Something Old, Something Borrowed, Something New: Joulupukki, the Finnish Santa Clause

 

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.

 

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.

 

 

 

Spotlight on Students: Primate Conservation

The following is a guest post featuring the work of a student enrolled in SA 202: Introduction to Anthropology.  This exceptional work highlights the importance of primate conservation.  I hope you find this piece informative and are inspired to make a positive change in the world that will help this and other endangered primates.

 

Parent golden lion tamarin carrying its baby (Source: Shutterstock)

 

By: Kaitlyn Wilbers

 

Primates play a critical role in our ecosystem and our environment. While we may not all see or know it, they are helping humans out tremendously. Due to humans and natural disasters, many species of primates are going extinct. If humans do not find a way to help stop the extinction of these primates, it will significantly affect human lives. Humans use primates way more than many realize, and while not all primates may seem significant, they all play a specific role in our ecosystem, such as the golden lion tamarin.

 

The golden lion tamarin is one of the smallest primates; it is about the size of a squirrel. They have small hands and feet, long canine teeth, and short incisors (“Golden Lion Tamarin,” Smithsonian’s National Zoo 1). They have long, bright orange fur, a long tail, and a mane that frames their face much like a lion's. The golden lion tamarin is native to the Atlantic coastal regions of southeastern Brazil (“Golden Lion Tamarin,” Zoo Atlanta 5). Their habitats are typically in humid rainforests in trees. They can live up to 100 feet off the ground. The golden lion tamarins use vines to move from tree to tree. These vines are also an excellent food source for the primate because they attract many insects and amphibians. The golden lion tamarin is an omnivore. They consume fruits, insects, invertebrates, vertebrates, and some eggs. Due to their ability to go up high in trees, they can easily collect fruit from the tree and eggs from

nests (“Golden Lion Tamarins,” Smithsonian’s National Zoo 2 ).

 

The human factors that led to the endangerment of the golden lion tamarin are the pet trade and habitat loss. Habitat loss plays a vital role in the endangerment of the golden lion tamarin. This species of primate is losing its habitat due to agriculture. Their habitats are being destroyed to produce and plant sugar cane and coffee and to clear the land for grazing cattle. Logging and construction projects, such as businesses and homes, are additional contributing factors to habitat loss (“Golden Lion Tamarins,” Smithsonian’s National Zoo 1). These primates are also taken from their habitats and sold to people as pets (“Golden Lion Tamarins,” Smithsonian’s National Zoo 1).  We can help prevent the extinction of the golden lion tamarin through. We are also helping the population of this primate species by having a breeding program in place for these primates to help regrow the population (“Golden Lion Tamarin,” Smithsonian National Zoo 2). Once the offspring are born and ready to be weaned, they will be released into the wild to help regenerate the golden lion tamarin population.

 

Protecting the golden lion tamarin from extinction is essential because they play a vital role in regenerating new trees, bushes, and vegetation for the rainforest for many other species of animals (“Conservation of the golden-headed lion tamarin in a changing climate” 2). They help by dispersing seeds they consume from eating various types of food, and by defecating throughout the forest, they replant the seeds that produce food for other species to eat. This also makes habitats for many different insects and species in the rainforest. It is essential to save not only the golden lion tamarin from extinction but all primates from extinction because they help our rainforests. Primates help regenerate our rainforests because, due to their size and how far they can travel, they can disperse numerous amounts of seeds throughout different parts of the rainforest to help regenerate and grow trees, bushes, or other types of vegetation throughout the forest for not only them but other species as well. If we did not have primates to disperse these seeds, it would significantly affect the human population and other species populations in those given ecosystems (Estrada et al. 12). Primates have also been used for

scientific research to help find cures or further understand many medical conditions (e.g., respiratory diseases, mental health disorders, communication disorders, brain function, and more) (Estrada et al. 12).

 

Without the help of primates, humans would not be where they are today. While we may not use all primate species in scientific or medical research to help find better understandings of diseases in humans, they all play an essential role many people are not aware of. While we do not use this type of primate species in scientific or medical research, it plays a vital role in our ecosystem, much like other species of primates. To help regenerate vegetation and maintain other species. This is why we, as humans, must help stop the endangerment and extinction of primates.

 

Works Cited

 

Conservation of the golden-headed lion tamarin in a changing climate. (n.d.).

https://stories.ecmwf.int/conservation-of-the-golden-headed-lion-tamarin-in-a-changi

ng-cli mate/index.html. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.

 

Estrada, A., Garber, P. A., Rylands, A. B., Roos, C., Fernandez-Duque, E., Di Fiore, A.,

Nekaris, K. A.-I., Nijman, V., Heymann, E. W., Lambert, J. E., Rovero, F., Barelli, C.,

Setchell, J. M., Gillespie, T. R., Mittermeier, R. A., Arregoitia, L. V., de Guinea, M.,

Gouveia, S., Dobrovolski, R., … Li, B. (2017, January 18). Impending extinction crisis

of the world’s primates: Why primates matter. Science advances.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5242557/#:~:text=They%20are%20ou

r%2 0closest%20living,driving%20primate%20species%20to%20extinction. Accessed

4 Oct. 2023.

 

Golden Lion Tamarin. Smithsonian’s National Zoo. (2020, August 18).

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/golden-lion-tamarin#:~:text=They%20have%20narr

ow%20hands%20and,(32%20to%2040%20centimeters). Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.

 

Golden Lion Tamarin. Zoo Atlanta. (2020, April 17).

https://zooatlanta.org/animal/golden-lion-tamarin/. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.

 

Spotlight on Students: Primate Conservation

The following is a guest post featuring the work of a student enrolled in SA 202: Introduction to Anthropology.  This exceptional work highlights the importance of primate conservation.  I hope you find this piece informative and are inspired to make a positive change in the world that will help this and other endangered primates.

Hairy-eared dwarf lemur (Duke Lemur Institute)

By: Nichole Voegeli

According to an advanced search of the IUCN Red list website, there are 145 primate species on the Red List of endangered primates. Species on this list have either a 50% - 70% decrease in their population over ten years (or three generations, whichever is appropriate), the population size has about 250 (or fewer) mature individuals, or they have an extinction probability of 20% within 20 years (Dinsmore 668). One primate species on this endangered list is the Hairy-eared Dwarf Lemur (Allocebus trichotis). They get their name from the “long tufts of hair that grow on the front of their short ears” (DiCesare). They have brownish-gray fur on their backs, whitish-gray fur on the front of their bodies, and reddish-brown tails. Their pink hands and feet have long fingers that have been adapted to grip onto tree branches. Their big dark eyes allows them to see well at night. (DiCesare). Their diet consists of nectar, young leaves, fruit, gums, honey, and insects (DiCesare). They are nocturnal tree dwellers that are active at night and sleep during the day. From May to September, they enter a pseudo-hibernation state by transitioning into torpor, which is a sleep-like state that decreases their body temperature and metabolic rate, to help them store energy when food is scarce (DiCesare). These lemurs were considered extinct for more than twenty years before 1989. In 1989, they were removed from the extinction list when they were found near the Mananara River in Northeast Madagascar (DiCesare). Today, they can only be found in Madagascar’s National Parks and Special Reserves that contain lowland forests (DiCesare). The following essay will cover the factors causing endangerment, how we can prevent extinction, and why preventative measures are necessary for the Hairy-eared Dwarf Lemurs and all primates.

Human activity is the primary factor causing the population of the Hairy-eared Dwarf Lemurs to decline at an alarming rate. Since the lemurs live only in Madagascar’s lowland rainforests, their habitat is extremely limited. The growing human population has led to activities such as deforestation, logging, and slash-and-burn agriculture, reducing the lemur’s habitat even further (DiCesare). Another human activity that is causing the lemur population to decline is eating. These lemurs are trapped and hunted by the local communities of northeastern Madagascar (DiCesare; Drury). Deforestation, logging, agriculture, and hunting show that the reduction of the lemur population is primarily due to human activity.

The Hairy-eared Dwarf Lemurs have two major ecological roles that make it necessary to find ways to prevent their extinction. The first role that they play is a pollinator. Since they feed on nectar and honey, they aid in the pollination of the plant life of Madagascar (DiCesare). Another role they play is that of prey. Humans are not the only predators of these lemurs; owls and Malagasy carnivores also eat the lemurs (DiCesare). To prevent the extinction of the lemurs, the main issues to address are deforestation and logging. Currently, the Malagasy government is taking steps to protect the remaining portions of lowland forests in the northeastern part of the island (DiCesare). With the Malagasy government protecting the remaining lowland forests, which are the lemurs' natural habitat, they are helping to prevent the extinction of the lemurs by allowing them to continue their ecological roles as pollinators and prey.

It is important to protect all primates from extinction because they play many roles in the ecosystem of the world (Estrada). Primates act as both predator and prey in their respective environments, as well as plant life distributors as they promote forest regeneration by dispersing seeds over long distances (Estrada). The seeds that they disperse are important because they help to prevent plant life from going extinct and some of the plants that grow from these seeds are used by humans for food and/ or tools (Estrada). There are groups of people in the rural area of S. Nigeria that rely on the fruits and seeds that are dropped by the local primates (Estrada).

If primates go extinct, many other animals, insects, and plants would be affected and could quickly go extinct as well. The more species that go extinct, the more likely humans will become endangered. Therefore, it is important to protect all primates, including the Hairy-eared Dwarf Lemurs.

 

 

Works Cited

DiCesare, Maria. “Hairy-Eared Dwarf Lemur.” New England Primate Conservancy, New England Primate Conservancy, Sept. 2022, https://neprimateconservancy.org/hairy-eared-dwarf-lemur/. Accessed 04 Oct. 2023.

Drury, C. “Allocebus trichotis hairy-eared dwarf lemur.” Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan, 2002, https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Allocebus_trichotis/. Accessed 04 Oct. 2023.

Estrada, Alejandro, et al. "Impending Extinction Crisis of the World’s Primates: Why Primates Matter." Science Advances, Vol. 3, Issue 1, 2017, https://doi.org/1600946. Accessed 04 Oct. 2023.

Louis, E.E., et al. “Hairy-eared Dwarf Lemur: Allocebus trichotis.” The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, Andriaholinirina, N., et al. Ver 3.1, IUCN, 2020, https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T868A115559302.en. Accessed 04 Oct. 2023.

 

 

 

 

Gift Giving Guide 20: Ideas for Presents for Your Favorite Anthropologist(s)

Biannually I dedicate blog posts to the presentation of gifts that may be suitable for anthropologists or individuals interested in anthropology (any and all subfields).  As we are nearing the end of the traditional semester and quickly approaching graduation season it seems appropriate to dedicate a post to this very topic.  Below are some of the latest additions to the list of gift ideas that may be appropriate for your anthropologically interested person.

 

Archaeology Gift Idea

Customizable archaeology themed candle available through 22ndofOctober

Archaeologists spend a lot of time outdoors throughout the year, but they spend most of their time indoors during the cold winter months.  This allows them to analyze artifacts, conduct research, and write reports.  A candle may not be necessary to complete these types of work, but it can be a comfort.  This candle is customizable with scent, allowing you to pick from vanilla, sea breeze, or comfort spice options.  You can purchase this item from 22ndofOctober.

Biological Anthropology Gift Idea

Hominid bookmarks available through Paleorex

Winter time is also the time for research and data analysis for various biological anthropologists, who often conduct their fieldwork in the spring, summer, and possibly fall.  A lot of background research is required for their work, meaning they may require something to help keep their place and organized through this process.  These paleoanthropological bookmarks may be the perfect gift idea, particularly as they also contain important information pertaining to important hominid species: Australopithecines and Homo erectus.  You can snag these from Paleorex.

 

Cultural Anthropology Gift Idea

An anthropology themed pin available through RedWolfLTD

Cultural anthropologists are expects in people watching, and each cultural anthropologists has their own way of capturing the information they observe.  This can make picking a gift a little tricky, but this pin from RedWolfLTD may be perfect.  It is cheeky but accurate, and it can be worn on clothing, a bag, hat, or other item.

Linguistic Anthropology Gift Idea

Phonetic alphabet chart for pronunciation by Mindhue

Sounds are a key aspect of language.  There are different sounds that exist in every language, and learning how to pronounce those sounds and putting them together allows one to learn to speak a language.  This also gives individuals other insights into language, which are topics of interest for linguistic anthropologists.  This Phonetic Alphabet Chart for American English pronunciation may be a handy dandy guide or a perfect statement piece for the linguistic anthropologist you know.  It is available through Mindhue.