Here’s a fun quiz about Christmas in Finland! Choose the right definition for each of the following Finnish words and tally your total at the end.
1. |
Tonttu |
| a) | Santa’s bad-tempered gnome sidekick (who thinks almost all kids are badly behaved) |
| b) | an ancient Finnish winter god (worshipped at midwinter during the pre-Christian era as “the bringer of darkness”) |
| c) | a mischievous but good-hearted elf-like mythological Finnish land spirit (most easily spotted around Christmastime when wearing a pointed red cap with a bell on top) |
2. |
Himmeli |
| a) | a small bell hung from the antlers of a reindeer to help its owner find it in the dark (modern versions also have dangling reflectors) |
| b) | a complex geometrical Christmas decoration made of straw (hung up well away from candles due to its extreme flammability) |
| c) | a supernaturally spectacular display of the northern lights in the dark winter sky (often seen after New Year’s parties) |
3. |
Rosolli |
| a) | Finland’s Christmas bird – the red-breasted snow finch (Robinus fennicus) |
| b) | a cold Christmas dish made with chopped beets, apples and carrots (served with a topping of pink cream) |
| c) | a decoration made of green branches adorned with bright red ribbons (hung outside the front door during the Christmas season to welcome visitors) |
To the Finns, whose country is 75 percent forest, these three trees look very different – and only one is a true Christmas tree.Illustration: Heli Pukki
4. |
Joulukuusi (“Christmas tree” – Which of the following is Finland’s traditional Christmas tree?) |
| a) | Norway spruce (Picea abies) |
| b) | Scots pine (Pinus silvestris) |
| c) | Lapland larch (Larix lapponicus) |
5. |
Lanttulaatikko |
| a) | a traditional winter dessert made of stewed lingonberries and leftover breakfast porridge (still popular in remote regions of northern Karelia) |
| b) | star-shaped Christmas pastries filled with apple, prunes, fish or minced meat and rice (not all in the same pastry!) |
| c) | a hot Christmas dish made of mashed rutabaga baked with breadcrumbs, butter, eggs, spices, salt and syrup (sweet-and-sour, Finnish-style!) |
6. |
Pikkujoulu (literally “Little Christmas”) |
| a) | a special Christmas play performed by children (to help them remember the first Christmas in Bethlehem) |
| b) | a popular outdoor communal carol-singing event (held a week before Christmas in town squares or other public places) |
| c) | a workplace party arranged in November or December to enable colleagues to enjoy socialising, eating and drinking together (often with an emphasis on the drinking) |
7. |
Lipeäkala |
| a) | a typical Nordic Christmas fish dish, made by soaking dried cod for several days in lye – a solution made with caustic soda or potassium hydroxide (yummy!) |
| b) | a melancholy Finnish Christmas carol (sung quietly in candlelight to the accompaniment of a five-string kantele harp) |
| c) | a traditional winter game played by children throwing stones or tightly packed snowballs across a frozen lake to make spooky noises (try it and listen!) |
Is this a secret recipe? A sermon? A sing-along? Or perhaps some other “piece” of Christmas?Illustration: Heli Pukki
8. |
Joulurauha |
| a) | a special Christmas candle placed on the grave of a deceased relative (Finnish cemeteries are picturesquely filled with candles at Christmastime) |
| b) | an aromatic oil made of pine resin and marshland herbs, used in the Christmas sauna (a central part of Christmas for most Finnish families) |
| c) | the season of Christmas peace, ceremoniously declared on December 24 by the mayor of Turku (crimes committed during this period are penalised more harshly than usual) |
9. |
Glögi |
| a) | a Christmas pudding made with layers of cranberry jelly, old rye bread soaked in milk, and sour milk curds sweetened with sugar (a kind of Finnish trifle) |
| b) | a warm drink served at Christmas parties, made using red wine and/or berry juice, spices, raisins and almonds (also sometimes spiked with vodka) |
| c) | Santa’s special Christmas sleigh, built to a design offering plenty of extra luggage space (for bulging sacks of presents) |
10. |
Jouluateria (Finland’s traditional Christmas meal – what dish most typically forms its centerpiece?) |
| a) | roast turkey |
| b) | roast ham |
| c) | roast reindeer |
Answers
Check your answers against the key below and add up the amount you got correct to find out how much you know about Finnish Christmas traditions:
1. c, 2. b, 3. b, 4. a, 5. c, 6. c, 7. a, 8. c, 9. b, 10. b
How many did you get right?
0–4 Never mind! Come and visit Finland soon to learn more about these colourful Christmas traditions!
5–7 Well done! You already have a grasp of Finnish Christmas traditions – or you may be on a lucky streak?
8–10 Onneksi olkoon! Congratulations! (Do you have Finnish blood?)
Hyvää joulua! Happy Christmas!
By Fran Weaver
