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| Figure 1: A man dressed as the Finnish version of Santa Clause, the Joulupukki (Source: BBC) |
If you peruse the blog you may happen upon a post about St. Nicholas, which details the German traditions and celebrations associated with this holiday. Many readers have associated this individual with the modern conceptions of Santa Clause, but this is just one of the many traditions and customs that has contributed to our modern understanding of Santa Clause, which is derived from various European cultures. This cultural sharing has not been one way, though. These modern conceptions of American/Western Santa Clause have also influenced European cultural traditions, including leading to the creation of a new tradition: Joulupukki (Figure 1). Today’s blog post will discuss what the Joulupukki is, how it came to be, and how its creation has influenced and changed Finnish culture.
Joulupukki is Finnish, and it literally translate to “Yule Goat”. Joulupukki represents a modern Finnish version of Santa Clause in that it is a man who dresses in flowing red robes, rides a sleigh driven by reindeer. He exists in a remote area of Finland known as Korvatunturi, which translates into “Ear Fell”. This is a region of Finland where only Joulupukki can hear everything, thereby knowing which children have been naughty and which have been nice. At Christmas time he goes door to door ringing his loud bell, asking to be invited into the home to provide gifts to those children who made the nice list.
The belief in Joulupukki is so strong that Finns claim that they were the ones who invented the modern Santa Clause. This idea does have some credence since the popular icon of Santa Clause was created by Finnish American artist Haddon Sundblom in the 1930s. Unfortunately for Finns Santa Clause actual predates the conception of the Joulupukki, and the Joulupukki was actually the Finns answer to conflicting cultural traditions and beliefs.
The Joulupukki was created out of a need to rectify and rationalize competing pagan and Christian beliefs. Prior to the adoption and conversion to Christianity Finns, along with many across Europe, celebrated Yule or various other Midwinter rituals and celebrations. For Finns a goat predominated the season. It is unclear why it was a goat, but it is believed to be tied to the pagan god Thor, who rode a chariot driven by goats. Goats remain an important icon of the holiday season as large wicker goats act as holiday décor. This may also be how and why Joulupukki, which means “Yule Goat,” got its name.
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| Figure 2: Man dressed as the nuuttipukki (Source: Harris 1) |
The specific pagan holiday that is most closely associated with being the origination point for the Joulupukki was celebrated on January 13, and it still is as part of St. Knut’s Day. Traditionally, young men would don goat like costumes wherein they would wear furs, leather, deer antlers, and straw/hay, thereby taking on the role of nuuttipukki (Figure 2). They would then go door to door demanding left over food and drink from the previous mid-winter or Yule celebrations. Those patrons who would not given in to these demands risked having all sorts of misfortunes happening to them, including but not limited to disgruntled animals, harassment of the household, and/or loss of crops or food. This misfortune is actually believed to be tied to the mischievous nature of the roaming bands of young men playing the role of nuuttipukki. They would demand alcoholic beverages above all else, and as the night went on they would get drunker, and if their demands for food and drink were not met the likelihood of them acting out increased. More often than not households would hand over any available food and drink to avoid the havoc the nuuttipukki would cause otherwise.
Today the nuuttipukki tradition continues to be celebrated on St. Knut’s Day, albeit in a far altered and tamer way. Young children now don less scary nuuttipukki costumes and they go door to door asking for sweet treats. The holiday is far more similar to Halloween than what it originally represented, but it continues to be celebrated as a means of closing out the holiday season and paying homage to Finnish pagan roots, which continue to influence their culture traditions and beliefs.
Works Cited
Harris, Kathleen. "How Joulupukki, the Finnish Santa, went from naughty to nice." 22 December 2015. Ink Tank. Electronic. 14 November 2023.
No Author. "St Knut’s Day in Finland: the Nuuttipukki." 20 January 2023. All Things Nordic. Electronic. 14 November 2023.
Sirén, Ilkka. "Does Santa Claus come from Finland?" BBC 23 December 2017. Electronic.
10 comments:
I’m happy to see the discussion of pagan holidays within this blog post. As a pagan myself I of course follow along with our holidays. Seeing the representation of a community, craft, and spiritual experience is heartwarming. I’m happy the discussion of Yule and the history of the nuuttipukkiwas presented. - Kennedi W.
Oh, that's really interesting! I had no idea about the Finnish tradition of Joulupukki. It's fascinating how different cultures have their own versions of Santa Claus and how they've influenced and changed over time. I love learning about these cultural traditions and how they bring joy and excitement during the holiday season.
I think that it is very interesting that many different cultures have different morals or rules, but share similar holiday celebrations. I would be very interested to learn more about the other Finnish holidays and traditions to see if they continue to share similarities to ours.
Finding out about the Finnish Joulupukki custom and its historical importance as a forerunner to the current Santa Claus is intriguing. This post emphasizes how folklore and a rich cultural past have influenced holiday traditions all throughout the world. The reference to Joulupukki as a synthesis of Christian and pagan customs emphasizes how cultural practices change throughout time. It's intriguing to observe how unusual holiday traditions like Joulupukki have developed from older practices that have merged with more recent religious influences.
I have no idea that Santa Claus had a origin story let alone being a Finnish tradition of Joulupukki, which translates to “Yule Goat” and represents a modern Finnish version of Santa Claus.
-Ahmesha Johnson
It was fascinating to read about the Joulupukki. The Finnish version of Santa Claus is similar to ours but different at the same time. The Finnish version listens to kids who are being naughty or nice, whereas our version tells us that he is watching us to see if we are being naughty or nice. While both versions bring gifts for the kids, they are different in how they bring them. The Finnish Santa Claus will ring his bell, going door to door, asking to come into the house to bring gifts for the kids, whereas our Santa Claus comes down the chimney, putting our gifts under the tree as we sleep.
-Kaitlyn Wilbers
I always find it interesting when it comes to the history of modern holidays steaming from pagan roots. Christmas in particular is interesting to me due to how each country portrays Santa Clause in different ways and how many pagan beliefs carried over were Norse in origin such as Nuuttipukki and Krampus.
This is a very interesting blog. Joulupukki, the Finnish version of Santa Claus, and its origins rooted in both pagan and Christian traditions. The word Joulupukki means "Yule Goat" and this is a man in red robes who rides a sleigh being pulled by reindeer and visits homes rewarding well-behaved children. This concept emerged from the need to reconcile during cultural beliefs during Findland's transition to Christianity. One significant tradition related to this is when young men in goat-like costumes would go door-to-door demanding for drinks and leftover food, this lead them to trouble. In today's society, this tradition has evolved to a milder version where children ask for treats, resembling Halloween celebrations.
- Jaden B.
I gained a new perspective on the Finnish “Joulupukki” after reading this article; I find it very interesting that Joulupukki is a form of Santa Claus, and the Finnish cultural background and history behind it. I was particularly surprised to learn that Jöurpucki is not just an imitation of Santa Claus, but is the result of a fusion of different cultures and beliefs.
It is also interesting to note that the name Joulupukki comes from “Yule Goat” and is rooted in Finnish traditions, originally based on the goat motif. The fact that ancient pagan festivals and beliefs have survived to the present day, despite the influence of Christianity, is a reminder of the flexibility and adaptability of culture.
I was also surprised to learn that the nuuttipukki tradition was once a radical custom in which young people dressed up like goats and demanded food and drink. Today, this tradition has been transformed into something similar to Halloween, a peaceful event where children receive sweets, which is another sign of cultural change.
I was impressed by the fact that this unique Finnish tradition was born out of the intersection of paganism and Christianity and has been handed down to the present day.
Mauriah Taylor:
This is such an cool take on the holiday traditions especially because Christmas is my favorite holiday of all time and we are getting closer to that time of year! I didn't know that in Finland, Joulupukki was connected with both pagan and Christian beliefs. It's cool to observe how Santa's idea has changed over time and how many cultures have impacted one another. The whole story takes a funny turn when you consider that Finns believe they invented Santa! I love how the nuuttipukki tradition has evolved into a more kid-friendly form after being wild. It shows how traditions can change while keeping a connection to the past.
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