Vi kan spela fiolioliolej ♪

There has been a long time since my last update, I know, but suddenly 

it stopped to be necessary to write everything here, suddenly it started to be sth 

that a way or another, I know that I'll never forget. 

Suddenly a learnt a lot.

Many things had happened in this time, it's Christmas time in the Christmas Land. It's white, snow everywhere, Christmas lights, people singing, and everybody happy (yeah, every Finnish happy, this must be sth really special). Just like in the movies that we were used to look at, or the songs from the school. Finally I can sing Oh Blanca Navidad ♪ and it makes sense. I'm in a land where every old tradition that I thought extinct, they made; Christmas letters by post, baking ginger breads men, sing Christmas carols, dance with kids, dance with Santa, beautiful evening dinner, real Christmas tree, sleep early and so on...

So... lets start by sth.

• Saint Lucia's Day: Well, as u should know, I live in the Swedish area of Finland, so we celebrate some things that the rest of Finland don't take so much care. Sankta Lucia (how's called in swedish)  is a Christian tradition which is celebrated on December 13th. I don't really know who was Saint Lucia neither what did she do in her life, but I should think that sth with fire, because of the candles. 
  In almost every swedish-speaking town there is one different Lucia, who is chosen by elections, and about 6-10 light-girls, who are the ones that lose the elections. "Lucia and her crew" in the little towns are usually girls who're 15-16 years old; they go to many important places in the city, such as hospitals, municipalities, schools, nursing homes, etc to sing Lucia's song and usually one more song. After that also, on 13th evening is the big Lucia's Tradition in some big place in the town. Here it was in Lappfiädd, and there were many people singing, dancing, and playing with kids, besides Lucia's matter. 
  At the schools are also a Lucia celebration, but's not such a big thing, just for the schools.
  The Finland's Lucia is in Helsinki, and is almost the same procedure, but the should be more than 17 years old.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Christmas parties: We have the same back in Chile, and almost all the Christians countries I think, but the 'special thing' that they have is that they represent the Lucia always, and then they play this 'Christmas games-songs'  and everybody dance (well, just children, but... we can say that we have also a child-spirit) Ah! In the Swedish schools, only have this parties the kinder garden and the 'elementary' school (1st  to 6th grade), but in the Finnish system, the High school has also.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Christmas Cleaning: Yes, just as you read, clean (a lot) for Christmas. The Finnish culture is such a "cleanmaniac" one, and they are not going to waste an opportunity like this to clean. Is a tradition. (For me it was such a shock thing) Usually the Finnish Finnish clean everything (the lamps, the roof, the closets, the furniture, etc) and gratefully I'm in the Swedish area, who are a little, just a little, more relaxed, so... it wasn't THAT bad haha. Well, but returning to the point, the house must be clean for this big celebration that's happening on 24th eve, so since about December 18th the cleaning start, and it's over on Christmas morning.
  
  
  
  
• Christmas Cards: Take your 20th century-mind away and try to return to the years where the e-mail didn't exist and when you could waste many evenings just in make the best paper-Christmas card for almost everyone that you know, go to the post and send them by there (although it's your neighbor, always by post) Furthermore, as we have school time until almost Christmas day, is usually that you give Christmas presents for your classmates (such as more cards) or just for your friends, but you should give sth.
  
  
  
  
• 
  Christmas Food: Here you eat... a lot. If as Christmas food you think of turkey, potato puffs, salads, rice, wine, corn and so on, let me say that you are not in Finland. Here you'll eat fish, a lot of fish and many different... mashed-things. Carrot casserole, potatoes casserole, rutabaga casserole and liver casserole. That's the delicious Christmas food. Hopefully for me we cooked more things like salad fish and jam, so I could eat also. 
  
  
  
  

  Well, and all this 'Christmas time' you drink Musted Wine with almonds and dry grapes, Gingerbread and a lot, a lot of chocolate. There's another Christmas drink also, Julmust. I didn't like it neither.
  
  

  

  window n°16.

  
  
• Advent Calendars: An all-times classic, and with 2 little kids in the house, you could expect that we had advents calendars every everywhere. And in my town we had a real one. Every day was a new window in a new house which was decorated and opened (of course not really opened, otherwise they would die frozen) It was so nice :)
  
• Lights: The darkness of the 4 o'clock night is broken by a lot of beautiful lights in the trees, in the street and in the sky. As I live in a small town, "small things" like turn on the lights, or put a lot of lights in your house make to your neighbors a new place to visit. So, Kristinestad dresses for Christmas time.
  
  
  
  
  
• Dances: And in the last point the dances. I think that we don't have those back in Chile, or at least I don't remember myself dancing those when I was a child; but here, I did it. They have a lot, and with different moves and steps, although actually all are 'ring games'. My favorite is this:
  
  
  
  
  
  Obviously this is not from here, but u can imagine for once

So,this is how we prepare for the Christmas here,

Vi ses snart :)

God Jul, Hyvää Joula!