Guests who spend December with us in Rovaniemi often notice that Finnish Christmas runs on a slightly different clock. The big day is not the 25th but Christmas Eve, and the rituals are quieter than many expect: a morning bowl of porridge, a warm sauna, a proclamation read from a balcony in Turku, and candles glowing in snowy cemeteries at dusk.
Below we explain the best-known Finnish Christmas traditions, using facts from Finnish institutions — the Finnish Heritage Agency’s inventory of living heritage, the University of Turku, Visit Finland, thisisFINLAND and UNESCO — and then show where these customs appear in what we do at StayLapland.
In short: in Finland the main celebration is on Christmas Eve, 24 December. The day traditionally starts with rice porridge, the Christmas peace is declared in Turku at noon, many families go to the sauna and visit cemeteries with candles in the afternoon, and Christmas dinner — often with oven-baked ham, casseroles and glögi — follows in the evening, when Santa (Joulupukki) may knock on the door.
At a glance
- From: 699 €
- Experience type: Christmas package
- Included: Decorated Christmas tree; LED candles; Festive textiles and details; Glögi bar supplies; Red wine; Finnish Christmas Snacks
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Christmas package for your accommodation
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Christmas Eve is the main event
thisisFINLAND, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ Finland portal, notes that in the Nordic countries the most important Christmas celebration takes place on Christmas Eve. Visit Finland describes Christmas Eve as the main event of the holidays and the night Santa brings gifts for children.
The build-up is long and dark-season cosy. thisisFINLAND points out that Independence Day on 6 December falls within the Christmas season, and that Santa Lucia’s Day on 13 December is celebrated with a singing procession led by a girl or woman dressed in white and wearing a crown of candles. By Christmas Eve at the latest, the Christmas tree is brought home — a custom that, according to the same source, began among wealthy families in the 1820s and had been widely adopted by the 1870s.
The declaration of Christmas peace in Turku
At noon on Christmas Eve, much of Finland pauses for the declaration of Christmas peace in Turku, the country’s oldest city. According to the University of Turku, the declaration has continued almost uninterrupted since the 1300s, has been read from the balcony of the Brinkkala building since 1886, and has kept its current form since 1903. It is read in both Finnish and Swedish.
The Finnish Heritage Agency’s inventory of living heritage, where the declaration is listed, adds that it has been broadcast on radio since 1935 and televised live since 1983, and that it warns that anyone who breaks the peace of Christmas by illegal or improper behaviour will be guilty under aggravating circumstances — although the declaration has had no legal significance since 1889. Listening on the radio or watching on television is, as the University of Turku puts it, a nationwide custom. For many families it is the moment Christmas officially begins.
The Christmas sauna
Sauna is part of ordinary Finnish life, and Christmas is no exception. Visit Finland lists the Christmas sauna among Christmas Eve traditions: a warm sauna that relaxes body and soul before the evening meal.
The wider tradition is recognised internationally. UNESCO inscribed Sauna culture in Finland on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2020, describing it as an integral part of the lives of the majority of the Finnish population and noting that there are 3.3 million saunas in a country of 5.5 million inhabitants. At its heart is löyly — the steam released when water is thrown onto the heated stones.
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Private Santa’s Surprise visit
15 minutes · Very easy · Cutoff: 1 day before start time
Book Early the Activities for Winter 2026–2027 – Save 10% with code EARLY27 01.11.2026–31.03.2027 (Excludes husky & reindeer tours)
Rice porridge, ham and the Christmas table
Visit Finland describes rice pudding — the Finnish Christmas porridge — as the traditional Christmas Eve breakfast. The evening meal is the larger affair. According to Visit Finland, pork roast is the main dish in most households, oven-baked ham served with mustard is an absolute must, and the table also carries fish, salads and oven-baked root dishes such as the popular rutabaga casserole. thisisFINLAND lists Christmas casseroles, Christmas bread, pastries, cookies, ham and porridge among the traditional fare.
To drink there is glögi. Visit Finland explains that it is the favoured hot drink at Christmas, usually made of red wine or red fruit juice mixed with spices such as cardamom and cinnamon, and served with raisins and almonds. Decorating gingerbread — often hung from the branch of a spruce — is, in Visit Finland’s words, one of the most cherished tasks of Christmastime.
Candles in the cemetery on Christmas Eve
One of the most moving sights of a Finnish Christmas is a cemetery full of small lights. The Finnish Heritage Agency’s inventory describes how, on Christmas Eve afternoon and typically before Christmas dinner, families dress warmly, take candles and decorations and go to the cemetery to place them by each grave and take a quiet moment to remember.
The same source dates the earliest documented occurrence to Helsinki’s Old Cemetery in 1921 and notes that lighting candles on graves became much more common after the wars. Members of the Finnish Defence Forces stand as guards of honour at war graves, and thousands of candles light Finnish cemeteries on Christmas Eve. If you see this during a December stay, it is a family tradition rather than a tourist event — enjoy it quietly and respectfully.
When Joulupukki knocks on the door
In Finland, Santa Claus — Joulupukki — traditionally visits homes on Christmas Eve. thisisFINLAND describes him arriving and asking whether there are any well-behaved children in the house, and Visit Finland notes that Christmas Eve is the night Santa brings gifts for children. For a Finnish child, that knock on the door is the high point of the whole season.
Rovaniemi, on the Arctic Circle, is where many visitors come to meet Santa in person. We explain our own Santa experiences in Meet Santa Claus in Rovaniemi with StayLapland, and every option is listed on our Santa Claus activities page.
How this shows up at StayLapland
We cannot bring the Turku balcony to Lapland, but several of these customs are woven into what we offer in December.
- A Finnish Christmas in your room. Our Santa’s Christmas Package (from 699 €) brings the warmth of a traditional Finnish Christmas into your accommodation: a decorated Christmas tree, LED candles, festive textiles and details, glögi bar supplies, red wine and Finnish Christmas snacks. Please confirm with us when booking which of our accommodations it can be set up in.
- Santa at the door. The Private Santa’s Surprise visit (from 199 €, 15 minutes) is the closest thing to the Finnish Christmas Eve knock: Santa comes to your hotel room, hands over gifts you have left with him in advance, shares greetings and reads a short Christmas story or poem. It is available to guests staying at the Postmaster Hotel or Aurora Hill Resort.
- Santa’s hide-out. On the Magical Private Santa Visit (from 249 €, 1.5 hours) a Santa’s Elf accompanies your family from pick-up to a 30-minute private meeting with Santa, with warm berry juice, cookies and a gift for each child.
- The Christmas sauna. Our sauna activities include a private wooden heated sauna with ice swimming in winter.
Frequently asked questions
When do Finns celebrate Christmas?
The main celebration is on Christmas Eve, 24 December. Visit Finland calls it the main event of the holidays and the night Santa brings gifts for children.
What is the declaration of Christmas peace?
A proclamation read at noon on Christmas Eve from the balcony of the Brinkkala building in Turku. According to the University of Turku the tradition dates back to the 1300s, and it is read in Finnish and Swedish and broadcast nationwide.
Do Finns really go to the sauna at Christmas?
Yes. Visit Finland lists the Christmas sauna among Christmas Eve traditions, and UNESCO recognised sauna culture in Finland as intangible cultural heritage in 2020.
What do Finns eat at Christmas?
Rice porridge for breakfast on Christmas Eve, and in the evening typically oven-baked ham, pork roast, fish, salads and casseroles such as rutabaga casserole, with glögi to drink, according to Visit Finland.
Why are there candles in Finnish cemeteries on Christmas Eve?
Families visit graves on Christmas Eve afternoon to light candles and remember their loved ones. The Finnish Heritage Agency’s inventory dates the earliest documented case to 1921 in Helsinki.
What is included in StayLapland’s Santa’s Christmas Package?
A decorated Christmas tree, LED candles, festive textiles and details, glögi bar supplies, red wine and Finnish Christmas snacks, from 699 €.
Ready to book?
StayLapland · From 699 €
Christmas package for your accommodation
Book Early the Activities for Winter 2026–2027 – Save 10% with code EARLY27 01.11.2026–31.03.2027 (Excludes husky & reindeer tours)
Questions about Christmas with us? Email booking@staylapland.com or WhatsApp +358 40 128 7846.
You may also like
- Private Santa’s Surprise visit — from 199 €, 15 minutes
- Magical Private Santa Visit — from 249 €, 1,5 hours
- Santa Claus Village Tour — from 169 €, 5 hours
Sources
- thisisFINLAND: Even the modern Christmas season is a time of tradition in Finland
- Visit Finland: Experience Christmas in Finland
- University of Turku: Finnish Christmas celebrations – Declaration of Christmas Peace
- Finnish Heritage Agency, Living Heritage wiki: The Declaration of Christmas Peace in Turku
- Finnish Heritage Agency, Living Heritage wiki: Visiting cemeteries on Christmas Eve
- UNESCO: Sauna culture in Finland