Christmas in Finland: Features of the national celebration.

Christmas is considered the main holiday of the year in Finland.  Preparations for the holiday begin many weeks before the start.  And the Finns are preparing for it not only externally — decorating houses and streets, but also internally — remembering their departed relatives, forgiving insults. Christmas stars and angels are hung on the windows of houses.  Gingerbread, star-shaped pastries and holiday sweets are handed out on city streets.  People rush to shops, buying gifts for each other.  In Finnish tradition, the Christmas period is believed to begin on St. Thomas’s birthday on December 21st and continue until St. Knut’s Day on January 13th.  However, the pre-Christmas season begins on the first Sunday in December, which is also called the first Advent (Advent is the name of the pre-Christmas period, adopted among Christians of the Catholic Church and some Lutherans, similar to the period of the Nativity Fast in the East).  During this period, each family lights one New Year’s candle per week.  All candles should burn until the morning of December 26, and only after that they can be removed.  Many children use Advent calendars that count down the remaining days until Christmas.  Advent calendars come in many forms, from a simple paper calendar with flaps that close every day, to fabric pockets and painted wooden boxes with small holes for small items.  By the way, Finns start wishing each other a Merry Christmas long before the most cherished day. On the eve of Christmas in Finland, it is also customary to go to cemeteries and visit the graves of family members.  Burning candles or lanterns are left at the graves.  Since there are many visitors to the cemetery on this day, there are also many candles, which transforms this sad place and even gives it a fabulous look.  Therefore, a walk through the cemetery flickering with candles on this day, more than ever, can contribute to pacification, reconciliation and faith in the triumph and beauty of life.