What Is A Traditional Finnish Christmas Dinner?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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The main meal includes different casseroles,

rutabaga casserole

, liver casserole, sweet-flavored potato casserole, and carrot casserole. It includes the Christmas ham and the rosolli salad (beetroot salad).

What are the Christmas traditions in Finland?

In Finland, Christmas Eve is the main event of the holidays, and the night Santa comes with his presents. It is spent with the family, decorating the tree, drinking “glögi” (mulled wine) and doing the quintessential Finnish thing,

bathing in a Christmas sauna

.

What do they eat on Christmas in Finland?

  • Baked ham (Kinkku) Photo: Visit Finland. …
  • Rutabaga casserole (Lanttulaatikko) Photo: Visit Finland. …
  • Christmas pastries (Joulutorttu) Photo: Jaana Rantala/Visit Finland. …
  • Rice porridge (Riisipuuro) Photo: Päivi Niemi/Visit Finland. …
  • Gingerbread cookies (Piparkakut) Photo: Taru Rantala/Visit Finland.

What is traditionally eaten for Christmas dinner?

Traditional Christmas dinner features

turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, and vegetables

. Other types of poultry, roast beef, or ham are also used.

What do the Finns have to eat on Christmas morning?

Perhaps the three most essential dishes on Finnish Christmas table are

oven-baked ham

, rutabaga casserole and mixed beetroot salad.

How does Finland say Merry Christmas?

In Finnish Happy/Merry Christmas is ‘

Hyvää joulua

‘. In North-Sami, spoken in northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia, it's ‘Buorit Juovllat'. Happy/Merry Christmas in lots more languages.

What food is popular in Finland?

  • Bread cheese or Finnish squeaky cheese.
  • Classic Finnish rye bread.
  • Creamy salmon soup.
  • Karelian pasties/pies.
  • Sautéed reindeer.
  • Blood dumpling soup.
  • Salty liquorice.

How long does Christmas last in Finland?

In the Finnish tradition, the Christmas period has usually been considered to start

on Tuomas's nameday on December 21 and to continue until St. Knut's Day on January 13.

What are some traditions in Finland?


Gifts are given on Christmas Eve

, and people eat on Christmas day which is followed by sauna. The Finnish Easter is a blend of Pagan and Christian customs. The children usually dress up and go around giving Daffodils door to door and getting sweets in return on the Holy Saturday or Palm Sunday.

What is Father Christmas called in Finland?

The name

joulupukki

literally means “Christmas goat” or “Yule Goat” in Finnish; the word pukki comes from the Teutonic root bock, which is a cognate of the English “buck”, and means “billy-goat”. An old Scandinavian custom, the figure is now being eventually conflated with Santa Claus.

What is the most popular food at Christmas?

The Most Popular Christmas Dishes

The #1 pick is

roast potatoes

, with a win percentage of 76%. Mashed potatoes came in second (75%), and turkey was third (73%)—the only protein in the top five.

What time should you eat Christmas dinner?

Dinner time? Confusingly, Christmas dinner is a late lunch, served

between 2pm and 3pm

. Go into early evening and guests will be too hangry or drunk to appreciate it.

What is the porridge eaten by many Finland residents for the traditional Christmas morning?

In Finland,

riisipuuro

is a very traditional Christmas breakfast item. Riisipuuro is a porridge made by cooking rice in milk and seasoned with cinnamon. It is usually served with a pat of butter and splash of milk. The tradition with this dish is to place a single almond in the pot before serving.

How did Santa become Finnish?

When Markus Rautio, a Finnish radio broadcaster known as “Uncle Marcus,” reportedly declared on-air

in 1927

that Santa's workshop had been discovered in Lapland's Korvatunturi, or “Ear Fell,” the notion of that Santa Claus lived in Finland became part of the public consciousness, at least in Finland.

What are 3 interesting facts about Finland?

  • The Longest Palindromic Word Comes From the Finnish Language.
  • Finland Is the Only Home of the Endangered Saimaa Ringed Seal. …
  • The Wife-Carrying Race Originated in Finland. …
  • The Finns Absolutely Love to Drink Milk. …
  • There Are More Than 3 Million Saunas In Finland. …

Who is the gift giver in Finland?

Santa Claus may also be called Joulupukki, which means Christmas Goat. In old Finland tradition, there was a Yule Goat who would ask for presents, rather than give them. Eventually

the goat

became the gift giver, and Santa usurped this role, but the name Christmas Goat remained.

Maria Kunar
Author
Maria Kunar
Maria is a cultural enthusiast and expert on holiday traditions. With a focus on the cultural significance of celebrations, Maria has written several blogs on the history of holidays and has been featured in various cultural publications. Maria's knowledge of traditions will help you appreciate the meaning behind celebrations.