THEY ALL CAME FOR A REAL FINNISH CHRISTMAS - BUT NOT A WHITE ONE Jyväskylä 16.01.08
Two arrived in Tampere by Ryan Air. With Maiju's boyfriend, Germano's luck and Italian charm, they and their two huge suitcases caught a free Volvo ride right to my door in Jyväskylä. Four more came through Helsinki a day later, and here we all were, in my little one-bedroom apartment, our big California family with the Italian addition.
I had managed to reserve a two-hour sauna by emailing the manager of the apartment building. He was a little surprised; no one had ever asked for a one-time extra sauna before. It's a great sauna with perfect löylyt – steam/heat. Earlier in the afternoon, I had bought a vasta, a birch twig 'bouquet' used to slap oneself and each other's backs, at the market place from an elderly Thai woman (yes – the new multicultural Finland). It was tightly squeezed into a plastic wrap and appeared fresh when unwrapped. Vasta perfects the sauna experience.
The young men had carried the balcony table in to create enough space for the seven of us. We cooked late dinners, the guests slept late, had plenty of karjalanpiirakka for breakfast, complained about darkness and the cost of taking a bus. I kept commenting that it really is only a 3,5 km walk to town. No snow! Well, that's a valid reason for a complaint.
Later, we took a train to Paltamo, up north, to my mom's with all seven of us + about 15 pieces of luggage. The trains were packed by Finnish standards. I hadn't even been able to reserve us seats in the same car for all three trains we had to take. But Germano, our Italian, kept commenting how no one's traveling even though it's Christmas time. I've been on Italian trains, so I know what he means.
We arrived in Paltamo after 3 PM. It was already almost dark. My childhood home is only 300 kilometers below the Arctic Circle. And there was very little snow. We walked to my mom's = mummola while the luggage traveled in my mom's little red Opel and a neighbor's car. It was Saturday night, so a sauna night again. Another neighbor had brought a 5-kilo pike as a present. My mom had prepared her famous stuffed pike in the oven, my childhood favorite dish, and we ate it all – five kilos of fish!
The next day we started cooking and baking. Joulutorttus, the star shaped puff pastries with prune were perfectly folded by all the five cousins. Johannes decided that Mummi had NOT baked enough pullaa, so he decided to correct the situation. Carrot, potato, and rutabaga casseroles had everyone helping. We also added one novelty: a beet casserole. We cooked everything ready for rosolli, the Christmas salad of carrots, beets, onion, potato, apple and pickles, but left the pink dressing to be made on Christmas Eve. My mom had already salted the gravlax, and now she placed the huge ham in the oven overnight. Enough food for the big guys and the girls, too! We also decided to decorate the tree a day early after the men came from their trip to the summer cottage, and Johannes proudly presented his fresh caught rainbow river trout.
On Christmas Eve, we all gathered in front of TV at noon. According to the tradition since 1320, the town's mayor announces Christmas Peace from the balcony of the city hall in Turku, Finland's old capital. After that it was time for rice porridge with the lucky almond hidden in. My mom had sneakily hidden two of them, and since Johannes and Maiju were the lucky recipients and the right age, we can hope for a double wedding in 2008!
At 3 PM we attended a one-hour church service and then walked to the cemetery where we placed candles for my dad's and my grandparents' graves. We also lit candles in front of a big, wooden cross for family and close ones not buried in Paltamo. The cemetery dubbed valomeri or a sea of lights is a moving sight.
After a quick walk back to Mummola, grandma's, we busily prepared for the Christmas Eve feast, which begins with a welcoming glass of glögi, the hot mulled wine. Glögi is served everywhere, including train cafes and outdoor Christmas markets from the end of November on. My husband handed me a bouquet of red tulips – a must for my Christmas spirit. Now, everything was perfect! Thank you for remembering! Then we all sat at the long table while my brother, Antti, red the Christmas gospel from the Bible. After giving thanks for Jesus' birth, our first Christmas ever together with all the family, and the blessed bounty, we continued with fish and potatoes, served with white wine or more traditionally beer and ice-cold schnapps of aquavit or vodka, rosolli, ham and casseroles followed with red wine, and then came a parfait made of berries from the yard and the forest. The dinner ended with coffee and a choice of liqueur or cognac.
The real Santa, Joulupukki, had sneaked by when we were still at the cemetery. He always comes in if there are young children. I guess ours are too old. We shared gifts he had placed under the Christmas tree, sang lots of carols, and celebrated he Savior's birthday.
On Christmas morning, my brother, who works in the church, had already been gone an hour when I took off for the Christmas morning service, starting at 7 AM. The church was full, and I cherished the familiar format. Christmas Day is traditionally a day to just kick back at home and read new books while eating chocolate. There's plenty of food left, so everyone can relax. In the evening, we were invited for dinner at my brother and sister-in-law's vacation home by the golf course, about 1.5 kilometers away. We walked on a very icy road while Rafael maneuvered my mom's kicksled, potkuri. Even I got to enjoy a ride. After a wonderful dinner, we walked home after midnight, and the young people stopped at the local bar. They were so surprised to see many young folks out in my quiet village. Unfortunately, they were denied access twice. First, they decided the 6-euro fee to leave a coat was ridiculous and took the coats home, about three minutes' walk. The second try produced the same fee for entrance . . . and they were told, it was full anyway. Too bad! Germano, a film producer and an ardent fan of the Finnish movie making Kaurismäki brothers, would have loved to experience a real Kaurismäki moment - live.
The second Christmas day is called Tapaninpäivä in honor of St. Stephen. We celebrated my mom's 80th birthday a little early with another big dinner. Maiju made tortellini with authentic ingredients brought along from Bologna to honor the Italian Christmas tradition, and we all enjoyed a great dinner together again.
The snow situation improved a little later in the week, and the boys and the girls built a few snow lanterns and a snowman.
We all took walks on the icy roads and by the Kiehimäjoki – river and Lake Oulujärvi - mostly did nothing. Then it was time to catch the train to Jyväskylä and towards New Year's adventures in a cabin by a small lake.
Long time no see . . .
glögiä Jyväskylän joulutorilla
serkkujoulutortteja
Popon pullaa
Mummi ja tonttutytöt - new aprons + hats . . .
joulutulppaaneja
potkuriajelulla
Lumiukko
Oulujärvi - not frozen!
Two arrived in Tampere by Ryan Air. With Maiju's boyfriend, Germano's luck and Italian charm, they and their two huge suitcases caught a free Volvo ride right to my door in Jyväskylä. Four more came through Helsinki a day later, and here we all were, in my little one-bedroom apartment, our big California family with the Italian addition.
I had managed to reserve a two-hour sauna by emailing the manager of the apartment building. He was a little surprised; no one had ever asked for a one-time extra sauna before. It's a great sauna with perfect löylyt – steam/heat. Earlier in the afternoon, I had bought a vasta, a birch twig 'bouquet' used to slap oneself and each other's backs, at the market place from an elderly Thai woman (yes – the new multicultural Finland). It was tightly squeezed into a plastic wrap and appeared fresh when unwrapped. Vasta perfects the sauna experience.
The young men had carried the balcony table in to create enough space for the seven of us. We cooked late dinners, the guests slept late, had plenty of karjalanpiirakka for breakfast, complained about darkness and the cost of taking a bus. I kept commenting that it really is only a 3,5 km walk to town. No snow! Well, that's a valid reason for a complaint.
Later, we took a train to Paltamo, up north, to my mom's with all seven of us + about 15 pieces of luggage. The trains were packed by Finnish standards. I hadn't even been able to reserve us seats in the same car for all three trains we had to take. But Germano, our Italian, kept commenting how no one's traveling even though it's Christmas time. I've been on Italian trains, so I know what he means.
We arrived in Paltamo after 3 PM. It was already almost dark. My childhood home is only 300 kilometers below the Arctic Circle. And there was very little snow. We walked to my mom's = mummola while the luggage traveled in my mom's little red Opel and a neighbor's car. It was Saturday night, so a sauna night again. Another neighbor had brought a 5-kilo pike as a present. My mom had prepared her famous stuffed pike in the oven, my childhood favorite dish, and we ate it all – five kilos of fish!
The next day we started cooking and baking. Joulutorttus, the star shaped puff pastries with prune were perfectly folded by all the five cousins. Johannes decided that Mummi had NOT baked enough pullaa, so he decided to correct the situation. Carrot, potato, and rutabaga casseroles had everyone helping. We also added one novelty: a beet casserole. We cooked everything ready for rosolli, the Christmas salad of carrots, beets, onion, potato, apple and pickles, but left the pink dressing to be made on Christmas Eve. My mom had already salted the gravlax, and now she placed the huge ham in the oven overnight. Enough food for the big guys and the girls, too! We also decided to decorate the tree a day early after the men came from their trip to the summer cottage, and Johannes proudly presented his fresh caught rainbow river trout.
On Christmas Eve, we all gathered in front of TV at noon. According to the tradition since 1320, the town's mayor announces Christmas Peace from the balcony of the city hall in Turku, Finland's old capital. After that it was time for rice porridge with the lucky almond hidden in. My mom had sneakily hidden two of them, and since Johannes and Maiju were the lucky recipients and the right age, we can hope for a double wedding in 2008!
At 3 PM we attended a one-hour church service and then walked to the cemetery where we placed candles for my dad's and my grandparents' graves. We also lit candles in front of a big, wooden cross for family and close ones not buried in Paltamo. The cemetery dubbed valomeri or a sea of lights is a moving sight.
After a quick walk back to Mummola, grandma's, we busily prepared for the Christmas Eve feast, which begins with a welcoming glass of glögi, the hot mulled wine. Glögi is served everywhere, including train cafes and outdoor Christmas markets from the end of November on. My husband handed me a bouquet of red tulips – a must for my Christmas spirit. Now, everything was perfect! Thank you for remembering! Then we all sat at the long table while my brother, Antti, red the Christmas gospel from the Bible. After giving thanks for Jesus' birth, our first Christmas ever together with all the family, and the blessed bounty, we continued with fish and potatoes, served with white wine or more traditionally beer and ice-cold schnapps of aquavit or vodka, rosolli, ham and casseroles followed with red wine, and then came a parfait made of berries from the yard and the forest. The dinner ended with coffee and a choice of liqueur or cognac.
The real Santa, Joulupukki, had sneaked by when we were still at the cemetery. He always comes in if there are young children. I guess ours are too old. We shared gifts he had placed under the Christmas tree, sang lots of carols, and celebrated he Savior's birthday.
On Christmas morning, my brother, who works in the church, had already been gone an hour when I took off for the Christmas morning service, starting at 7 AM. The church was full, and I cherished the familiar format. Christmas Day is traditionally a day to just kick back at home and read new books while eating chocolate. There's plenty of food left, so everyone can relax. In the evening, we were invited for dinner at my brother and sister-in-law's vacation home by the golf course, about 1.5 kilometers away. We walked on a very icy road while Rafael maneuvered my mom's kicksled, potkuri. Even I got to enjoy a ride. After a wonderful dinner, we walked home after midnight, and the young people stopped at the local bar. They were so surprised to see many young folks out in my quiet village. Unfortunately, they were denied access twice. First, they decided the 6-euro fee to leave a coat was ridiculous and took the coats home, about three minutes' walk. The second try produced the same fee for entrance . . . and they were told, it was full anyway. Too bad! Germano, a film producer and an ardent fan of the Finnish movie making Kaurismäki brothers, would have loved to experience a real Kaurismäki moment - live.
The second Christmas day is called Tapaninpäivä in honor of St. Stephen. We celebrated my mom's 80th birthday a little early with another big dinner. Maiju made tortellini with authentic ingredients brought along from Bologna to honor the Italian Christmas tradition, and we all enjoyed a great dinner together again.
The snow situation improved a little later in the week, and the boys and the girls built a few snow lanterns and a snowman.
We all took walks on the icy roads and by the Kiehimäjoki – river and Lake Oulujärvi - mostly did nothing. Then it was time to catch the train to Jyväskylä and towards New Year's adventures in a cabin by a small lake.
Long time no see . . .
glögiä Jyväskylän joulutorilla
serkkujoulutortteja
Popon pullaa
Mummi ja tonttutytöt - new aprons + hats . . .
joulutulppaaneja
potkuriajelulla
Lumiukko
Oulujärvi - not frozen!
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