Holladay's Holidays

Christmas was really huge here. The decorations and "spirit" began even before our Thanksgiving, and lasted well into January. I think since every family in America has a different backround and history, we don't have any truly American Christmas traditions (save the tree, presents, stockings, and the general western culture influence). However, most everyone in Finland has a long history there, and traditions have been passed down for a long time. There are also several loan traditions from other cultures, such as Saint Lucy's day (celebrated on December 13, and borrowed from Swedish culture; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Lucy%27s_Day). Being a tradition brought from Sweden, it is more observed in the Swedish speaking areas (such as my town, Porvoo). In my town (as well as in others), a Saint Lucy was elected in a sort of beauty contest. She then travels around the town, visiting hospitals, meetings, and dinner parties to sing and bring happiness. Before my Rotary club was visited by the Saint Lucy of Porvoo, we went to sing Christmas songs in Swedish.
On the 24th, Christmas Eve, the "Christmas Peace" began. During this time is considered bothersome to make too much noise outside or be away from home very much. It is a time for family, eating, and celebrating Christmas. Presents were opened on the evening of the 24th, accompanied by singing, reading poetry, and wearing elf hats. We then visited the church around midnight to sing traditional Christmas songs (many of the same melodies as when I was singing in Swedish). The 25th itself was spent relaxing, eating more, and enjoying presents and company. On the 26th, the Christmas Peace was over, and the day was spent by a visit from family friends.
There is a plethora of Finnish Christmas foods, but the most important is the ham, much like Thanksgiving turkey. There were also many casseroles, different types of fish and caviar, and, as to be expected, potatoes.

New Year's was much like in America, with fireworks and parties. I spent most of New Year's out at a friend's house and in the center of Porvoo celebrating the coming of the new year. New Year's had two traditional foods, sausage and potato salad, but the whole celebration wasn't as intense or important as Christmas. One interesting tradition I observed was the melting and cooling of tin horseshoes to predict your future year. Everyone gets these little tin horseshoes, melts them down in the coals of a fire, and when they are fully melted in a large metal ladle, they dump the hot tin into a bucket of cold water. The tin cools very rapidly and one is left with very intricate shapes. The thus-formed tin is held up against a wall, and candlelight is put behind it. The shadow on the wall can display some image or picture than will determine your future year. I got a dragon. Rawr.