New Year and Christmas are your favorite holidays for children andadults around the world. No matter how different their traditions are in each country, the common is still the belief in miracles. Its embodiment is certainly a good winter wizard, who every year mysteriously brings gifts to children ... What is the name of Finnish Santa Claus? Who is he and where he lives? Why do not we just look in the old Lappish tale with one eye? ..
What is the name of Finnish Santa Claus?
Far, far away, in a stern Lappish studentedge, in the north of Finland lives ... Santa Claus. In Finnish "Joulupukki" - and that is the name of the fabulous Grandfather in this country - means, oddly enough, the "Christmas goat". According to legend, in the Middle Ages this character was traditionally dressed in a goatskin. According to another belief, sitting astride a goat, he carried gifts.
This tradition has long since sunk into oblivion - now Yolupukki is more like Santa Claus, known to the whole world. However, his amusing name remained so - however, he seems to have nothing against ...
The Tale of Joulupukki
In the twenties of last century, Finnish childrenheard on the radio a fairy tale story about a good Christmas old man. It was told to them by Uncle Marcus, the presenter of the popular program "Children's Hour". One day, carrying a heavy bag with gifts on his shoulder, my grandfather went around the world, and finally got to Lapland. On the way, he was very tired. He sat down on the stone to rest and was sad: the way is far, the bag is heavy ... No, he will not have time to give all the gifts in time.
It is not known what would have happened ifJoulupukki was not heard by the dwarves and elves. They got out of their hiding places and promised to help the old man to deliver all the presents in time. But only put one condition - that grandfather stayed in Lapland forever.
Since then, and it was.Finnish Santa Claus, Joulupukki, settled in Lapland, on Mount Korvatunturi. The shape of this mountain is similar to hare ears, and not just because she can hear the requests of children from all over the world ... Moreover, the magical mountain has one more tricky feature - in some incomprehensible way she can find out whether the children behaved well or badly year. She gives this information to Grandfather, and he decides who to congratulate on holidays, and who, perhaps, did not deserve ...
What does the Finnish Santa Claus look like?
Today, Joulupukki wears a red fur coat with whiteFur trim at a length just below the knee and red pants, which he tucked into high boots. It belts the fur coat, as a rule, with a smart red sash, decorated with bells of white and green color. On the head of Joulupukki is usually a red cap with a white edge and a pompon that hangs almost to the waist.
Yolupukki does not see very well, so she wears round glasses. But he does not have a staff.
In addition, the Finnish Grandfather can often be seen in public and without outerwear. In the rooms he walks in a white shirt and a red vest.
Residence of Joulupukki in Rovaniemi
As the name of the Finnish Santa Claus, more for us notsecret. But does everyone know that on Mount Korvatunturi, he lives mainly in the summer, because in winter he receives guests in his own residence? It is located in Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland, and is a real Christmas town.
Communicates with visitors to Joulupukki usually in the winter anda couple of months in the summer. He is helped by his spouse, who is called Muori (she personifies the winter), as well as fairy gnomes and elves. In addition to the workshop in which the Christmas Grandfather and his assistants prepare gifts for children all year round, there is also a museum of ice sculptures, a bakery in which Muiri ginger biscuits are sold, and the "school of elves" next to the estate. There is also a post office in the isolation and from which you can send a postcard to anywhere in the world. The Chief Postal Gnome closely follows the correspondence constantly coming to the address of Joulupukki, and keeps records on a special board, how many letters have been received.
Residence of Joulupukki in Rovaniemi todayis famous all over the world. Guests from different countries who want to see the fairy tale with their own eyes know perfectly well the name of the Finnish Santa Claus, and with a sinking heart they are waiting for the question: "Are you good children?", Which every severe but good wizard will ask in a severe voice, sitting at a table in a his workshop ...
