in Rovaniemi and receives everyone.
Joulupukki's catchphrase:
Onkos täällä kilttejä lapsia?
Are there any obedient children here?
His sleigh flies. His deer talk, his bag is always full of gifts. He is known all over the world and in each country they call him differently: Per Noel, Julbokk, Futter Christmas, Santa Claus... But in his homeland, Finland, he is better known as Joulupukki.
Where do gnomes come from?
In Rovaniemi, Joulupukki lives with his old woman Muori. Yes, yes, Finnish Santa Claus is married, but he doesn’t like to talk about his wife. Joulupukki and Muori's house is full of gnomes who help with the housework and, most importantly, wrap gifts. Where do gnomes come from? From fir cones. The old woman collects cones in the forest, puts them in a large cauldron at night and wraps them in a warm blanket. By morning the gnomes are ready.
Works-Eva Melhuish
The owner of Rovaniemi sits in a small wooden house dotted with light bulbs. It is difficult to understand whether Santa Claus is smiling when little fans approach him... Due to his abundant beard and mustache, his face is almost invisible. Only eyes, very wise and kind, examine visitors through glasses. "Are you good children?" - with these words Santa greets his little guests. We warn you right away - it is useless to lie. You can't fool Santa. He knows everything. The huge books that line the high shelves in Santa's office can tell a lot about every child on the planet. Where he lives, whether he behaves well, what his desires are.
These Talmuds are filled out by Santa's little helpers - gnomes. But Santa Claus receives information thanks to his extra ears. Everyone knows that in the summer Joulupukki lives on Mount Korvatunturi. This mountain has three ears. They catch the slightest changes in the life of any child. And they are the first to tell Santa who has stopped believing in the Christmas miracle. They say that at these moments it rains stars over Korvatunturi, and the page with the story about the grown-up child turns white. The gnomes do not write anything on it, since Santa is convinced that someday the adults will come to their senses and believe in him. Then forgotten names and surnames will appear again on blank pages.
The gnomes also help Santa deal with the letters. Every year more than 600 thousand letters arrive in Rovaniemi. And it’s impossible for one person to read them all, not even for Santa Claus.
At the main Christmas post office there is smoke like a rocker. Little gnomes fill out forms, stamp envelopes, and discuss some Christmas matters. Santa's main assistant is in charge of this entire team. Her official title is "Chief Postal Gnome". Her duties include marking on the board how many letters have arrived, so that God forbid any are lost. The Chief Postal Gnome knows better than anyone what kind of letters Santa likes most. After talking with the Chief Gnome, we learned a few golden rules in writing letters to Santa Claus. First of all, don't ask for much. Secondly, tell us more about yourself. And thirdly, Santa loves gifts too. A large glass cube filled with nipples. These are the gifts for Santa Claus. The value of an ordinary pacifier lies in the fact that it was with this object that each of us began life. Santa himself does not use pacifiers, he gives them to little gnomes, with the condition that later the pacifiers will return to their place.
All the bustle at the post office, and in the village itself, stops at midnight on Christmas Day. As darkness falls over Lapland and nothing but stars can be seen, the quiet sound of Christmas bells echoes throughout the village. This is a signal for Santa. It's time to go on a trip around the world. In order to deliver gifts to everyone who managed to order them before morning. In writing, in words or just in dreams.
Residents of Finland call their own Santa Claus Joulupukki. The name, frankly speaking, is not the most common for the Russian ear, it sounds somehow humorous, and the translation from Finnish into Russian makes you smile, because in Finnish translation Joulu means Christmas, and pukki means goat. The image of the Christmas goat is directly related to the ritual of caroling at Christmas, when a masked man dressed in a gray sheepskin coat with goat horns walked around the courtyards, collecting treats. The image of the “goat”, like any mythological character, has its roots in pagan times. Children in those days did not really like Yolupukki, and some were even afraid of them, because Yolupukki could punish disobedient children, thereby depriving them of the holiday.
The modern Father Frost or Santa Claus - Yolupukki, of course, is no longer so scary, over the years he has noticeably become kinder.
He dresses in the Western European manner: a red fur coat and a cap with a pompom. The attitude towards children has also changed. Modern Yolupukki gives gifts to children, but not to all, but only to those who have been obedient throughout the past year: in one hand Yolupukki has a bag containing gifts, and in the other a bunch of rods, because in Finland bad children give gifts for Christmas don't get it. True, they don’t beat children with rods either, but they “show” them.
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The birthplace of Jolupukki, the Finnish Santa Claus.
Residents of Suomi are confident that only Finnish Santa Claus is real. The main argument is that 500,000 letters arrive at Jolupukki's address in Lapland, Finland.
Anyone can write a letter to Santa Claus and receive a response - a postcard with a postmark from the Santa Claus post office.
Officially, Father Frost lives on a mountain called Korvatunturi, located in the Urho Kekkonen National Nature Reserve, bordering Russia. But the office where Yolupukki works is in Rovaniemi, which is connected to Mount Korvatunturi through an underground tunnel. Mount Korvatunturi is a protected place, and not everyone can get there (you need to know the magic words, because off-road conditions will not allow a mere mortal to get into Yolupukki’s home). But you can visit Santa Claus. To do this you need to go to Rovaniemi to Santa Park.
One day before the start of Christmas, Joulupukki begins to give gifts to children and adults. This is reported quite officially.
Modern Santa Claus does not hide from children at all and does not enter the house through dirty fireplaces. He gives gifts in person, with Finnish children receiving them first on December 24th (Christmas Eve). And only the next morning he brings gifts to the rest of the children.
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The story of how the gnomes appeared
There is more than one Father Frost living on Mount Kovatunturi; probably someone has even thought about this question. Yolupukki is married to the old woman Muori, although Yolupukki does not really advertise this relationship, but one way or another the fact remains, and in Santa Claus’s office there is a kitchen in which they cook according to his wife’s recipes.
Scandinavian countries have always been famous not only for their high standard of living, but also for their interesting traditions. For example, Christmas in Finland is celebrated for three days, from December 24 to 26. All this time, residents of the cold country are enjoying the elegant streets, which are decorated with multi-colored garlands, and listening to Lutheran concerts with songs. And instead, the Finnish children are brought gifts by the Christmas grandfather - Joulupukki, who from an evil spirit has turned into a good winter hero.
Story
It is noteworthy that the tradition of this character in Finland has developed in an interesting way. The fact is that “Joulupukki” is a homonym for the phrase “Christmas goat”. And this is not surprising, because in the Middle Ages Joulupukki dressed in a suit made of goat skin, and according to another belief, he distributed gifts while riding a goat.
If we look at the etymology of the name of the Finnish Santa Claus, then the word “joulu” was borrowed from the Scandinavian languages, and it, in turn, was formed from the name of the German holiday Yule: on this day people celebrated the onset of mid-winter.
Also worth noting: in Suomi, something similar to Russian carols was adopted. Even in the pagan Old Finnish tradition, there are mummers “nuuttipukki” and “kekripukki”. The first to change were young people who dressed up in fur coats turned inside out. Their faces were adorned with masks, carved from birch bark according to a shaman’s model and resembling a horned creature.
Sometimes there were two “Christmas actors”: one depicted the head of a goat, and the other depicted its back part. The mummers went around the houses and delighted obedient children with gifts, and frightened the naughty ones. Previously, this event took place on January 7 (from 1131 to 1708), and since 1708 the holiday falls on January 13: the date was moved in honor of the name day of the male name Nutti.
In the twenties of the last century, little residents of a cold country heard a fairy tale on the radio told by Uncle Marcus, who hosted a program called “Children's Hour.” The story revolved around a grandfather who carried a bag of gifts on his shoulder on Christmas Eve: the old man went around many places and ended up in snowy Lapland.
On the way, the old man got tired, sat down to rest on a stone and was saddened: after all, the journey was still long, and the bag was filled with gifts that he did not have time to distribute on time. The fairy-tale hero was heard by gnomes and elves, who helped deliver surprises to homes, but set the condition that Joulupukki remain in Lapland.
Image and prototypes
The Finns believe that Joulupukki actually lives in Lapland, while other heroes claiming to be holiday grandfathers are localized in Canada, Greenland or Veliky Ustyug.
The gift giver's furnished house is located on Mount Korvatunturi, or so the Finnish Broadcasting Company announced in 1927. They say that Joulupukki's residence is located on the border with Russia and resembles ears. Thanks to this form, the old man can hear the dreams and desires of all children.
If a child wants to send a letter to his grandfather, then his address is not a secret: Finlandia, 99999, Korvatunturi. The main thing is not to forget to put a postage stamp on the envelope. But first, the child gives his message to his parents so that they can correct the mistakes, because, as you know, the Finnish language is quite complicated. Children also make gifts for moms and dads: as a rule, these are cards decorated with colorful ribbons and beads. In the Northern European country, surprises made with one's own hands are valued.
It is noteworthy that Joulupukki is not at all alone; his wife Muori, who is the personification of winter, lives with him. True, he does not like to talk about his wife, keeping his personal life secret. Previously, the festive character walked from house to house with horns on his head and with rods, which were given to bad children. And the residents of the houses tried to appease this frightening creature with treats.
Now Joulupukki resembles Santa Claus. He wears a white beard and a red cap that hangs almost to his waist, but still retains some national characteristics, despite the influence of American culture. However, these colleagues also have significant differences, for example, Santa Claus positions himself as an inveterate bachelor who prefers to live as a hermit.
Since grandfather has poor vision, he wears glasses, but he does not have a staff: in order to easily move through the winter snowdrifts, the Finnish Santa Claus uses a sleigh harnessed to a reindeer named Petteri - red face. They say that Joulupukki is so old that he does not remember his true age, but he does not lag behind technological progress: the fairy-tale character has a mobile phone - a red Nokia.
It is worth saying that Joulupukki is not as active as Santa Claus: the Finnish hero does not climb pipes and does not go down into the fireplace. The holiday grandfather prefers to give gifts to children personally, so residents of Finland receive gifts before anyone else: on the evening of December 24th.
Some lovers of surprises wonder when Joulupukki has time to give surprises, because more than one million children live in Suomi. The fact is that the gnomes help grandfather: they help with the housework and pack gifts. Also, the gnomes sit in the “Cave of Echoes” and listen to how children behave throughout the year, and grandfather then finds out who deserves congratulations on the holidays.
These magical characters appear from fir cones. At night, Grandma Muori collects pine cones in the forest, and then puts them in a large cauldron, which she carefully wraps in a warm blanket. And by morning the little helpers are ready.
