Do you know where Santa lives? It has long been known in Russia that the residence of Father Frost is in Veliky Ustyug, but not every Russian knows where to look for his foreign “brother.” Many, of course, have heard that Santa Claus's house is in Lapland, but the question is: where is this Lapland and does such a country really exist?
Where is Santa Claus Village?
In fact, Lapland does exist, but it is not a separate country, but just an area located above the Arctic Circle and includes parts of Russia, Finland, Norway and Sweden. This northern region is famous for the fact that, in addition to the usual seasons, there is a period called “midnight twilight”. The sun, which does not rise above the horizon, creates an incredible world of peace and unusual colors.
Lapland is the birthplace of Santa Claus; it is there, on the Finnish part, that Mount Korvatunturi is located, hidden from human eyes and ears by deserted snowy expanses. The shape of the mountain is similar to an ear; there is a legend that this is why Santa can hear the wishes of all the children in the world.
Considering that only his gnome and reindeer helpers know the way to Santa's home, it is difficult for people to find him. Therefore, not far from the inaccessible mountain there is a village of Santa Claus, where you can meet him almost any day. Santa Claus Village in Kuhmo is a kind of office for the main New Year's hero. In addition to the opportunity to see Santa and whisper your wish in his ear, you can visit the amusement park, the main post office, where letters with wishes arrive from all over the world, see how gnomes work and see many others interesting places. For example, from the central post office of the village you can send letters and parcels to family and friends; it is noteworthy that your items will have a special stamp of the Arctic Circle post office.
Just two kilometers from the village there is a huge Santa Amusement Park, which is a cave in the mountain that shows visitors what Santa Claus's house looks like from the inside. In addition, on the territory of the village you can meet the gnomes, learn about their work and look at it from the outside.
Santa's Village is a great place to buy New Year's or Christmas gifts, here you will find an incredible variety of small shops where you can find a variety of souvenirs self made, beautiful trinkets that match the overall theme of the village.
New Year holidays
Now that you know where Santa Claus lives in Finland, the idea of visiting this particular country will probably become relevant for the winter holidays. The spirit of magic is in the air, snowy landscapes incredible beauty, a lot of entertainment and events will make the New Year celebration bright and memorable. Children will be able not only to find out how Santa lives, but also to meet his assistants: elves, gnomes and deer harnessed to Santa's magical sleigh.
Travel agencies offering winter tours to Finland not only offer comfortable conditions for traveling and staying in another country, but will also introduce you to the program of events; fortunately, during the New Year, the village offers a wide range of entertainment for every taste. They cooperate with Santa's village transport companies, facilitating movement around the surrounding area, television and radio broadcasting, large number hotels with different prices and services, and in addition, the nearest airport is even named after Santa, because it is where a huge number of planes land in the winter with tourists trying to meet Santa on board.
What does Santa Claus look like? This question worries almost all boys and girls, last days living in anticipation of the upcoming New Year. Santa Claus is the Western equivalent of our Father Frost. He also comes to the children, only at Christmas, not New Year, and gives gifts. They have many differences. One of them is that it is not known for certain which area is considered his homeland. If Father Frost is from Veliky Ustyug, then his western brother is either from the vicinity of the North Pole, or from Lapland.
Appearance
Everyone who has seen him at least once knows what Santa Claus looks like. Outwardly, he is very different from the familiar and close Santa Claus. What Santa Claus looks like and where he lives, you will learn from this article.
While Father Frost's beard grows almost to his toes, Santa Claus's is always neat and short. Santa Claus wears felt boots, and Santa Claus always wears boots. Santa Claus moves on foot, and his Western brother rides in a sleigh drawn by reindeer, each of which has its own given name.
To find out what the real Santa Claus looks like, just look at any image of him. The Western New Year and Christmas wizard wears a neat jacket with a belt, but the domestic Santa Claus wears a warm sheepskin coat with a sash.
In addition, it is not difficult to recognize him, since the Santa Claus costume always looks the same. It only comes in red. But Santa Claus' clothes come in both blue and red. When describing what a Santa Claus hat looks like, it is worth noting that he has a cap with a neat fur trim. Comparing with Santa Claus, it must be said that the latter has a mandatory attribute - a fur hat.
How is Father Frost different from Santa Claus? Another fundamental point is that Western wizard There is bad habit. He can often be seen with a pipe, which he smokes incessantly.
When describing what Santa Claus and Father Frost look like, it must be recognized that the differences between them are very significant. They make it easy to distinguish one from another.
Origin
The way Santa Claus looks has a lot to do with his origin story. The prototype of a good grandfather with gifts is considered to be the Christian Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, who is revered by both Catholics and Orthodox Christians. The saint himself became famous primarily for the fact that he devoted a lot of time and attention to charity. With secret gifts, he often helped poor people who had children.
Initially, St. Nicholas Day was celebrated on December 6th. It was then in European countries it was customary to give gifts in his name. Everything changed during the Reformation. The veneration of saints was no longer encouraged. Therefore, in Germany and some neighboring countries they began to give gifts to children in the name of the baby Jesus Christ. And the day of their presentation was moved to December 24, when Christmas markets were organized everywhere.
When the time came for the Counter-Reformation, children again began to receive gifts in the name of St. Nicholas, this time directly at Christmas. Only in a few European countries have ancient traditions been preserved. For example, in Holland, children expect surprises not only on Christmas, but also on December 6, St. Nicholas Day.
Santa Claus in the USA
It is noteworthy that it was the Dutch colonists who brought this image to New World. This happened back in the middle of the 17th century. In America, Santa Claus first settled in the settlement of New Amsterdam, present-day New York. There they first began to replicate what Santa Claus looks like.
An important stage in the formation of this character is considered to be 1809, when in the book “History of New York”, written by the famous American writer Washington Irving, told about the times of Dutch rule, it specifically mentions how St. Nicholas was honored in New Amsterdam.
Transformation of Saint Nicholas into Santa Claus
In 1822, in fact, the biography of this hero began in American literature. Columbia University teacher Clement Clarke Moore wrote a Christmas story for children in which he spoke in detail about this character who always brings gifts to children who have behaved well in the past year. Shortly before Christmas, the poem was published in local press entitled "The Night Before Christmas, or the Visit of St. Nicholas." It became very popular and was reprinted several times. Many today argue that it was thanks to Clement Moore that St. Nicholas was finally transformed in the minds of millions into Santa Claus. By 1840, almost all residents of the New World knew who Santa Claus was.
Another important point: It was in this poem that the transport of the fairy-tale wizard was first described. It was indicated that he travels across the sky on a sleigh pulled by reindeer.
Santa's Popularity
In 1863, American artist Thomas Nast used the character in a series of his political cartoons. It was he who presented him in the image of a hero who gives gifts to children. Santa Claus has become very popular. Nast, in fact, made a name for himself on this. In subsequent years, he produced a large number of drawings intended for children, in which the life of Santa Claus was presented in funny scenes. In his works, he began to think about and describe in detail the life and habits of a good wizard.
It was then that a version appeared that Santa’s homeland is the North Pole, where he has a special home. In it he keeps records in a special book in which he writes down all the bad and good deeds children from all over the world. From these drawings one can clearly trace the transformation of this image from the fat elderly elf as he was originally presented to a more realistic and humane character who is very similar to our modern Santa Claus.
It is believed that Nast almost completely copied this character from himself. He, too, was a plump and well-fed man, very short in stature, but at the same time with a wide spade beard and a large lush mustache.
Santa Claus in the 19th century
It’s actually interesting what Santa Claus looked like in the 19th century. Initially, he was depicted as a kind elf who appears on the eve of Christmas in a cart pulled by reindeer. And it enters the house through the chimney.
Some historians note that the Confederates were absolutely demoralized to see Santa depicted on the enemy side.
There is even a legend that Lincoln during Civil War for independence asked Nast to portray Santa Claus along with the northerners. His only downside at the time was that Santa remained black and white for a long time. He only got his famous red fur coat in 1885 thanks to the publisher Louis Prang. It was he who brought the tradition of Christmas cards to America, the giving of which was customary in Victorian England. They were made using the technique of color lithography, so it soon became necessary to figure out what color the robe of the hero of our article would be. So he got a bright red outfit.
Development of the image of a wizard
In 1930, the image of Santa received further development. All thanks to the advertising campaign major manufacturer American soft drinks. They decided on a clever trick so that people would remember their products all year round, and not just during the Christmas period.
The drink's red and white labels reminded marketers of Santa's similar attire. Illustrator Haddon Sundblom, originally from Chicago, consistently depicted a new winter wizard every year for the next 30 years. He turned into a giant, similar to his neighbor Lou Prentice. It was Sundblom who painted the ninth reindeer in the harness, to which he gave the name Rudolf.
Transformation of the image
It’s interesting that initially Santa in Nast’s illustrations wore a sheepskin coat that was invariably brown. Only over time did it begin to acquire reddish shades. At the same time, many researchers of the biography of this character argued that the red color itself does not carry any meaning.
It was only after the advertising campaign in which Sundblom participated that Santa's costume was only depicted in red. Wearing a sheepskin coat of the same type, he was depicted on the covers of the popular American humor magazine"Pak", which was published at the beginning of the 20th century.
Santa's transport
Santa gets to his charges, to whom he brings gifts, on a sleigh drawn by reindeer. Interestingly, each of them has its own name. Initially there were eight of them. Their names were Swift, Lightning, Dancer, Thunder, Prancing, Cupid, Grumpy and Comet.
In 1823, another reindeer named Rudolph appeared in the poem "The Night Before Christmas." It is noteworthy that he has become the most popular among all Santa's reindeer today. He stands at the head of the team and is distinguished from the rest by his bright red nose.
And one more interesting fact about Santa Claus. In 1955, his image was used in entertainment program Aerospace Defense Command North America. In it you could watch the fictitious movements of Santa's sleigh. This was reported by the media mass media, they could even be monitored using a special hotline number.
Santa Claus remains a popular character today and is regularly used in promotions, films and animated series.
Who is Santa Claus? The origin and legend of Santa, and now in more detail about everything:Santa Claus- the legendary hero of Christmas, a kind old man who brings gifts to children for Christmas and New Year. As a rule, he is depicted as a cheerful, plump grandfather with a white beard, dressed in a red caftan bordered with white. He flies through the air on a sleigh full of toys and pulled by eight reindeer. They say that on Christmas Eve, Santa (also St. Nicholas or St. Nick) enters homes through the chimney and places gifts under the Christmas tree and in the stockings of all children who have behaved well throughout the year. Although the familiar image of Santa Claus is a North American invention of the 19th century, it still has ancient European roots, and this has a great influence on Christmas celebrations around the world.
Origin of the legend
In history, Saint Nicholas first appears in Christian legends, in which he is idolized for rescuing sailors marooned during a storm, protecting children and giving generous gifts to the poor. Despite the fact that the authenticity of many stories about St. Nicholas is questionable (they say, for example, how he once brought a bag of gold to a poor family by throwing it through a window), the legend about him spread throughout Europe, giving him the image of a hero who gave gifts to children. The Christian Saint Nicholas was changed or transformed into various pagan images, such as the Italian Befana, or the German Berchta.The saint was called Sankt Nikolaus in Germany and Sanct Herr Nicholaas or Sinter Klaas in Holland. In these countries, Saint Nicholas was sometimes depicted galloping across the sky on a horse. He presented himself in the robes of a bishop and was at times accompanied by Black Peter, an elf who was supposed to spank naughty children. The celebration of St. Nicholas Day - the day when people exchanged gifts among themselves - usually took place on December 6th. After the Reformation, German Protestants recognized the veneration of the son of Christ and created their own day of celebration for him - December 25. As the tradition spread widely, it began to be closely associated with Christmas.
American origin
American Santa Claus got his inspiration and name from the Danish legend of Sinter Klaas, which the founders of New York brought with them in the 17th century. The name Santa Claus first appeared in the American press as St. Claus, the famous writer Washington Irving became the first to tell a detailed story about the Danish Saint Nicholas. In his book “The History of New York,” published in 1809 under the pseudonym of Diedrich Knickerbocker, Irving described the appearance of the Saint on horseback, accompanied by Black Peter, every year on the eve of St. Nicholas Day.This Danish-American image of Saint Nick became completely national for the American people in 1823 after the release of Clement Clarke Moore's poem "A Visit From Saint Nicholas" better known as "The Night Before Christmas". Moore added details such as the names of the reindeer, Santa's laughter, nods and winks, and also described the way in which Santa, like an elf, returned back from the chimney (Moore's interpretation was not taken from his head, but by referring to Irving's work of 1809).
And some funny pictures with Santa:
As everyone knows, the real Santa Claus has lived far away on the Korvatunturi hill in Finnish Lapland since time immemorial.
There, in a protected place, there is his house and workshops, as well as storerooms with gifts and other household items. Only here, at any time of the year, you can meet not only Santa himself, but also his reindeer. During the Christmas period in the Arctic Circle, where the Main Post Office of Santa Claus and his office are located, everything is covered with white, white snow. This is where he comes huge amount letters from kids all over the planet. Here, in Finland, is located “Santa Park” - a real Santa Claus amusement park. Many residents of Finland are busy all year round helping Santa Claus in his difficult work.
It is interesting that although the Korvatunturi hill can be easily found on the map, only Santa Claus himself, his gnomes, and, of course, all his reindeer know the way to the house.
Korvatunturi is an unusual hill, where the gnomes can hear whether children, as well as adults, are behaving well. The gnomes listen carefully to who is doing what, and carefully record what they hear in huge notebooks. In the books, basically all good deeds are noted, but possible whims and cases of bad behavior that sometimes occur can also be mentioned. Shortly before Christmas and New Year, gnomes look into the windows of houses where children live and check the situation on the spot.
Before Christmas, Santa Claus looks through the entries in the big books and prepares wonderful gifts for everyone who has been obedient. If there are bad behavior marks next to someone's name, Santa Claus may only bring that child a bunch of sticks for Christmas. Fortunately, such cases were not observed in recent years, as everyone was very obedient.
You know, in the homeland of Santa Claus, in Finland, he himself brings gifts home to obedient children. Entering the house, he once again asks a clarifying question: “Well, are there any obedient children here?” Children sing some Christmas song to Santa Claus and promise to be obedient next year too. Then Santa Claus distributes gifts, and the children themselves help him with this. In many countries, Santa Claus brings gifts to children at night when they are sleeping. Adults give gifts to children in the morning, and Santa Claus is already long on his way back to the Korvatunturi hill.
Santa Claus Village
And so, Santa Claus and his gnome assistants live on the Korvatunturi hill. Still, he decided a long time ago that he wanted to meet people not only on Christmas and New Year. Thus, after careful study of the situation, he decided, with the help of his good friends, to build a house and village near the city of Rovaniemi, at the place where the road leading north crosses the magical Arctic Circle.
Santa Claus wanted an international airport near his village where his many friends could fly to meet him. He also wished that there would be a city nearby where guests could stay in comfortable hotels and get to know the life of people and nature in the North with the help of good guides. These conditions were successfully met in the Arctic Circle, in Rovaniemi.
Santa Claus Village is located just eight kilometers from the city of Rovaniemi to the north. Exact geographical coordinates: 66º33’07” north latitude and 25º50’51” east longitude, on the Arctic Circle.
Today, in Santa Claus Village, he has his own chamber, where he has an office and premises for receiving visitors. By the way, Santa Claus brought there several large notebooks from the Korvatunturi hill. Books can be viewed on the shelf in the ward, but outsiders are prohibited from looking into them. Only Santa Claus himself and his gnomes can do this.
The Village also houses Santa Claus's Main Post Office, which is perhaps the most interesting in the world. In addition, Santa Claus has his own “Shopping Center” - many small shops offering beautiful handicrafts and souvenirs high quality. There are cafes and restaurants, places for themed events. In winter, the village of Santa Claus has a special fairy-tale atmosphere, when everything around is covered with fluffy white snow, and numerous lanterns and Christmas garlands illuminate the space of the village, emphasizing the mystery of the blue twilight of the polar night. One of the main assistants of Santa Claus is the “Santa Claus Greeting Center”, which takes care of postal correspondence together with the Santa Claus Main Post Office.
Not far from Santa Claus Village is Santapark. This is a Christmas cave built inside a mountain. There, Santa Claus's guests can get an idea of what he's like real home, which is located in the north of Lapland, on the Korvatunturi hill.
Important addition
Santa Claus is very pleased with his village and therefore visits there almost every day. You can meet him there at any time of the year. Yes, Santa Claus comes to the Village from the Korvatunturi Hill on reindeer. Someone was lucky enough to once see him in a reindeer sleigh on the way from there. Interestingly, for this “local message” Santa Claus only needs one reindeer harnessed to a small sleigh, and when he delivers gifts for Christmas and New Year, the gnomes equip a large sleigh and harness a large number of more experienced reindeer. The city of Rovaniemi can be considered the city of Santa Claus. Every year hundreds of thousands of tourists come here to meet Santa Claus and admire the fabulous nature of Lapland in winter and summer. In summer, the midnight sun is especially amazing. For example, the supersonic airliner Concorde has been delivering passengers to Santa Claus Airport for 20 years.
Santa Claus' Helpers
In Lapland, and throughout Finland, there are many small businesses and large companies that are partners of Santa Claus.
Of these, it is worth mentioning such companies as air services, rail and road transport, taxis, hotels, trading companies, manufacturing information technology enterprises, telecommunications services, thematic program companies and many others. Special role played by local and state radio and television channels, print media. For example, Santa Claus Television publishes interesting things on the Internet. The Rovaniemi Theater puts on Christmas musicals and bands at Christmas folk dance help Santa Claus at many events; individual artists depict many interesting things from the life of Santa Claus. A technology park for high-tech companies has been built near Santa Claus Village and its airport. In all official documents, Rovaniemi Airport is called Santa Claus Airport.
In addition, many educational institutions from preschool to university collaborate with Santa Claus. IN High school There is a Santa Claus school in Rovaniemi, where Santa Claus assistants and specialists in ceremonial events are trained. Dwarf schools for children are organized in many tourist centers. Santa Claus tirelessly cares about the well-being of not only his reindeer, but also all other four-legged animals. For example, at the Ranua Zoo, Christmas is celebrated by all its polar inhabitants - from the little lemming to the fluffy lynx. Although at this time the bears, unfortunately, sleep in their dens and cannot take part in the merry Christmas celebration.
There are several places in Lapland where Santa Claus herds his reindeer - reindeer play a starring role in Santa Park, the Salla Reindeer Park and the Vuotso Reindeer Village.
Hello friends! What to do if newfangled routes for celebrating the New Year under palm trees on the seashore and ocean no longer tempt you. And I want a real Russian winter with everyone winter activities: real frosts, fluffy snow, skating, sledding and skiing, construction of snow fortresses and towns and cheerful New Year celebrations under real Christmas tree in a real forest.
But there is a way out: you need to go not just anywhere, but to Lapland - the kingdom of the Snow Queen and to the habitat of Santa Claus. In one of the articles, I already talked about traveling with children and how, having visited this country, it is impossible not to visit where Santa Claus lives. This amazing place is located far to the north beyond the Arctic Circle, 9 kilometers from the capital of Lapland - Rovaniemi in the village of Joulupukki (Joulupukin Pajakyla).
Mysterious and unique Lapland
Lapland, an inexplicable and fabulous province located in Finland, with fantastic nature and unique culture, is, of course, close to us in many ways. We are also accustomed to severe frosts, like the Finns, we love winter fun since childhood.
But what you can see in Lapland will undoubtedly evoke many unexpected emotions. Crowds of tourists come to these places with primeval nature with forests and mountains, many rivers and lakes, clean air, and the polar night every New Year, dreaming not only of enjoying the local beauties, but also of returning once again to a distant fairy tale from childhood.
And for children, this is an opportunity to see in person those places about which so much is already known from the books of Hans Christian Andersen and Swedish writer Selma Lagerlöf. The adventures of Kai and Gerda, a reindeer native to Lapland, in the country Snow Queen and characters from the book “Nils’s Wonderful Journey with the Wild Geese” in Lapland - the first acquaintance with this northern country, which, without a doubt, requires a sequel.
And we will begin our journey with Rovaniemi
The history of this northern city, the largest in area in Europe, begins in the 15th century. It is located 8 kilometers from the Arctic Circle, 800 kilometers from Helsinki and 1025 kilometers from St. Petersburg. It is this northern city that becomes the most beloved resort in Lapland by children and adults in winter.
And it's easy to explain. These are exactly the places where the beloved New Year's character, Santa Claus (in Finnish - Joulupukki), spends most of his time worrying about and preparing for the Christmas holidays. After all, it is here, just a few kilometers from the city, that the famous Santa Claus village is located.
It is clear that Santa Claus is almost the same as ours, but in a European manner. But the history of its origin is somewhat different. It is assumed that Saint Nicholas became his prototype: Santa - “saint”, Klaus - “Nicholas”. During his lifetime, this common Christian saint secretly helped poor people and children. And the tradition of giving gifts on St. Nicholas Day later transformed into the tradition of giving gifts to children at Christmas. And this is what modern Santa Claus does with great pleasure.
According to legend, Santa's permanent home and secret workshop, where Christmas gifts are prepared for children, are located on Mount Korvatunturi. But, since rumors began to spread among people about his secret place of residence, Santa Claus, in order not to be completely declassified, decided to appear to people and chose a place for this on the Arctic Circle not far from Rovaniemi.
Here in Lapland, in a small village, Santa established his working residence, which is now known throughout the world. He comes here every day, receives visitors from all over the world, reads letters from all over the world (which can be sent to: Santa Klaus, 96930 Arctic Circle, Rovaniemi, Finland), and from them he learns what children dream of and what gifts they give waiting for Christmas.
But in fact, Santa Claus Village appeared back in 1950. And this was connected with the visit of the wife of the American President Eleanor Roosevelt to these places. For her arrival, a small wooden house was built as Santa's temporary home. It survived until today and is located near Santa Claus's office.
That’s how, somewhere far beyond the Arctic Circle, among forests and snow sparkling in the sun, Santa’s village appeared many years ago. The good news is that such a wonderful place exists and you should definitely visit it at least once in your life.
Santa Claus Village Websites:
Where Santa Claus lives, childhood lives
This is the kingdom of Santa Claus, where reality and fairy tales are so closely intertwined, and on its territory, inhabited by fairy-tale characters, such amazing events take place that they make you believe in the reality of what is happening and in the possibility of miracles and happiness not only for small children, but also for adults aunty and uncle.
The village of Santa Claus is the office and post office of Santa Claus, Santa Park, cottages for tourists, many shops and restaurants, and a small deer farm. In winter, numerous slides are built on the square, from which you can ride for free. Near the village there is another amusement park - Arctic Winter World.
According to one of the hypotheses (I don’t know, scientific or also fairy-tale), the place for this magical village was not chosen at all by chance: since it is in this place that the earth’s crust is very thin, then with the help of special mechanisms Santa Claus learned to control time and in particular, slow down the speed of rotation of the Earth. And this little trick helps Santa visit everyone in the world on the eve of Christmas in one night and give everyone gifts.
The village is small, but not small either. In the center of the Village there is a large Christmas tree decorated with small flags from different countries of the world. Everything around you sparkles in festive attire, which immediately improves your mood.
Entrance to the village is free, but, of course, you have to pay for various services.
Santa Claus's office is the main attraction of the village
You can get to Santa's office in the office through a long fairy-tale corridor. The famous wizard himself and his constant assistants, the gnomes, joyfully greet the guests, and in the minutes allotted for the visit, you should try to tell Santa Claus about what is most important to you in this life, make a wish and sit next to him.
This is not difficult to do, since Santa has studied many foreign languages well, including Russian. Santa gives gifts to good and obedient children.
Entrance to Santa's house is free. But if you want to capture yourself in a photo next to Santa Claus, then you will have to pay his assistants - gnome photographers - for this.
Playful and restless gnomes and elves help Santa entertain the guests.
In addition, they work in Santa's workshop, where they make amazing gifts for children.
Santa is a tireless worker himself. It receives guests every day, including weekends and holidays. Office opening hours depend on the time of year and holidays (in December, opening hours are longer and there may be queues).
Official website of Santa Claus office: santaclauslive.com
Santa Claus Mail
This is a must visit place after Santa's office. Almost half a million tourists come here every year.
Here you can order a letter from Santa Claus anywhere in the world. Such a letter to required language(available in 11 languages) the cheerful elves will help you compose and send them. Here from different points planet, letters come from children with their requests and wishes, which the elves parse and then hand over to Santa. Interesting statistic: Since 1980, Santa has received more than 16 million letters.
From Santa's post office you can send a Christmas card with good wishes to family and friends. All letters and cards are stamped with Santa's special seal and are immediately sent to their destination. Here you can buy various souvenirs and postcards.
Santa Claus' post office, like the office, is open all days of the year.
There is another attraction in the Village, which is associated with an interesting ritual that everyone who visits this place likes to perform: crossing the geographical and, to some extent, fabulous border of the Arctic Circle, depicted as a white line with the inscription “Arctic Circle”.
The most “brave” (that is, those who cross Arctic Circle) is waiting ceremonial presentation commemorative certificates in memory of this event.
There is another notable geographical landmark in the village: a large pillar with direction signs for the largest cities in the world.
Santa Claus Post Websites:
- santagreeting.net
Santa Park - the magical cave of the elves
Near the Village there is an underground (at a depth of several tens of meters) Santa Claus Park, inhabited by cheerful elves. This structure is in the form of a series of tunnels that are laid right inside the rock. Before you are greeted by elves and fairy tale characters, you have a long descent ahead of you.
Santa Park's Adventure Cave offers a wide variety of... fun entertainment for everyone. Children especially have fun here. At the elf school you can master all sorts of elven wisdom and learn how to sign Christmas cards in calligraphy.
And those who especially distinguished themselves will even be given a diploma on successful completion of the young elf course.
In Mrs. Claus's bakery and kitchen you can not only try delicious gingerbread cookies, but also learn how to make them yourself. Moreover, this kind woman there are so many sweets in store.
It wouldn’t hurt to visit Santa Claus in his office and visit the Elven Post Office again (in case not all your friends have received postcards yet).
And the kingdom of the Ice Princess (not scary at all, rather the opposite) will simply surprise you with sculptures of northern animals and fairy-tale characters in the Ice Gallery.
You can also go on a fun journey with the elves on the magical “Seasons” train, play in a huge ball filled with snowflakes, or on the Angry Birds playground.
The annual colorful costume show will add to the long list of amazing adventures.
Delicious food awaits everyone who is hungry in the underground cafe, and those who did not have time to buy gifts for their relatives can do so in the local shops and souvenir shops.
Santa Park opening hours:
Santa Park is not open every day, but only during certain periods.
From 9 to 30 November 2019 – daily from 10:00 to 17:00. From December 1, 2019 to January 5, 2020 – daily from 10:00 to 18:00 (December 24 – from 10:00 to 16:00). From January 6 to January 11, 2020 – daily from 10:00 to 17:00 (January 11 – from 10:00 to 15:00).
Santa Park website: santapark.com
Cost of tickets to Santa Park for 2019-2020:
Unlike free entry to the Village, entry here is paid.
- From 9.11.2019 – 30.11.2019: adults – 34€, children (3–12) years old – 28€
- From 1.12.2019 – 21.12.2019: adults – 35€, children (3–12) years old – 29€
- From 12/22/2019 – 01/11/2020: adults – 36 €, children (3–12) years old – 30 €.
Children under 3 years old can enter Santa Park for free. The price of the ticket, which is valid for two consecutive days, includes all the entertainment in Santa Park, and you can buy tickets at the ticket office from the elf.
Another wonderful place for children and their parents is located very close to the village of Santa Claus. But this amusement park is only open in winter - from early December to late March.
And every year this complex, which consists of a unique igloo hotel, slides for children and adults in fantastic lighting, a cafe and bar, beautiful sculptures, is rebuilt from snow and ice.
Everyone, from young to old, enjoys sledding and cheesecake rides down the ice slides.
You can conquer more and more slides all day long for a single entrance fee to the amusement park.
And after riding, you can take a break. The Ice Cafe or Bar will offer you delicious berry drinks - for children, and something stronger for adults. And all this in ice-cold glasses.
For a more complete experience of the Ice World, daredevils can spend the night in a sleeping bag in one of the ice-decorated snow rooms at the Arctice Igloo Hotel.
There are no other zoos in the world located this far north.
It is located approximately 80 kilometers (or an hour's drive) from Rovaniemi. More than 200 different animals and about 30 species of birds live here, including polar and brown bears, wolves and, of course, reindeer.
Excellent conditions have been created for the animals: spacious enclosures, good feeding and care. The zoo stretches out in a long strip, about 2.5 km, in the forest. Therefore, children can borrow a stroller or sled for free at the entrance to the zoo. Children usually enthusiastically prefer sleds.
In addition to the zoo, you can also visit the children's fairy-tale park – the “Mur-mur” castle (or the castle of the elves), where gnomes and elves make Christmas gifts for children, where you can enjoy delicious sweets from the local confectionery factory “Fazer” or a rare northern berry - cloudberries.
The zoo is open daily. Opening hours and ticket prices depend on the season. You can travel from Rovaniemi to Ranua by car or bus.
Ranua Zoo official website: ranuazoo.com
Ranua Zoo opening hours:
- From September 1 to May 31 – from 10:00 to 16:00
- From June 1 to August 31 – from 9:00 to 19:00
Cost of visiting the zoo:
From 01.10 – 09.12 and from 11.01 – 31.03:
- For adults – 15€
- For children 4-14 years old – 13.50€
- For pensioners – 14€
- Family ticket – 51€
- For students – 13.50€
From 10.12 – 10.01:
- For adults – 18.50€
- For children 4-14 years old – 16€
- For pensioners – 17€
- For students – 16€
- Family ticket – 59€
From 1.04 – 30.09:
- For adults – 17€
- For children 4-14 years old – 14€
- For pensioners – 14.50€
- For students – 14€
- Family ticket – 51€
For children under 4 years old, visiting the zoo is free.
What else can you do in Lapland?
You can’t leave these places without riding in reindeer and dog sleds or on powerful snowmobiles.
More information about this can be found on the websites:
- wildlifesafaris.fi
- gulo.fi
There is a reindeer farm near Santa Claus's office in winter.
It is small, but sufficient for organizing wonderful sleigh rides pulled by reindeer.
And, of course, you will be very lucky if you manage to admire, according to eyewitnesses, the extraordinary beauty of the Northern Lights.
The time of this inexplicable appearance natural phenomenon difficult to predict. But still, suddenly you find yourself in right time in the right place.
Where to live and how to get there?
There are no problems with accommodation or transportation in these places. Despite all the harshness of these places, the conditions for tourists here are excellent. You can stay on vacation in a hotel or in a separate comfortable and cozy cottage.
The city has a railway station, and just 10 kilometers from the city and 2 kilometers from the village of Santa Claus is Rovaniemi International Airport.
Cheap flights to Rovaniemi
| Where | Departure date | Return date | Find a ticket |
Helsinki | |||
London | |||
Tallinn | |||
Joensuu 02/18/2020002/1/2020 02/29/2020 |
|||
Zurich |
From the center of Rovaniemi to Santa Claus Village there is a regular bus service “Santa’s Express” (route no. 8), the trip takes approximately 20-30 minutes. The cost of a one-way ticket per person is 3.80 €. A taxi from the center to the village will cost several times more – approximately 25 €.
And for complete immersion in the local atmosphere, you can get from the city to Santa Claus Village by reindeer or dog sled.
And if you want to celebrate the New Year as a family, in a cozy house by the fireplace in a fabulous atmosphere - best place You can't find anything better than fabulous Lapland.
A trip to Finland is also good because we have a common border with this country. Therefore, the opportunity to travel to Finland from the northwestern part of our country is very simplified. For example, you can go there from St. Petersburg different types transport.
The easiest way is to get to Helsinki by high speed train"Allegro" or by car, bus, plane and even by ferry. You can also get from Russia by bus from Murmansk and Kandalaksha. Those who live in the central part of Russia can use the services branded train Moscow-Helsinki “Leo Tolstoy”.
The second advantage of this tourist destination is the relative ease of obtaining a visa. Finns willingly give Russian tourists visas.
Don't forget to take warm clothes with you! Happy holidays to you!