Finns~ (Our company is engaged in Nordic tourism, so we are very familiar with it~)
The following is the official introduction of "Visit Finland"
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In Finland, you can see lakes in the forest and forests in the lakes; but the most unique thing is to go deep into northern Finland and have a glimpse of the Shami people in the Arctic Circle. The community is here - here you can visit Santa Claus’ hometown and talk to Santa Claus about your feelings. Watch the reindeer herded by the Shami people freely cross the road, or wander in groups on the side of the road...
Rovaniemi, a city on the Arctic Circle, is the hometown of Santa Claus. Back then, the kind old man Santa Claus, in order to bring some joy to the unfortunate children at Christmas, made some gifts for the children.
In the Arctic winter, the ground is covered with snow, and the only means of transportation is a sleigh, pulled by reindeer. Red is also a favorite color of the Shami people. Therefore, the image of Santa Claus with his white beard and red robe, sitting in a sleigh and driving reindeer to deliver gifts to children was not created out of thin air.
The everlasting Christmas legend - Santa Claus comes from Finland
Santa Claus comes from distant European history. If you want to trace his origin, you will find that there are many different legends mixed in. In the end, they all gathered in Finnish Lapland and became a household name.
It is said that Santa Claus was born between the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. He was a devout believer in a wealthy family in Asia Minor, named Nicholas. He was determined to serve God all his life since he was a child. When he grew up, he became a bishop in a place called Mina (Myra is located in present-day Turkey) near the Mediterranean Sea. Nicholas was dedicated to his duties and enthusiastic about helping others. It is said that he often helped the poor and orphans.
When Nicholas died, the Greek Orthodox Church worshiped him as a saint. Many people began to report that Saint Nicholas would perform miraculous miracles, and there were even stories that he had resurrected dead children. This view spread more and more widely in Europe, and later even Roman Catholic jurisdictions regarded him as a saint who protected children and the poor. The Old Orthodox Church in Russia respected his status even higher. They believed that in addition to helping children and the poor, Saint Nicholas also protected sailors and sailors, and designated December 6 every year as [Saint Nicholas] Day. The image of Saint Nicholas later spread to central and northern Germany, and his name became Weinachtsmann, which means something similar to the current Santa Claus. When he arrived in England, he was known as Father Christmas. With the development of the New World of the United States, the legend of Saint Nicholas also flowed into the local area with the Puritans. In the old days of New York (formerly known as New Amsterdam), there were many Christians from the Netherlands. They nicknamed Saint Nicholas as Sinterklaas, but people who did not understand Dutch gradually mispronounced it as Santa Clause.
It was not until 1882 that the American poet Dr. Clement Clarke Moore used his vivid pen to describe Santa Clause as a kind and lovely image for the first time: cheeks like roses, nose like cherries, and often With a cheerful smile and a white beard on his gills, he would drive a reindeer sleigh to villages and towns before Christmas, climb down from the chimneys of houses, and deliver gifts to good children. Unexpectedly, this poem called "A visit from Saint Nicholas" (A visit from Saint Clause) became popular everywhere as soon as it was published, making the image of the happy Santa Claus deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Many children wondered where he actually came from. The popular explanation at that time was that he came from the North Pole, where he prepared gifts for good children for many years. In fact, it is extremely cold in the Arctic, making it impossible to raise reindeer.
In 1927, a Finnish newspaper claimed that Santa Claus’ home was actually in Lapland, northern Finland. In 1927, Uncle Markus Rautio, the famous children's program host of Finnish Radio, described Santa Claus' correct address as "Korvatunturi" in Lapland near Russia. He also said that Santa Claus had a group of Nordic elves to help him prepare gifts. . As soon as the news came out, it spread like wildfire, and thousands of people around the world believed that this eternal image that is eternal and not limited by time comes from Lapland, Finland.
At the request of too many people, since the 1950s, Santa Claus in Lapland has been going to the Arctic Circle (Napapiiri) near Rovaniemi every year before Christmas to meet countless tourists who want to get close to him. and children. But because people keep coming all year round, Santa Claus has been stationed there since 1985, listening to what the public wants and wants. Naturally, the world's first Santa Claus tree was built on the Arctic Circle (Napapiiri) in Finnish Lapland. The Santa Claus Post Office has also become the destination for letters from countless Christmas fans and children every year.
Reference: Tourism Finland