Written in 1983 for Georgie Girl- St George Girls High School newspaper
The major festival of the year in Scandinavia is Christmas. It culminates on Christmas Eve rather than on Christmas Day, as in Australia.
My friends, Ismo and Tarja had invited me to spend Christmas 1983 with them in Lohja, Finland. Ismo was my penfriend with whom I had started corresponding in 1974.
Harold and I, left Sydney on a British Airways flight to London on December 16, 1983 and we arrived in London on December 17, 1983. December 17, 1983 was the day on which many people were killed in the Harrod’s bombing.
On Sunday, December 18 1983, I was able to attend the 10.30am service at Westminister Abbey and to visit in the afternoon, the Royal Academy Exhibition on Venice. On December 19, I confirmed European train bookings and to do all the things we visit London for and that is to shop….. to Dunhills, Scotch House , Austin Reed , Simpsons…..
I had put Harold on the train at Kings Cross Station for Wakefield, Yorkshire where he was to be met by family members. We reconnected again in London in late December for our visit to Paris to spend New Year Eve. Then we travelled north to Lille and Ypres for a few days. My father’s cousin had been killed in October 1917 at Passchendaele,Battle of the Somme and I wanted to locate his name on Menin Gate, Ypres and to visit the area. We achieved this on New Years Day 1984.
On Tuesday December 20 1983, at 9.30am I was on a British Airways flight BA 634 from London to Copenhagen . Upon my arrival at mid –day, I was able to take the SAS bus to my hotel, the Palace Hotel located in central Copenhagen. The city was decorated with coloured lights over the world’s longest shopping street, Strotget. I visited my favourite jeweller Georg Jensen, and bought a trendy pair of purple pants by Ivan Grundahl. Xmas trees were available for sale in the street, and the shops had a variety of decorations in their windows (the Scandinavian Santa Claus and a red heart appeared in all the shop windows).
On Wednesday December 21 1983, I took a 2.5 hour guided bus tour of Copenhagen visiting the Little Mermaid, the Carlsberg Brewery, Amelienborg Palace (to view the Changing of the Guard) and Grundtvig Church on the outskirts of Copenhagen. I visited Magasin, the largest Department store in Copenhagen to do some shopping.
Thursday,December 22 1983 I took a walk to the Nyhavyn area –a favourite haunt of tourists, and an area where Hans Christian Andersen lived as a young man . I saw the ferry to Malmo in Sweden . I had lunch in Illums,a major department store, and then visited the National Museum to see a Viking Exhibition . The Vikings were a wild lot!
Friday, December 23 1983 was to be my last day in Copenhagen. I took the opportunity to take the train to Hamlet’s Castle – Kronberg Castle at Elsinore ( Helingsfors in Danish ) . In the summer time, Shakespeares’ plays are held in the Castle courtyard. I visited the Karmelite Monastery with an American girl; then we had lunch and shopped where I bought a pair of boots.
Saturday December 24 1983 Christmas Eve,I left Copenhagen on board Finnair AY 862 at 12.40pm ; I was due to arrive in Helsinki , Finland at local time 3.30pm.Finnair planes are white with a sky blue cross on their tail –the blue represents the vast number of Finnish lakes, and the white represents the snow, which covers the countryside from November to March each year.
My friends were eagerly awaiting my arrival. I had last been in Finland on January 22 1975 for 7 days, and I too was excited about my return to Finland. We drove to Vahto from Helsinki, a 2 hour drive to Tarja’s parents home for a special dinner. Santa Claus was to arrive late that night, but before then, the festivities of Christmas Eve.
The Xmas season is very much a season for children. The “nisse” for instance, as he is called in Denmark is old and agile, not big but strong; a gruff grey beard, not without humour, of simple ways, unassuming and helpful where respected. Formerly he was a farm dweller, and a figure rarely seen in a person’s household-he became to belong especially to mid –winter. (yule in Danish, Jul means wheel-the solstice on a seasonal cycle).
There was Yule before there was Christmas or Christianity. At Christmas,the dead held their meetings, at Christmastide they are commemorated and receive an offering on their grave.
In Vahto, Finland we were able to eat our Christmas dinner, and then at midnight to visit the local cemetery to place candles on the graves of family members. The scene was eerie but beautiful; the air was strong with paraffin and it was -10degrees C.
The Christmas dinner included a wide variety of foods-baked ham , smoked ham , carrot casserole, potatoes- sweetened ,mashed and baked potato , beetroot, liver and rice which had been baked in the oven , country sausage, frankfurts, salted herring, potato and onion salad, meat balls , fish roe, salmon followed by cheese and biscuits, gingerbread , cookies, dark custard cake and a cream cake. A traditional dish which we did not have was rice porridge with fruit soup and a dried white fish with white sauce. On this occasion we did not drink glogg-a hot punch with red wine, spices and almonds. We drank home -made beer and Finnish whisky.
Santa Claus knocked on the door at 8.30pm and came inside with his sack of gifts. We all had on our red hats,wth a bell at the end of them, a customary thing. Santa left me a lovely coffee table cover, some Finnish sweets, 2 candle holders from Nuutajarri , a Finnish glass company . Tommi, aged 3.5 years of age ,enjoyed receiving his gifts . One was a pine rocking chair, and a jumper with a koala on it from Australia (this was made by my mother) amongst many others.
We could have sung Christmas carols to Santa and offered him food, and danced around the Christmas tree. Instead, he chose to leave with his empty sack and walking stick after we thanked him. I kissed this northern Santa”goodbye.” (Santa is called Jultomten in Sweden and is Joulupukki in Finland. Finland is a dual language country, so many things are written in the 2 languages.)
After the visit to the cemetery at midnight, we returned to Raisio to Ismo’s parents home,where we were to spend the next 4 nights. On Christmas Day, it was an early departure at 6.30am to the local village church for a 7am service. The wooden Lutheran Church was quickly filled with people. It did snow later on Christmas Day – a true white Christmas.
The Finns take advantage of Christmas Day to visit their relatives and friends. We were able to visit Ismo’s brother, Ingmar, his wife Pirjo and children Antero and Assis. Ingmar had extensively used natural pine timber in his home.Finland is the land of pine trees, and is noted for its high standard in both building and furniture.
On December 26 1983, I was driven to Rauma,one hour from Raisio , to visit Ismos’s sister Jakko and her family – her husband Inja and children Sami and Kimmo. We drove nearby to Kivirartu,to go ice fishing on the frozen lake. The family had a holiday house on the edge of the lake and it is well used by family members. Some brave family members take a traditional sauna and then dive into the cold lake . Not me for,I would rather have a sauna in Ismo and Tarja’s home!
The next day, December 27 1983 I was driven to Turku –Abo, a large Finnish city located 15minutes from Riasio. I was able to visit a Marimekko dress shop to buy some dresses, to buy an oversized coffee mug from Lapland, coffee table runners, and a Pentik stress ball. This is made of hard, Finnish birch which you can use to relax muscles.
My hair was cut in Riasio by a hairdresser, who spoke no English . By the end of the appointment I had a Scandinavian style haircut…..
Finnish life is dictated by the weather. It may snow from November until early April / May and in some cases maybe to June. Finns must by law have special studded tyres attached to their cars for the winter months. They must also by law drive with their headlights in during the day. The cars have to be well maintained mechanically to ensure that they start in such poor weather conditions. Adults and children wear a plastic reflector on their clothes so that they can be seen if walking on the roadside or are cycling.
December 29 1983 sadly was my last day in Finland. I was driven from Lohja to Lahyent-Helsinki Lento Airport ,for my Scandinavian Airways flight SAS 713 at 4.20pm for Copenhagen,which then connected with my British Airways Flight BA639 to London. At the Airport I said my farewells to Tarja and Tommi ; I had said goodbye to Ismo in the morning before he left for work . I promised Ismo and Tarja that I would return,but next time in the summer months.
July 14 2014
POSTSCRIPT : I remain in contact with Ismo and Tarja today – our international friendship has lasted 40 years. I have not returned to Finland as yet, but will do so in the years ahead. Ismo and Tarja have visited Australia for a holiday , and Ismo has returned at least once on a business trip.
