FAST-FIN-1 Finnish Institutions Research Papers

Joulupukki as a Finnish Icon
Laura Paatelainen, Autumn 2010 (GB)
A FAST-FIN-1 (TRENAK1) Finnish Institutions Research Paper
FAST Area Studies Program
Department of Translation Studies, University of Tampere

Joulupukki, the Finnish Santa Claus, is without a doubt a name recognized in every household in Finland. A mythological character, Joulupukki has played a significant role in Finnish Christmas traditions for centuries, bringing presents to children and spreading the spirit of Christmas.

More than an old story, Joulupukki is also an important character for marketing and building the image of Finland. The Finnish Joulupukki is recognized worldwide. Every year around Christmastime hundreds of thousands of letters are sent to Joulupukki by children all around the world, and Joulupukin Pajakylä (Santa Claus Village) in the Arctic Circle in Finland is visited by tourists from all around the world.

But who is this mysterious embodiment of Christmas? What is the history of the modern-day Joulupukki, and what role does he play in the Finnish Christmas traditions of today? How has the image of Joulupukki changed over the years? Of what economic importance is Joulupukki to Finland? How does Joulupukki represent the Finnish national character? Could Joulupukki be called a Finnish icon?

From Saint Nicholas to Nuuttipukki: a History

The Finnish Joulupukki has his roots in many countries. The modern-day Joulupukki in Finland is said to have developed from many different traditions, the most important of them perhaps being the legend of Saint Nicholas. Saint Nicholas was a Christian bishop who lived in the town of Myra (in Lycia, part of modern-day Turkey) approximately from 270 A.D to 350 A.D. Bishop Nicholas was well-known for his generous nature as well as his love for children.

Many legends have been built around Saint Nicholas. According to the most famous of them he had once brought back to life three little schoolboys who had been killed and dismembered by an inkeeper. Another legend tells about a man who could not afford a dowry for his three daughters and therefore was planning to sell them into prostitution. When Bishop Nicholas heard of this, he solved the problem by secretly slipping a bag of gold into the house through a window in the middle of the night, thus saving the lives of the three girls (Vuorenjuuri 9).

In another version of the story, Saint Nicholas later became worried that perhaps the amount of gold he had given was not enough for a dowry for all three of the girls. Therefore the next night he returned to the house and left another bag of gold for the father of the three girls. Again on the following day he began to worry about whether he had given enough, and decided to leave yet another bag of gold at the house. However, by the third night the father of the girls had become curious and, in order to find out who had given him the gold, had closed the window. Since Saint Nicholas could not open the window, he simply climbed to the roof and dropped the gold into a chimney. The gold then accidentally dropped into socks that had been left to dry on the edge of the fireplace (Salokorpi 9). It is through legends like these, and many others, that stories about a nameless, invisible gift-giver were first born.

The legend of Saint Nicholas as Santa Claus, the bringer of presents who arrives at Christmastime, was originally born in the Netherlands (Salokorpi 13). However, it should be noted that the tradition of Christmas was born a long time before Saint Nicholas or other Christian characters. Most of the modern-day Christmas traditions have their origins in non-Christian traditions, perhaps most significantly in the Ancient Roman festivals Saturnalia and Kalendae Januariae. Saturnalia took place between the 17th and 24th of December. This festival was held in honor of Saturn, a Roman god of agriculture and harvest. Kalendae Januariae, in turn, was the New Year's-festival of the Ancient Romans. At first this festival took place in March, but since 153 BC it has been celebrated on the first of January. Both of these festivals included many elements nowadays associated with Christmas: a banquet was eaten, houses were decorated and presents were given, especially to children (Vuorenjuuri 6).

An ancient Finnish version of such festivals was kekri, a festival that was held after the harvest was over for the year. The festival included banquets, sauna and a kekripukki, a man, who was disguised as an animal – usually as a goat, as goats were seen as a symbol of fertility – and went from house to house, collecting offerings for the spirits of the deceased. Many of the traditions of kekri have been applied to modern-day Christmas (Lahtinen 13).

When Christianity began to take over in the 4th century, these old pagan traditions and beliefs were slowly replaced with Christian ones. Also pagan festivals, such as Saturnalia and kekri were replaced. By the decision of Pope Liberius the birthday of Jesus was placed on the 25th of December. This happened in the year 354 A.D, only a few years after the death of Saint Nicholas. The birthday of Jesus was supposed to replace the old pagan celebrations that took place around the same time. However, what happened was that many pagan festival traditions, such as decorations and gift-giving, were assimilated to the new Christian tradition, thus over the years forming the new festival, Christmas (Lahtinen 12).

In the new Christian traditions of Christmas, Saint Nicholas was given the role of the bringer of gifts. However, especially during the early years there were also many other gift-bringers, some more Christian than the others. In Spain presents were given at Epiphany instead of Christmas and were brought by the Three Kings. In Russia presents were given by an old woman called Babushka, who was said to have led the Three Wise Men astray, and who was now herself looking for baby Jesus, giving small presents to everyone she encountered on her way (Vuorenjuuri 14).

Out of all the Christmas-related traditions, the tradition of Saint Nicholas, which evolved in the Netherlands, was by far closest to the Finnish Joulupukki of today. According to this tradition Saint Nicholas sailed from Spain at Christmas, bringing presents to children. This Saint Nicholas was pictured as a bearded old man who wore a dress typical to a priest and rode a white horse. It should be noted that while Saint Nicholas brought presents to children, not all children were given presents. Should a child have been disobedient, he or she would be given a bundle of twigs instead of presents. Therefore, the modern-day question of the Finnish Joulupukki — ”Onko täällä kilttejä lapsia?” (”Are there any well-behaved children here?”) — is actually derived from the Netherlandish tradition of Saint Nicholas (Salokorpi 13).

In the Netherlands, Saint Nicholas was called either Sinter Klaas or San Klaas. In the 17th century this Sinter Klaas sailed over the sea to America along with Dutch immigrants who sailed to New Amsterdam, which in later years was called New York. It was through the Dutch that the tradition of Saint Nicholas began to spread in America. In this new country Saint Nicholas acquired a new name, Santa Claus, which comes from the Dutch name Sinter Klaas (Salokorpi 16). At first the tradition was not embraced in the United States, and was up until the 1980's in some places even forbidden by Puritans who thought the character of Santa Claus was not Christian enough to be linked with a Christian tradition such as Christmas (Vuorenjuuri 16). In the end, however, Santa Claus survived as a winner in this battle of traditions.

Santa Claus Is Born in the United States


Santa Claus by Thomas Nast, 1863.
Photo source:
Bill Casselman's Wintergram
(Opens in new browser window)
The Santa Claus of today began to take shape in the 1820's, when author Clement Clarke Moore wrote a poem called ”'Twas the Night Before Christmas”, also known as ”A Visit from St. Nicholas” (Vuorenjuuri 17).

In this poem Santa Claus was described as a ”little old driver” who was ”dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot”. His clothes were said to be ”tarnished with ashes and soot.” He was also said to be carrying a bundle of toys in his back. He was described as having cheeks like roses and a nose like a cherry. The white beard that is today associated with Santa Claus, as well as the Finnish Joulupukki, was also mentioned in the poem. The description: ”He had a broad face and a little round belly / that shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly” is part of the popular image of the modern-day Santa Claus (Moore).

One of the best-known images of Santa Claus was drawn by Thomas Nast, a 23-year-old German immigrant. This picture was based on the description of Santa Claus in Moore's poem. It was published in Harper's Weekly in 1863, and gave face to this popular character.

Nast drew pictures of Santa Claus for over thirty years. He was the first to locate Santa Claus at the North Pole, as is the tradition in the United States. This location was inspired by Moore's poem, in which it was said that Santa Claus was travelling by a sleigh that was pulled by reindeer (Salokorpi 74).

Perhaps the best-known contemporary image of Santa Claus was born from the hand of Haddon Hubert Sundblom, an artist who later became famous for his Santa Claus drawings. His first drawing of Santa Claus was published in 1931. This drawing was actually commissioned by the Coca-Cola Company. The Santa Claus in this picture was a merry-looking old man with a round belly and a long white beard, dressed in a long red coat decorated with white fur – just like the modern-day Santa Claus. Indeed, the Santa Claus of today is often referred to as ”the Coca-Cola Santa Claus” because of the company that had commissioned the picture.


Santa Claus by Haddon Hubert Sundblom
(also known as "the Coca-Cola Santa Claus")
Photo source: The Coca-Cola Company
(Opens in new browser window)

It is also interesting that although Sundblom, the man behind Santa Claus, was born in America, his roots were actually in Åland – which is a part of Finland (Salokorpi 98).

The Finnish Joulupukki: A Combination of Traditions

The American Santa Claus and the Finnish Joulupukki have a lot in common – or, perhaps, some of the qualities of Santa Claus have passed to Joulupukki. Despite this, initially the origins of Joulupukki do not lie in the Santa Claus tradition of the United States, but in the old Finnish nuuttipukki-tradition.

The name Nuuttipukki literally means ”Nuutti-goat” and refers to the name day of Nuutti in the Finnish calendar. This day, the 13th of January, was not only the name day of Nuutti, but also the day that officially ended Christmastime. People celebrated this day by disguising themselves as a goat (hence the name, ”Nuutti-goat”). They dressed in sheafs made of straw and furs that were turned inside out, and hid their faces in masks that resembled a goat. These ”goats” then went from house to house, singing songs, asking for food and for a drink, and frightening the children (Salokorpi 47).

In the 19th century, Christmas-traditions as we know them today became more common in Finland. Most of these traditions came from Germany – for example most of the Christmas cards of that time were printed in Germany (Laulajainen and Lahtinen 57). The Finnish Nuuttipukki-tradition began to mix with the German tradition of Weihnachtsmann (”Christmas Man) that had evolved from the tradition of St. Nicholas after the Reformation (Vuorenjuuri 14). Joulupukki, as he now was called, began to bring children presents instead of frightening them – although a certain amount of excitement was always in the air, for, just like St. Nicholas, Joulupukki gave presents only to well-behaved children – the best naughty children could expect was a bunch of dry twigs.

The address of Joulupukki was established in 1927, when Finnish reporter Markus Rautio – also known as Uncle Markus – announced in his well-known radio program called Lastentunti (”the Children's Hour”) that Joulupukki lives in Lapland, in the Korvatunturi mountain. He explained this choice of location by saying that since the mountain has ears (the name Korvatunturi literally means ”Ear Mountain”), Joulupukki hears everything and therefore always knows whether the children have been nice or not (Salokorpi 43).

In the beginning the Finnish Joulupukki was dressed in grey, worn-out clothes. In the 1950's the image of Joulupukki slowly began to change from the weary-looking old man towards the merry, colourful look of the American Santa Claus (Hovi 74). Today it would be impossible to tell one from the other, for Joulupukki has completely absorbed the appearance of the Coca-Cola Santa Claus. Many other characteristics of the American Santa Claus have also passed to the Finnish Joulupukki. ¨

Joulupukki in Today's Finland

Today's Joulupukki is a combination of three different traditions: the Finnish Nuuttipukki-tradition, the German Weihnachtsmann and the American Santa Claus (the latter two have both evolved from St. Nicholas). Although Joulupukki has a long history in Finland, not much remains to be seen of his Finnish roots – apart from the name, which still serves to remind people about the often forgotten fact that Joulupukki and Santa Claus are, in fact, not the same character.


People in the central Finland village of Suolahti dressed in the grey, worn-looking clothes of Joulupukki in the 1940s. In the 1950s, this began to change toward the American Santa Claus
Photo source: Paatelainen Family Archives

Most of the information concerning today's Joulupukki is ”common knowledge” in Finland. As already mentioned above, Joulupukki ”moved” to Korvatunturi mountain in 1927. Although the fact that Joulupukki lives in Korvatunturi is common knowledge, most people in Finland would most likely not know the reason for this belief. It is simply seen as part of the folklore of Joulupukki – a story that people keep alive by telling it to their children generation after generation.

It is, again, common knowledge that Joulupukki is hundreds of years old, but no folklore has mentioned his exact age. Joulupukki lives in Korvatunturi in Lapland with his wife, Joulumuori (her American equivalent would be Mrs. Claus) and a bunch of tonttus (elves) as helpers. Should one wish to be given presents on Christmas Eve, one had better beware, for it is the job of the tonttus to secretly go from house to house and find out whether the residents of the house – especially the children – have been nice or not. According to folklore tonttus are nearly impossible to see; one cannot even see their footprints on the snow. Earlier tonttus were usually described to be old, but today these helpers are often pictured as little children (Laulajainen and Lahtinen 37).

As mentioned earlier, Joulupukki has adopted the outer appearance of the American ”Coca-Cola Santa Claus”. The Finnish Joulupukki is a chubby old man who has a long white beard and white hair. He is usually pictured as a merry-looking man who has a red nose and cheeks. He usually wears a red jacket decorated with white fur, although sometimes he might still be pictured in the grey clothes he most usually wore not too many decades ago. As for the personality of Joulupukki, according to folklore he is an endlessly kind, generous, cheerful character who – perhaps not so surprisingly – has a great love for children.

When Joulupukki leaves Korvatunturi on Christmas Eve, he travels in a sleigh that is pulled by reindeer. The number of these reindeer varies, as do their names, if they are even mentioned. An exception to this would be Petteri Punakuono, a reindeer who would be quite well-known in Finland even though his roots actually lie in the United States of America. The equivalent of Petteri Punakuono would be Rudolph the Red- Nosed Reindeer, who was born by the hand of Robert L. May in 1939 (Davis). Rudolph found his way to Korvatunturi mountain in Finland when the song Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer [YouTube, performed in English by Gene Autry, with on-screen lyrics] written by Johnny Marks, was translated into Finnish. Rudolph became Petteri Punakuono, and the character was accepted as a part of the Finnish mythology of Joulupukki.

There is one difference between the reindeer of Joulupukki and Santa Claus: the Finnish reindeer do not fly. This conception is voiced in a well-known Finnish song called Jollei jouluna ole lunta (”If It Doesn't Snow At Christmas”) [YouTube, performed in Finnish by Sonja Lumme, with on-screen lyrics]. In the song a little child is worried about what happens if there's no snow on Christmas; will Joulupukki be able to arrive at all, if he won't be able to cross a snowless country with his sleigh? The problem is solved in the song when another child points out that if Joulupukki won't be able to use his sleigh, he can always use a helicopter (Puhtila). Based on this it would seem that the Finnish reindeer indeed do not fly.

What Joulupukki does with his time during the other 364 days of the year is unclear. Earlier it was believed that Joulupukki spent his time by making toys for the children, but as the image of Joulupukki has changed over the years this is no longer a common belief. Today people are mostly interested in Joulupukki at Christmastime, and for the rest of the year do not think about the character.

Joulupukki becomes visible at Christmastime. Joulupukki always brings the gifts personally. One of the greatest differences between Joulupukki and some of his foreign colleagues is the fact that Joulupukki does not bring Christmas presents at night, but instead appears to Finnish households on Christmas Eve. Also the American Santa Claus and the British Father Christmas might bring presents personally, either on Christmas Eve or on Christmas morning. However, the Finnish Joulupukki always appears on Christmas Eve. He does not arrive through the chimney and leave presents in one's sock – indeed, this sock-tradition does not even exist in Finland – but simply walks through the door with a sack full of presents. Sometimes he might be accompanied by a tonttu or two, or perhaps his wife, Joulumuori. If Joulupukki does not appear, the children of the household are usually told that he was in a hurry and simply left the presents under the Christmas tree, for example while the children were in another room.

When Joulupukki arrives in one's house, he usually asks whether there are any well-behaved children in that house. This is still asked, perhaps to remind the children about the importance of good behaviour, or simply because it's a tradition, though no children have been left without presents for years, whether they have behaved well or not (Laulajainen and Lahtinen 55). It is no surprise that Joulupukki is a popular character among children, and often seen as the most awaited guest at Christmastime.

The Role of Joulupukki Is Changing

A few decades ago Joulupukki was not seen often. His face might have been seen in Christmas cards and advertisements, but he himself usually did not make an appearance before Christmas Eve. In today's society Joulupukki has acquired a different, more visible role. At Christmastime it might sometimes seem that Joulupukki is everywhere. In every department store, every pre-Christmas-party, every street corner there is Joulupukki, handing out candy to children and spreading the good will of Christmas.

Today's Joulupukki is a lot less mysterious than he used to be. From the year 1990 onwards it has been possible for children to have a telephone conversation with Joulupukki on the morning of Christmas Eve, when the Finnish Broadcasting Company broadcasts a television programme called Joulupukin Kuumalinja ("Joulupukki's Hotline"). The idea of this programme is to give children a chance to have a chat with ”Joulupukki”, send greetings and tell about their Christmas, as well as perhaps to provide children with a distraction on this longest day of the year.


Joulupukin Pajakylä in the city of Rovaniemi.
Photo source: Visit Finland

It is also possible to visit Joulupukki these days. In the city of Rovaniemi at the Arctic Circle there is an attraction called Joulupukin Pajakylä (Santa Claus Village). There tourists can visit various gift- shops and the post-office of Joulupukki, as well as meet Joulupukki himself.

It could be asked whether the character of Joulupukki has become more commercialized over the years. Earlier Joulupukki could be seen as an embodiment of the good will of Christmas, whereas today the role of Joulupukki seems to largely centered around business and advertising. It is not uncommon to see ”Joulupukki” advertising a vacuum cleaner or a mobile phone in illustrated catalogues at Christmastime.

These advertisements exemplify the changing image of Joulupukki. Earlier the character of Joulupukki has been seen as ”traditional” and ”old- fashioned”, also ”warm” in a way. Connecting this traditional Joulupukki with highly technological products such as vacuum cleaners, digital televisions and laptop computers might seem contradictory, especially to older generations. Not all people are ready to appreciate or even accept this new, materialistic version of Joulupukki; it might not seem suitable that Joulupukki, the most notable character of Christmas, encourages people to put aside the spirit of Christmas - the spirituality and being with the people one loves – and participate in the growing material consumption.

The Economic Value of Joulupukki in Finland

In addition to his ideal value as a messenger of good will and generosity, and his important role in the eyes of children, Joulupukki also has great marketing value in Finland. For years the face of Joulupukki has appeared in Christmas cards, wrapping papers and store windows at Christmastime. Moreover, a whole industry has been built in Finland around Joulupukki.


Savukoski (marked in red) is about 175 kilometres northeast of Rovaniemi.
Photo source: Savukoski.fi

The center of this industry is the town of Rovaniemi in Lapland. Although according to common belief the home of Joulupukki is located in Korvatunturi, the easy accessibility and the more ”central” location of Rovaniemi have led to the town being declared as the unofficial ”headquarters” of Joulupukki at the Arctic Circle. Rovaniemi has advertised itself as the ”official hometown of Santa Claus”; however, this kind of advertisement would be directed towards tourists from abroad. In Finland the official hometown is Savukoski, 175 kilometres farther up North from Rovaniemi, as Korvatunturi is located in the small town of Savukoski.

In the town of Rovaniemi there are many Joulupukki-related attractions. The best-known of them would be Joulupukin Pajakylä (”the Santa Claus Village”) and Santapark (Joulupukin kotikaupungissa). Joulupukin Pajakylä consists of several different giftware and souvenir shops and restaurants. Other attractions include reindeer sleigh rides, and more recently attractions not related to Christmas, such as snowmobile safaris. However, the most important attractions of this village of Joulupukki are the Main Post Office of Joulupukki as well as the office of Joulupukki, where it is possible for tourists to meet Joulupukki face to face every day of the year. Santapark, in turn, is a theme park located in underground caves right next to Joulupukin Pajakylä (Kiinnostavia).

Joulupukki attracts annually hundreds of thousands of tourists to Rovaniemi. According to the estimates circa 400,000 foreign tourists visit Joulupukin Pajakylä in Rovaniemi every year. Interestingly enough, most of the tourists arrive in the summer. Nevertheless, tourism is also blooming at Christmastime. For example in the year 2006 over 60,000 tourists visited Rovaniemi at Christmas. Most of them were from Russia, Germany and the United Kingdom (Matkailu). Tourists from the countries of Asia are also eager visitors to Rovaniemi (Salokorpi, Pukki).

In the last two years Christmas-related business in Rovaniemi has declined. Although Finnish tourists visited Rovaniemi in greater numbers than earlier, the number of foreign tourists declined by almost 30 percent in 2009. Overall, over 892,159 tourists – out of whom circa 40 percent were from abroad — visited Lapland in 2009 (Lapin). This is most likely due to the recession. However, according to an article published in the website of Talouselämä in November 2009, the recession is not the only problem of the Joulupukki-industry. At the moment the biggest attraction in Rovaniemi is the chance to meet Joulupukki. Once this has been experienced, tourists have no reason to travel to Lapland again (Rainisto).

However, this is nothing new. Already in 1995 Tero Wallin conducted a study concerning Joulupukki's marketing value in Finland. This study showed that although the Finnish Joulupukki is appreciated by tourists abroad, the concept itself needs further developing. Especially Joulupukin Pajakylä failed to meet the expectations of the tourists, and was criticized for being ”too openly commercial”. Joulupukin Pajakylä mainly consists of different giftware and souvenir shops, and tourists even had to pay in order to be photographed with Joulupukki, which was seen as contradictory to the idea of Christmas – generosity and good will (Wallin 16-17).

Joulupukki as One of Finland's Most Significant Export Products

It could well be said that Joulupukki is one of Finland's most significant export products. Not only is Joulupukki an extremely visible character, but he also helps to build the image of Finland abroad. When people from abroad are asked about their knowledge of Finland, Joulupukki is often in the top three things mentioned (Wallin 5-7).

The Finnish Joulupukki indeed has his place in the hearts of people all around the world. The Finnish Broadcasting Company broadcasts annually video material of Joulupukki leaving Korvatunturi on the night before Christmas Eve in order to take presents to children around the world. For example in the year 2009 this material was distributed to ca. 70 broadcasting companies around the world (Joulupukki).

Another proof of the international status of Joulupukki would be the letters sent to him. According to the Finnish postal service Posti for example last year Joulupukki received over 700,000 letters. Writing to him is these days easy as his address can be found everywhere around the internet. Thus it is perhaps no surprise that not only Finnish children write letters to their Joulupukki – in fact, most of the letters are sent by children abroad with only ten percent of the letters being sent by Finnish children. So far letters have arrived from altogether 196 different countries, the most keen writers being from the United Kingdom, Poland and Japan. Also children from all around the Asia are among the most active writers (Kirjeitä).

These letters can also tell a lot about the culture of those who wrote them. Generally children from western countries tend to send long (and often expensive) wishlists to Joulupukki, whereas for example children from Asia write very polite letters that include stories about their daily life and often well-wishes for Joulupukki himself before even mentioning presents. These letters can be sad – many Finnish children wish that Joulupukki could make their family spend more time together, indicating the loneliness children feel (Kirjeitä). However, the letters can also be funny; in the past children have for example wished for a twin brother, their own chocolate factory, a pirate ship or a lifelong gift token to McDonald's (Salokorpi, Pukki).

The marketing value of Joulupukki is also made good use of in Finland. For years Joulupukki has been used in advertising different products. Lately, attempts have been made to standardise these advertisements, as well as the image of Joulupukki conveyed through them. In the year 2000 Joulupukkisäätiö (the “Santa Claus Foundation”) was established in order to develop and maintain the international image of Joulupukki. The aim of this foundation is to globally promote Finland as the only “real” home country of Santa Claus, and the Finnish Joulupukki as the original and truest version of Santa Claus. The foundation works with several Finnish companies, permitting them to advertise their products as “official Joulupukki-products”. For example the Finnish airline Finnair has announced itself as ”the official airline of Joulupukki”, and every year a large picture of Joulupukki is painted on the sides of their airplanes. The aim of this is to promote Finnish products and Joulupukki, as well as to ensure that the Finnish Joulupukki always looks the same, no matter in which advertisement his face appears.

Although Joulupukkisäätiö works in the commercial field, the foundation itself is a non-profit organization. Proceeds from the foundation are donated to different charities for the benefit of children (Joulupukkisäätiö). After all, the Finnish Joulupukki is known for his generosity and for his love for children, not for his ability to promote Finnish chocolate brands.

Other measures have also been taken to ensure that the character of Joulupukki is promoted abroad in the best possible way. In the last five years a project has been organized in Rovaniemi where people interested in acting as Joulupukki are given training and coaching related to international work as Joulupukki. In this ”academy” the students are taught about different languages and cultures as well as customer service and acting skills. These fully trained Joulupukki-actors would then be able to promote their country and Joulupukki around the world in the best possible way (Salokorpi, Pukki).

Joulupukki as a Representative of the Finnish National Character

In Finland Joulupukki can be seen as a representative of the assumed Finnish national character. It could be questioned whether a concept called ”national character” indeed does exist, or whether it is merely a collection of stereotypes and beliefs one has about one's own nation. Whether they are part of a ”national character” or not, many Finns do have beliefs about themselves and their characteristics as a nation. According to an article in Tiede magazine in January 2006, many of these beliefs have their roots in the Finland of the 19th century, when the Finnish elite did their best to build a Finnish society and define Finns as a nation. According to the beliefs, Finns are quiet, modest and honest (Forssell).

All of these characteristics could also be applied to Joulupukki who, despite being often described as a ”merry old man” is also said to live in solitude far up North, with no company except his wife and helpers. The dwelling of Joulupukki is pictured as an old, humble cottage in the middle of nowhere. Joulupukki is not interested in acquiring wealth or fame, but instead wants to give presents to others, especially children, even if he has to travel around the world to do so.

Finns often think of themselves as a hard-working and honest people. There are examples of this in history. One well-known example would be the loan Finland got from the United States of America after the First World War. Between the years 1918 and 1920 Finland borrowed over eight million dollars from the United States to help with post-war food shortages. Finland was not the only country that got relief and reconstruction money from the United States. By the year 1922 the United States had loaned money to 15 European countries. Out of these 15 Finland was the only one that paid back the whole debt. This was taken as a sign of the honesty of the Finns, and Finland earned a reputation of a country that was ”willing to give the shirt off its back” (Country).

Another example that has often been referred to in later years, for example in newspapers and public speeches made by politicians, would be the reparations the USSR demanded from Finland when the Continuation War between Finland and the USSR ended in 1944. The amount of these reparations was 300 million U.S dollars. Although Finland was given first six and later eight years to pay these reparations, the amount of the reparations was huge. Nevertheless, Finland did manage to pay all that was required, even though the whole nation had to participate and the industrial structure had to be completely reformed (Perälä). In later years this has often been referred to as the proof of the hard-working and straight-backed nature of the Finns.

The words ”hard-working” and ”honest” could also be used to describe the Finnish Joulupukki. Traditionally it has been believed that Joulupukki himself makes all the presents, although it takes him most of the year to prepare them. Although this is no longer necessarily believed, Joulupukki is still seen as a hard-working character. After all, he does bring presents to all the children in the world, although travelling around the world year after year can not be described as an easy task for a man of his age. Joulupukki is also an honest character, who is concerned about the behaviour of children and always remembers to ask whether they have been nice or not – perhaps in order to make sure that when they grow up, they will be as honest and hard-working people as their parents.

Just as the image of Finland and its citizens has changed over the years, the image of Joulupukki has changed correspondingly. Up until the last few decades Finland was very much an industrial society. In the 19th and 20th centuries many Finns worked in factories, which at the time was very hard work. Also the Finnish Joulupukki at the time was a hard-working character, who made presents for children 364 days a year. In the 1980's and 1990's the image of Finland began to change from an industrial to an information society (Anttiroiko). In the last few decades Finland has acquired a reputation as a country of high technology. Finns are often seen – and see themselves – as people who value high technology, so much that it could even be seen as a new stereotype of the Finnish people (Forssell). Also the image of Joulupukki has changed in the last few decades. Today Joulupukki is very involved in technology. He can be seen advertising high-technology products from mobile phone to digital televisions. Today's Joulupukki has his own website, gives interviews and makes regular appearances on television, again corresponding to the image of Finns as a nation of high-technology.

Joulupukki as a Finnish Icon?

Could Joulupukki be called a Finnish icon? Although Joulupukki has at least a part of his roots in Finland, in reality Joulupukki is a combination of the Finnish Nuuttipukki, the American Santa Claus and the German Weihnachtsmann. Today it seems that the Nuuttipukki tradition has little to do with Joulupukki – apart from the inherited name – and foreign traditions seem to have shaped the Joulupukki of today. It could be argued that today's Joulupukki is beginning to take an increasingly American shape, with his attire adopted from the Coca Cola Santa Claus, and his bunch of reindeer led by the American-born Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer. It can be understandably questioned whether there is anything Finnish in this character who resides in Finnish Lapland.

Nevertheless, although Joulupukki no longer wears grey, worn-out clothes and walks around scaring Finnish children, that does not mean that he is not a uniquely Finnish character.

But what makes him so? He might bear a resemblance to his foreign colleagues, but the story of the age-old, mysterious Joulupukki living in Korvatunturi Mountain in the far North is indisputably Finnish.

The Finnish Joulupukki does not travel with the help of flying reindeer, but is dependent on snow for his travels. This suits him well, as Finland is traditionally known as a country with a lot of snow and ice. Originally Joulupukki was known as a hardworking character who, with the help of his elves, made presents for children all around the world. This image corresponded well to the dutiful Finnish factory workers of that time. As the times have changed and the image of Finland has changed from an industrial to an information society, the image of Joulupukki has changed correspondingly. No longer is Joulupukki portrayed making presents for the children; instead, he can be seen advertising mobile phones and other high-tech products, again corresponding to the image of Finns as a nation who place a high value on technology and information technology.

Joulupukki also corresponds well to the assumed national character of the Finns. It could also be argued that the fact that Joulupukki appears already on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Night is a good example of the Finnish culture where the Eve is often a more important and celebrated day than the holiday itself.

The characteristics of Joulupukki are not the only thing that make him a Finnish character. It is the people from abroad that have given him his status as a Finnish icon. When asked what they know about Finland, Joulupukki is almost always among the top three things mentioned. Although many countries have their own Santa Claus-related traditions, and are also keen to proclaim their country as the only ”real” home country of Santa Claus, Finland is increasingly recognized abroad as the true home of Joulupukki. This is certainly due to marketing as well as the ideal environment Finland has to offer: snow, northern lights, frost and the quiet, vast nature of Lapland seem like perfect surroundings for this mysterious messenger of Christmas.

Lapland is annually visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists from abroad, all keen to visit the land of Santa Claus. The Finnish Joulupukki also receives enormous amounts of letters from foreign children, which makes it clear that Finland is tightly linked to the children's idea of Santa Claus all around the world. As the whole idea of Santa Claus is created around children, their opinion should not be overlooked.

It is clear that the image of Joulupukki has changed. Joulupukki has adopted personality traits from his foreign colleagues. Nevertheless, he is still an uniquely Finnish character — an opinion that is backed by many Finns. Also the people in Finland have discovered the value of their Joulupukki and have begun to work to maintain the status of this character as well as develop his recognizition abroad. When Joulupukki leaves the borders of Finland, he is not only a marketing tool, but the international image and representative of Finland – one that the people in Finland should be proud of.

Works Cited

Followup Report (PDF)

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Posted 01 December 2010; Last Updated 22 May 2011