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. The gnomes appear from fir cones, which Aunt 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 as Santa's office phone number in an advertising brochure. Hundreds of children began calling to hear Santa's voice, and 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 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;

The tradition of celebrating the New Year on a grand scale exists in every country, because this holiday brings with it not only hope for a bright future, but also unites all peoples, creating a certain force that generates sincere joy and happiness in the hearts.

It is also worth noting that in almost all countries the symbol of this holiday is a special character in human form. Outwardly, they all look the same, but their names are completely different. For example, in Russia this symbol is called Father Frost, in the USA - Santa Claus, in Belarus - Dzed Maroz, in Belgium and Poland - St. Nicholas, in France - Père Noel, in Great Britain - Father of the Nativity, in the Czech Republic - Mikulas, in Slovakia – Jerzyšek, etc.

Read New Year 2013 together


Surely many have heard about the name of the Finnish Santa Claus, because his name is the funniest and most memorable. And it sounds like this - Joulupukki. As you know, translated from Finnish, this word means “Christmas goat.” Santa Claus received this name quite a long time ago, when the villagers of this country put on goat skins on a festive night and went from house to house, handing out gifts and tasty treats.

After people learn about the name of the Finnish Santa Claus, they immediately become interested in what exactly this fairy-tale character looks like. It is worth noting that it is practically no different from the Russian symbol of the New Year.

Read Decorating a children's room for the New Year


Joulupukki lives in a wooden house in the forest, where everything is decorated with colorful lights, tinsel and toys. He is kind and wise, likes to wear a red short fur coat and hat, he has a bushy white beard and a huge red bag in which he places all the toys and sweets for the children.


However, it is worth noting that, unlike the Russian Father Frost, Joulupukki moves not with the help of three beautiful horses, but with the help of stately and strong reindeer. They are the ones who carry him on Christmas night from one house to another. Finnish Santa Claus also has many friendly gnomes as his assistants, who work with him and collect thousands of gifts for obedient children every day.

And Christmas is the favorite holiday of children and adults all over the world. No matter how different their traditions may be in each country, the common thing is still the belief in miracles. She is certainly personified by a kind winter wizard, who every year mysteriously brings gifts to children... What is the name of the Finnish Santa Claus? Who is he and where does he live? Why don't we take a peek into an old Lapland fairy tale?..

What is the name of Finnish Santa Claus?

Far, far away, in the harsh, icy Lapland region, in the very north of Finland, lives... Santa Claus. In Finnish, “Joulupukki” - and this is the name of the fairy-tale Grandfather in this country - means, oddly enough, “Christmas goat.” According to legend, this character was traditionally dressed in goatskin. According to another belief, sitting astride a goat, he delivered gifts.

This tradition has long since sunk into oblivion - now Joulupukki is more like Santa Claus, known throughout the world. However, his funny name remains that way - however, he seems to have nothing against it...

The Tale of Joulupukki

In the twenties of the last century, Finnish children heard on the radio a fairy tale about the good old man at Christmas. It was told to them by Uncle Marcus, the host of the popular Once upon a time, carrying a heavy bag of gifts on his shoulder, grandfather walked around the whole world, and finally reached Lapland. He was very tired on the way. He sat down on a stone to rest and became sad: the way is still long, the bag is heavy... No, he won’t have time to distribute all the gifts on time.

It is unknown what would have happened next if Joulupukki had not been heard by the gnomes and elves. They got out of their hiding places and promised to help the old man deliver all the gifts on time. But they only set one condition - that grandfather would remain in Lapland forever.

Since then it has been like this. Finnish Santa Claus, Joulupukki, settled in Lapland, on Mount Korvatunturi. The shape of this mountain is similar to the ears of a hare, and for good reason: after all, it manages to hear the requests of children from all over the world... Moreover, the magic mountain has another cunning feature - in some incomprehensible way it can find out whether children have behaved well or badly year. She conveys this information to Grandfather, and he decides who to congratulate on the holidays, and who, perhaps, did not deserve it...

What does Finnish Santa Claus look like?

These days, Joulupukki wears a red coat with white fur trim that reaches just below the knee and red pants, which he tucks into high boots. He usually girds his fur coat with an elegant red sash, decorated with white and green bells. Joulupukki usually has a red cap on her head with a white edge and a pompom that hangs almost to her waist.

Joulupukki doesn't see very well, so he puts it on. But he doesn't have a staff.

In addition, the Finnish Grandfather can often be seen in public without any outerwear. He wears a white shirt and red vest indoors.

Joulupukki Residence in Rovaniemi

The name of the Finnish Santa Claus is no longer a secret to us. But does everyone know that he lives on Mount Korvatunturi mainly in the summer, because in winter he receives guests at 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 winter and a couple of months in summer. He is helped by his wife, whose name is Muori (she personifies winter), as well as fairy-tale gnomes and elves. In addition to the workshop where Christmas Grandfather and his assistants prepare gifts for children all year round, next to the estate there is also a museum of ice sculptures, a bakery that sells Muori, and an “elf school”. There is also a post office in the residence, from which you can send a postcard to any point. The Chief Postal Gnome closely monitors the correspondence that constantly arrives at the Joulupukki address, and keeps a record on a special board of how many letters have been received.

The Joulupukki residence in Rovaniemi is today famous throughout 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 bated breath they await the question: “Are you good children?”, which the stern but kind wizard will ask everyone in a stern voice, sitting at the table in your workshop...

Many have probably wondered: Who is Joulupukki? Well, we'll try to answer!

As you know, almost every nation and every country has one. Yes, our Morozko has many colleagues and incarnations. Finland, a winter, very snowy country, naturally, was no exception.

Joulupukki is the Finnish Father Christmas.

Joulupukki is another New Year and Christmas giver. Outwardly, he is very similar to modern Santa Claus. However, this was not always the case.

Translated from Finnish, Joulupukki literally means “Christmas goat.” And before he was depicted like that, in the form of a straw goat. Finnish Morozko used to be depicted as a gray-haired and gray-bearded old man in a goatskin. Very often he was also depicted with goat horns.

Over time, under the influence of Western culture, the image of Joulupukki became almost copied from Santa Claus, but some elements of local color remained.

Joulupukki has a wife. She represents the personification of winter and cold, her name is Muori.

Among the assistants of the Finnish Santa Claus are numerous gnomes who work tirelessly making gifts for children.

Joulupukki lives with his wife and numerous retinue in Lapland (a geographical area beyond the Arctic Circle), on a mountain called. In Russian the name of the mountain is “Mountain-ears”. This is due to its shape; the mountain looks like a hare's ears. It is believed that it is because of this form that Joulupukki hears all the children who ask him for gifts.

Santa Claus Village in Finland is located near the small city of Rovaniemi. A small village called Joulupukki invites you to visit Finnish Santa Claus all year round. Fabulous Lapland is not only a place where you can see the northern lights, but also the permanent habitat of the real Santa Claus.


People no longer want to celebrate the New Year in tropical countries, but rather head to the snowy region to Santa’s homeland. Even teenagers who have not believed in Santa Claus for a long time will believe in the fairy tale again when they find themselves in Lapland. They'll want to write a letter to Finnish Santa Claus and enjoy the kaleidoscope of entertainment this magical place has to offer.

Even if the New Year's celebration is planned at one of the ski resorts in Finland, visiting Santa Claus is very simple and does not take much time. From any city you can buy a plane ticket and fly to Rovaniemi, and there any public transport will take you to the fairy-tale village in just 10 minutes.

How to get there


The address of Santa Claus in Lapland is the village of Joulupukki, which is located 8 kilometers from the Finnish town of Rovaniemi. It is located 1000 kilometers from the Russian border. From St. Petersburg, with a visa, you can get there by train, plane or bus in just a few hours. First you need to get to the capital of Finland, then to Rovaniemi, and from there there are buses every hour.

Rovaniemi has an airport and a railway station, so residents of St. Petersburg have the opportunity to buy tickets to Santa Claus Village directly. From the railway station in Rovaniemi you need to take bus number 8. If tourists decide to travel to Finland in their own vehicle, then enter the name of the village of Joulupukki into the navigator device and you will arrive exactly at Santa’s house.

Story


Everyone knows that the real birthplace of Santa Claus is Lapland. They say that it was this magical symbol of the New Year that created the famous Northern Lights. The first tourist to visit this place was Eleanor Roosevelt. In her honor, the Finns built a hut, which can still be seen today.

It is better to visit the village of Santa Claus in winter, but Santa Park and the elves work there in the summer. After all, there are many children on earth and everyone writes letters that need to be processed and delivered to their destination. Santa reads every letter without exception, even if it was sent by email.

Santa Claus's summer house is located in the same village as the winter office; it began operating in 1950. There, on the shelves, volumes of books are crowded, containing the scoundrels of the whole country and obedient children who receive gifts from Santa every year. Finnish Santa Claus is helped by fairy-tale elves. To get to this magical house, you will have to go through a clock mechanism.

On a note! In the village you can always go with a group, where the guide will talk about the history of this place, and buy memorable souvenirs. Be sure to write a letter from Lapland and send it to your family, the envelope will have the seal of the Arctic Circle.

Opening hours, ticket prices


Finnish Santa Claus receives guests all year round, but there are also days when it is not possible to enter the village. To plan a train, it is better to know the exact schedule of reception days:

  • From September to the end of November: from 10 am to 5 pm.
  • From January 7 to the end of May – from 10 am to 5 pm.
  • From June to the end of August - from 9 am to 6 pm.
  • From December 1 to January 6 – enhanced schedule from 9 am to 7 pm.

Children under three years old can see Finnish Santa Claus for free, adults will pay about $40, and children from three to 18 years old will pay $35. This price includes not only a meeting with Santa Claus, but also a visit to Santa Park.

Letter to Santa Claus


In the village of Joulupukki, not far from Santa's house, there is a post office, which is crowded at any time of the year. Here you can write and send a letter to anywhere in the world with an imprint of the Arctic Circle, and also leave a message to Santa Claus. Be sure to purchase unique cards with the wonderful landscapes of Lapland and the Northern Lights.

Santa Claus' assistants, fairy-tale elves, work at the post office; they will help you compose an interesting text. If the child is small and does not yet know how to write, the elves will write a letter for him in any language in the world. Each visitor will have the opportunity to have a photo session with all the village residents, warm up by the fireplace and watch the elves deliver mail bags to Santa.

The residence of Father Frost in Finland has an official website, where every inhabitant of the earth also has the opportunity to send a letter to Santa Claus electronically.

Write down the addresses of the resources and be sure to send the treasured message:

  • santaclausvillage.info;
  • santaclausholidayvillage.fi.

On a note! Sending one letter costs about $15. Remember, no matter what time of year the letter was written, if you put it in the red box, Santa Claus will read it on Christmas Eve.

Winter fun


Santa Park Rovaniemi is designed like a fairyland. It will be interesting for people of any age. There you can go on rides, visit an elf school, and take part in games and competitions. Each child can attend calligraphy writing classes and Mrs. Claus's bakery, which bakes fragrant Easter cakes. You can not only try delicious gingerbread cookies, but also take part in the process of their preparation.

There are many ski resorts near and on Rovaniemi. You can organize your holiday there and visit Santa Claus on one of the days of your stay on Finnish territory. If you forget your equipment at home while on vacation, it’s no problem, you can buy it in any Finnish store.

Despite the fact that the village is open all year round, experienced tourists advise coming there in winter. Snow-covered paths and New Year's lights perfectly highlight the eve of the New Year. Walking along snow-covered paths, you involuntarily begin to believe in magic. You can make snowmen and play hockey with your whole group.


The village of Joulupukki offers entertainment for all ages:

  • You can go ice skating on the frozen lake.
  • Ride on snowmobiles, reindeer or dog sleds.
  • Visit ice houses and even have a tea party there.
  • Try Finnish traditional dishes.
  • Go ice fishing or take a steam bath in a Finnish sauna.

On a note! Every visitor to this fabulous place should meet Santa Claus's reindeer. They live not far from the magical grandfather's house.

Shops and restaurants

Dress warmly if you visit Finland in winter and after seeing the local attractions, go shopping. In each you can buy New Year's souvenirs at competitive prices.


If children visited the elf workshop, they will be able to take all the handicrafts they made with them. Be sure to buy Christmas decorations, slide paintings of the Northern Lights and Finnish delicacies.