Good evening, dear viewer. Welcome to a beautiful decorated Helsinki Centre.
The time is 19.30 on a Saturday evening with a light snowfall at -1°c.
The festive season has arrived, the best time of the year!
We are currently walking the Esplanadi Park, the Christmas lights are so beautiful here.
We’ll also explore the Christmas street (Aleksanterinkatu) and the cozy Christmas Market.
This year the Christmas Market was re-located to the Market Square. Usually it’s located on the Senate Square.

The Christmas Market runs from 27 November to 22 December and has free entry.
Enjoy a warm cup of Glögi together with many delicious sorts of food.
The perfect place to spend with your loved ones and buy traditional Finnish souvenirs.
Handmade jewellery, natural cosmetics as well woolly socks, hats and other warm cosy items are on offer.

For centuries, candles have been used to light up the dark winter months.
The American tradition of hanging up Christmas lights arrived in Finland in the 1990s.
Already in the 1850s local merchants created attractive displays in their stores during the Christmas season.
The most famous Christmas window display in Helsinki is that of Stockmann’s, which has traditionally been unveiled since 1949.

Christmas trees were first introduced in the 1820s. Initially the trees were small and had few decorations but over the years they have grown in size.
Vendors selling Christmas trees appear in December, all across the land.
Many families have a tradition of selecting their Christmas tree and carrying it home.
Christmas Eve is a very peaceful celebration that is usually spent at home among family.
A hot sauna, traditional Christmas meal and the highlight of the evening is a visit by Santa Claus.
Many families will also visit the cemetery and attend church on Christmas Eve.

A white Christmas. Unfortunately, Southern Finland does not always get snow for Christmas.
Each year there is still much speculation as to whether Christmas will be dark or white.
The quiet family-oriented celebrations traditionally end on Boxing Day. In the countryside the day after Christmas was usually spent enjoying sleighrides and visiting friends.

Thank you for keeping me company.
If you haven’t yet and you want to, you can subscribe to the channel to find out more about Finland’s known and less known places.
I hope to see you in the next scene. Stay positive, be strong and most of all, take care of yourself.