Episode 84

Under the Christmas Tree with Mastering Finland Team
21.12.2022

The team behind the podcast all get in front of the microphones in this year’s festive edition of Mastering Finland. Discussing all things Christmas Petra invites Eva, Matt, Iliana and Matty to share their experiences, thoughts and ideas that contrast festivities in Finland with international traditions.

Opening with discussing traditions from when does Christmas actually start in Finland, Europe, the UK and the US. Comparing the Finnish timing precision of festive activities such as gift sharing and breakfast, and mandatory Tv viewing, compared to the only fixed time in the UK being the Queen’s speech at 3pm. In which countries can you hire a Santa Claus (Joulupukki) to visit your house and why does the Finnish president shake hands for 3 hours every December.

The topic of conversation moves quickly on to food whether it’s Finnish rice pudding, porridge, ginger bread, different types of meat through to the mysterious green jellies then everyone seems to love. Pretty soon we guarantee you will be licking your lips and feeling hungry just by listening to this special edition of Mastering Finland.

Whilst the tradition of singing Christmas carols might not be as strong as it was, Petra leads a conversation about favourite Finnish Christmas songs and you may hear a few words being sung before finding out why no one wants to hear Wham’s classic “Last Christmas” but sooner or later everybody does.

Lastly, whether it is the real Santa Claus, a hired one or an imaginary one, we talk about what makes the best gifts from Finland.  Will it be Fazer chocolate, Marimekko fabrics, the amazing Moomin mugs from Arabia or something else? You’ll have to listen in to find out.

From everyone at the Mastering Finland Podcast team – we wish you a very happy Christmas and great new year!

For Christmas ideas 🎁 check our FB post.

And in case you think you want to crack the Finnish spoken language or learn more about the Finns with Varpu, go ahead and check her material. By buying a course with Her Finland via our link you support our volunteering effors. Thanks!