Brit Reacts to FINNISH vs BRITISH CHRISTMAS

JOIN PATREON FOR FULL ACCESS TO SWEDISH/FINNISH SHOWS/MOVIE REACTIONS, THANK YOU!!! ❤️❤️❤️

Special Thanks to my View Family Patreon Members:
Lurker 33 | Tommy Vikman
Joakim sätherström | Jesper Andersson
Maria Ahl | Milton König
Elisabeth | Elin Lundgren
Göran Fälth | stecar70
Markkula | Daniel N
Nathalie Wingård | Tommi P
Ella Kindefält | Fredrik Larsson
Quusho | Mikaela Friberg
Janne Brodén | Sonja Malm
Jasmine Matthews | Gustav Nordqvist
Rebecka Mårtensson | Max Soininen
Helena Lissing | Madeleine Olsson
Marcus Nilsson | Karl-Olof Zandhoff
Jim Lundberg | Cecilia Hansson
Johanna | Viktor Forsslund
Theres Borg | Paul Jones
Sanna Svensson | Anders Öhrt
Sara Oback | Tora Hellgren Oliver | Milton KönigT. Sundström | RebeckaSteamboat Willie | David BlombergLine Johansson | Agaton VargenstanMatias Kähkönen | ZpitzerChrister | Rickard MattsonFolke Ackema | Linus

Thanks guys
Dwayne's View

Original Video:

Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favour of fair use. No copyright infringement intended. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS

[yorkaturr]

Everything in Finland happens on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day is mostly for leftovers and maybe a cheese plate. Also the thing about Christmas ham is mustard. That's the sauce.

[yorkaturr]

As for Christmas sauna, it's usually before dinner. Some time during the day after visiting the graveyard, where everyone goes to lay out candles for those who have left us. During Christmas eve the graveyards are really lit.

[abcddcab]

Boxing day is called Tapani's day in Finland. It is a public holiday. We visit friends and relatives then, and traditionally Boxing Day has included Tapani's rides, preferably on a horse, and Tapani's dances. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are often spent more with one's own family. Christmas Eve evening is the most important moment during Christmas.

[myrskykeiju]

Fun fact about the Christmas Peace declaration that was briefly mentioned in the video: the tradition of the Christmas Peace declaration in Turku began in the 1300s and the tradition has continued ever since (there have been some exceptions, such as 1712–1721 during the Greater Wrath and 1939 bc of the fear of air raids). It has been broadcasted on the radio since 1935 and televised since 1983. Some other cities also have long-standing traditions for the declaration of the Christmas Peace (my hometown has declared their own Christmas Peace since the 1600s) but the Turku one is the one that's broadcasted nationally.

[-Suie-]

In Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland, presents are traditionally exchanged on the evening of 24 December.

[AnitaGren]

Happy Suomen itsenäisyyspäivä, from Sweden.

[varpu]

I love Finnish Christmas! We have pretty set traditions in our family.

On the 23rd:

- Christmas carols (usually at a church even though we’re not really religious)
- Chopping down and decorating the Christmas tree
- Filling up birdfeeders (old belief that birds don’t then eat the crops in the summer, also they symbolize the dead so we want to remember them)

On the 24th

- From 8:00-12:00 Joulupukin kuumalinja will be on from the TV. Santa’s hotline, aka all the important Christmas cartoons and live broadcast of Santa receiving calls from children etc.
- 12:00 Joulurauhan julistus live broadcast from Turku (Christmas peace announcement)
- Joulupuuro, rice porridge as lunch - the porridge has a hidden almond and the one who finds it gets a wish. So everyone competes in finding it.
- Joulusauna after lunch. Super chill and peaceful.
- Dressing up for dinner
- A toast with pre dinner glögi and sometimes singing some carols
- Dinner. First we eat fish courses (roe, gravlax, cold and regular smoked salmon/other fish, and those regular potatoes 😅), then ham and for us smoked reindeer/moose and all kinds of side dishes
- Gifts. For families with smaller children Santa will come visit inside the homes. The children usually sing to Santa and then he hands out the gifts.
- Then usually kids play and adults mingle and have some drinks and dessert and play board games etc. and just hang out

On the 25th

- (visiting family) and then doing a smaller version of the festive dinner. It’s like a mini more chilled Christmas party all over again.

On the 26th

- For older adults and kids this is the just hanging out and eating leftovers day. BUT especially for younger adults it’s customary to go to Tapanintanssit aka Boxing Day party. It’s still a holiday and younger people, who maybe have moved because of uni etc. and are now back in their hometowns for the holidays, get together and go out partying. Bars and clubs are usually open to throw a special boxing day party.

[-Agis-]

Hyvää itsenäisyyspäivää 🇫🇮 happy independence day

[HanneleKorpela]

Our President keeps a new years speech for people. And at city of Turku declears a christmas peace at noon in 24th of December.

[hetaino]

In my Finnish family we celebrate Christmas 23rd through 26th. On the 23rd it's grandma's birthday so we have a Christmas celebration at grandpa's business. The morning of 24th we eat rice porridge with an almond and whoever gets the almond gets to make a wish. We get changed into our Christmas outfits. Usually that is nice clothes like jumpers and nice trousers. My grandparents (grandma, grandpa and granny), my aunt and uncle from my mom's side come over with their families. Then at noon we watch the Christmas peace declaration and put out the food to the table. We get to eating around 2pm. We eat and chat with no technology like the tv or phones on. After eating the meal and the dessert all the grandparents (and some times my uncle) leave so it's just my family and my aunt and her family. My dad has to leave to go manage his honor guard. The rest of us mostly whatever we want. Usually we play games and watch Christmas movies. Or play carols on the piano and sing along. Pretty much anything that's not the phones. Then my brother goes start warming up the sauna. Once it's ready it's time to go into the warmth and enjoy. First it's mine and my cousin's turn. Then it's our moms' and one other cousin's. Lastly once my dad comes back around 8pm, it's the men's turn. As we get out of the sauna we get changed into our new matching Christmas pjs. Once everyone is clean, in jammies and in the living room we start with the gifts. My dad sits in a chair next to the tree, takes a present from one of the huge Santa bags, reads the name on it and then that person gets to pen their gift. Everyone gets to see what they got and we move on the next gift. This usually takes a good chunk of time as there are at least 8 people. This year I asume it will be 10 people. Then oce we are done we are so tired that we go to bed. On the 25th we play with our gifts. Then we go have lunch at my dad's parents' house and see that side of the family. Usually Santa has brought me and my brother some gifts there so we get them and the presents from our godparents. Most of the day is just chilling and hanging out. On the 26th we usually get to see our friends as we really don't get a chance to do that during family Christmas. We also see some more extended family. So another chill day of eating leftovers and hanging out. This is also the day we have no "phone limitation". It's not really restricted at other times than during meal times but there are so many other things to do that we just don't really use our phones.

[magnusnilsson]

Christmas crackers are used in Sweden, but they are not to be touched until Januari 13 (Knut 20th) when the christmastree is being ransacked (julgransplundring) along with candy.

[hannuloijas]

24:th morning you eat Christmas porridge spend time with your loved ones. Afternoon when it gets dark you go to graveyard see your example grandfather-mother, light candles for them. After this sauna and Christmas food in my case ham, Karelian pie with egg butter, salmon, swede casserole, carrot casserole, potatoes, karelian roast, beans, plum, date and rosolli, beer, wine, vodka, cognac or whiskey After the Christmas feast, Santa Claus will visit also especially if you have young kids. So Merry Christmas 🎄

[Mojova]

The Sauna is on Christmas Eve before dinner usually.

[macce]

The tradition has always been to us that we go to sauna after breakfast so you would be clean and and have a bit better clothes on for lunch, after that we would sit down to see/listen to the Christmas peace declaration and so the celebration of the Christmas eve can begin. 🎄

[AHVENAN]

In my family our christmas dinner tends to consists of ham with mustard, salmon, meatballs (my fathers homemade ones which are TO DIE FOR!), all the different classic finnish casseroles, potatoes, gravy, little mini sausages, a few different sorts of pickled herring and a bucnh of other stuff I either can't remember off the top of my head, or I can't find the english words for it

[danielmalinen]

In Finland, Boxing Day is called "Tapanin päivä" after Saint Stephen and it is a traditional day to visit relatives for Tapanin päivä lunch.

[blossomowl]

My family celebrates 24, 25, and the 26. It all depends on how we all can get together. 24 is the day for going to the graveyard and putting candles on the graves of loved one that aren't here with us anymore, christmas sauna, eating dinner, opening the presents and lot of small other things like games, Kalle Anka on tv, the christmas peace speach he mentioned. 25th is more or less the same in my family but with different people and no (or less) presents. 26th can also be the same, or then we celebrate with friends, eating leftovers and spending time together. A lot of people go out to bars on the evening on the 25th and even 26th (if they don't have work the next day). The sales also start around the 26th or 27th. When I was younger they where called the mid-days-sales because they where between Christmas and New Year but I dont know if it's called that anymore because it feels like they go on forever (well into January).

And we eat whole potatoes on Christmas also, the food part of Christmas seems to be somewhat different from family to family in Finland. Most have a ham ( or and a vegan option), the boxes with mashed stuff (there are a lot of different ones), meat balls, and fish (salmon, herring, etc.). 😊

[frozendude]

Santa begins with Holland, there they have the gifts at the 5th of December.

And in Sweden we do have something similar to Christmas Crackers for the families that do home crafts before Yule called "smällkaramell", made by hand with the children the days before.
If you make them correctly with all the folds and layers they give a satisfying pop when pulled open, but for people that are clumsy or lazy you can cheat and put in a pull-cracker like the Britts do 😁...
They usually have figures/statues shaped from marzipan, but can be any candy, there are no jokes and no crown, and they are hung up as decorations in the tree.

[katriperttuli]

In Finland the president gives a televised speech on New Year's day.

[hextatik_sound]

26th Of December, Tapaninpäivä, is a day when we go dancing and celebrating. "Tapsan tanssit"