December 27, 2011

Hyvaa Joulua kaikille!

Merry Christmas everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, I sure did! Even though I did miss my family and our Christmas celebrations it was very nice to be apart of something foreign and totally different this holiday season. There is a lot to talk about so I'll just get right to it!

Like many in Finland, and also in the United States, families celebrate Christmas the most on Christmas Eve. Thus, on the morning of Christmas Eve my host family has a tradition of saunaing in the morning and then eating a nice big bowl of rice porridge for breakfast.

 Big bowl of rice porridge and a bowl of plum/raisin sauce to go on top. It was also popular to put butter, sugar, and cinnamon on top instead of the fruit sauce.

 Just out of the sauna and awaiting my bowl of porridge!

My big bowl of porridge where I decided to try both toppings. Fruit sauce and butter/sugar/cinnamon. I prefer the cinnamon and sugar topping though, it had more flavor.

So we all started eating our rice porridge and, as tradition, looked for the one almond that was hidden in the porridge. Whoever got it was allowed one wish and would be lucky when the new year came. I didn't get the almond though, my host cousin Santeri got it. I guess I will have bad luck now!

Then, after eating the porridge we headed out to the old city center (the one where the Christmas market was located) to hear the Christmas day speech. By the looks of it, I think everyone living in Turku came to this speech! The speech was said in both Finnish and Swedish and took roughly six minutes to complete. After this we went back home to prepare the Christmas feast.

 Hoards of people walking to the old city center.

 It was like we were all migrating or something.

 The center was full so people started crowding across the street where the Turku Cathedral is.

Waiting to hear the speech.

It was nice to see so many people gathering for this very old traditional speech. But it was also nice to get out of the crowd and start preparing the feast. The walk to the center made me hungry!

 From left to right; Eija, Lauri, Iikka, and Elina, taking the pork out of the oven.

 Elina (Iikka's sister) and her husband Lauri listening to Eija explain the feast.

 Traditional Finnish Christmas feast.

 #1 - Raw salmon cooked (salt water) three different ways. Don't ask me what the different ways are though because I have no idea.

 #2 - Caviar from two different fishes. The smaller eggs are from a fish called Muikku and the larger eggs are from some kind of white fish.

 #3 - Mushroom and dill sauce for the salmon.

 #4 - Cream and onions which were to be mixed with the caviar.

 #5 Plain boiled potatoes covered in dill.

 #6 - Beets. (The only thing I didn't like).

 #7 - Hard-boiled eggs with, again, dill.

 #8 Pink salty cream eaten with the beets and more mushroom sauce for the salmon.

 #9 - Garlic Herring.

 #10 - Mustard Herring.

 #11 - Another type of herring.

 #12 - Basil Herring?

 #13 - Pickled mushrooms and another mushroom sauce for the fish and turkey.

 #14 - Smoked turkey and pork. Behind it is a Finnish cheese made from cows milk I believe. It was extremely mild but good with the fish.

#15 - Traditional Finnish Christmas bread. The white tasted like cardamom and had a very squishy texture and the dark bread was a mix of many ingredients and had a mild flavor but dry texture.

 #16 - Traditional carrot mash.

 #17 - Potato mash.

#18 - Rutabaga mash. (There was also a liver mash but I forgot to take a picture).

The food was all very good but I would have to say that I think I could only eat it once a year. Overall my favorite dishes were the salmon with their mushroom sauces, the cheese and smoked turkey, and also the rutabaga mash. But of course the best of all was dessert!

 Dessert! At the top there are three different bunt cakes; orange, spice, and chocolate. Then there are some almond cookies in the middle next to my sugar cookies, and then there's my apple pie!

 My blueberry pie, apple pie, and sugar cookies that I made for Christmas dinner.

 Everyone gathered around the dinner table (before eating) to toast this Christmas with a nice glass of glogi.

 Iikka's parents and sister Elina.

 Dinner Table all set for a beautiful and delicious Christmas feast.

I would have to say I did a very good job on my pies for being the first time ever making one. And I think they were a hit since both pies were finished off for breakfast on Christmas morning! Overall the food was delicious and, of course, like any feast, I ate too much. Therefore, after dinner, we all got comfy in the living room and watched a traditional Finnish Christmas movie called "Joulutarina" = Christmas Story, and waited for Joulupukki (Santa Claus) to arrive!

 Getting ready to watch the movie. Elina's Australian Shephard Emma is ready too!

 Stuffed and ready to relax to a nice movie are left to right; Iikka's mother, Lauri, host sister Kaisu and on the floor host sister Saija.

Watching the movie on the big screen projector!

The movie took place in Lapland (where all Finns think Santa lives( hee-hee)) about a young orphan boy who was taken in by his village after his parents fell in the frozen lake and died. He changed families every year and during every Christmas he would carve out figurines for all his past and present families. There is more to the story but I don't want to ruin it for you. I plan on finding it and watching it next Christmas. Overall Santa Claus was born in Lapland and still lives there today in a town called Roveniemi. Or so the Finns say. We, of course, know Santa lives in the North Pole. But don't try to argue this with a Finn. It will never end. Believe me I know!

Ironically, after the movie Joulupukki himself came over to deliver gifts!

 Joulupukki!

 And he brought presents!

 Even the dogs (Emma and Luca) got gifts!

 Eija (host mom) and Saija (host sister) waiting to open their presents.

 Family opening gifts.

 I got some presents too!

Luca and his present! So cute!

After Joulupukki left we all opened our gifts and spent the rest of the evening talking and playing with what we got. It was a delightful Christmas and something very different than the one back home. The next day, officially Christmas, was spent eating the left over Christmas food and watching some TV. I spent the day skyping though and opening gifts from home!

I hope you're Christmas parties were as wonderful as this Finland one was! I plan on bringing Finland Christmas back home with me to use next year so everyone can see and taste what it was like. I loved it and will miss it next year, but I am definitely looking forward to Grandma's pierogies and my own family next holiday season!

I will post soon! Hopefully I will get some pictures from New Years!

Until then, Happy New Year!

Love,

Karlee