Christmas in Finland

The rhythm of Christmas Eve

Festivities peak on December 24 rather than the following morning. During the afternoon of Christmas Eve, public transit halts almost entirely across the country as workplaces close and families retreat indoors. A traditional wash in the holiday sauna prepares household members for the evening, an ancient practice where offerings of food and drink were once placed aside for the sauna elf. Before the evening meal, many read the Christmas gospel aloud, a custom popularized during nineteenth-century religious revivals. Later, families distribute gifts, a habit first adopted by wealthier households in the early nineteenth century.

The festive table

The Finnish festive feast, called the joulupöytä, stems from old agricultural beliefs where abundant eating marked the winter solstice. An early staple is warm rice porridge, which replaced older barley recipes during the nineteenth century. The centerpiece is usually baked ham, which took over from the autumn harvest lamb of earlier times. Alongside the meat, households serve rich baked casseroles made from swede, sweetened potato, or spiced carrot. Fish courses are equally central, including gravlax, cold smoked salmon, pickled whitefish, and traditional lutefisk. Sweetened prune soup and gingerbread biscuits provide dessert.

Straw crafts and outdoor lights

Many Finnish decorations trace back to kekri, the pre-Christian harvest feast. Geometric hanging structures called himmelis and goat figures are crafted out of natural straw. Fir greenery, ice lanterns, outdoor torches, and wreaths brighten dark winter doorways. Evergreens entered living rooms in the mid-nineteenth century, though some people choose to decorate living outdoor trees with suet balls for wild birds instead. Placing sheaves of oats or barley outside during midwinter is an old peasant custom meant to protect crops and welcome visiting birds, which early folklore associated with good fortune and the souls of the dead.

Faith and remembrance

Commemoration of departed relatives is a defining part of the season. After dark, families walk through local cemeteries to place glowing candles on graves, a habit that expanded widely following the Winter War. On Christmas morning, Lutheran congregations gather for early services to hear the Nativity story and sing Martin Luther's hymn, Enkeli taivaan. In earlier centuries, church attendance was strictly required by church authorities. While the wider season once spanned from Saint Thomas Day on December 21 to Saint Knut's Day on January 13, modern celebrations officially close on Epiphany.

How Christmas in Finland is kept

Preparations begin with pre-Christmas gatherings and baking. On Christmas Eve afternoon, towns fall quiet as public transit stops and people head home. Families heat the sauna for a customary bath, eat rice porridge, and walk to nearby cemeteries to illuminate family graves with candles. The evening meal brings together casseroles, cured fish, and baked ham, often preceded by reading the gospel. Afterward, presents are shared among household members. On Christmas morning, many attend an early church service to sing traditional hymns, while the peaceful holiday period continues through Epiphany.

When and where

The primary festivities take place on Christmas Eve, December 24, continuing through Christmas Day on December 25. Historically framed between Saint Thomas Day on December 21 and Saint Knut's Day on January 13, the official holiday period now concludes on Epiphany.

The holiday is celebrated across Finland in private homes, parish churches, and local cemeteries. Quiet family gatherings occur nationwide, from urban apartments to countryside cottages.

What Christmas in Finland means

Finnish Christmas balances Christian Nativity themes with older agrarian midwinter symbolism. Lavish eating and straw ornaments like himmelis reflect wishes for fertility and agricultural luck carried over from the kekri harvest feast. Glowing cemetery candles and outdoor bird sheaves bridge the living with ancestors and nature during the darkest days of the year.

On the table

• Rice porridge
• Lanttulaatikko
• Sweetened potato casserole
• Carrot casserole
• Christmas ham
• Lutefisk
• Gravlax
• Prune soup

Days Christmas in Finland is marked

Questions people ask about Christmas in Finland

See also

HalloweenAn annual observance on 31 October marking the eve of All Saints' Day, rooted in Christian tradition and Celtic heritageHanamiA Japanese spring custom of gathering under blooming cherry trees to eat, drink, and celebrate the fleeting beauty of thSaint Lucy's DayA December festival of light and song held across Scandinavia and Italy to honour a Christian martyr.RisalamandeA chilled Danish Christmas rice dessert with cream, chopped almonds and cherry sauce

Good reading and sources

• Why no one does Christmas better than the FinnsBBC, Article
• Why no one does Christmas better than the FinnsBBC, Article

• Christmas in Finland on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-04.