Joulu suomessa (Christmas in Finland)

I've spent the past week experiencing Christmas the Finnish way, which is to say, eating lots of food and visiting with Inari's family and friends. In that regard, Christmas here is the same as in the States. But there are many differences as well. For one, Finns seem to have many more traditional Christmas foods than Americans. Christmas tort, Christmas salad, Christmas beer, etc. My personal favorite is glögi, a spiced wine served hot with almonds and raisins (in the wine). What a nice drink for a cold, dark winter day! This year I also survived my first encounter with lipeäkala, aka lutefisk. I was a little disappointed to realize that lipeäkala is edible; that's not to say that it tastes good, but it's just not that bad, especially with an appropriate amount of white sauce.

One Finnish tradition that I really appreciate is "pikkujoulu" or literally, "little Christmas". A fuller translation would say that pikkujoulu is a small gathering (or party) held to thank friends for the good times that they've had over the past year. But it's not necessarily just one party; in one given year you might attend many different pikkujoulus and host a few yourself. During pikkujoulu, you, of course, serve traditional Christmas foods (snacks) and drinks, and maybe sing some Christmas songs.

Hyvää joulua ja onnelista uutta vuotta! (Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!)