Lapland:
Where Santa Claus lives ...
Who hasn't heard of Santa Claus? Very few maybe . Children especially
know of this legendary character because of his fame as the gift giver
during Christmas . And this season you
can have a magical moment by
visiting Santa in his homeland... It's hard to imagine a bigger
Christmas treat than going to meet Santa in his home in Finnish Lapland,
a frozen winter wonderland of deep snow and pine forests above the
Arctic Circle.
It is the popular belief that Santa and Mrs Claus live in Rovaniemi,
Lapland with his hard working team of reindeer and elves, so let's check
out some interesting facts about Santa's home town which has become a
modern town, full of life with its own unique characteristics. In the
official home town of Santa, the famous Santa Claus Village and Santa
park are located just eight km north of the centre.

The city of Rovaniemi, a municipality of Finland is the
administrative capital and commercial centre of Finland's northernmost
province, Lapland. It is situated about five km south of the Arctic
Circle . The city and the surrounding Rovaniemen maalaiskunta (Rural
municipality of Rovaniemi) were consolidated into a single entity on
January 1, 2006. The new municipality has an area of 8,016.72 square
kilometres (3,095.27 sq mi) and an approximate population of 61,000. The
Sami are considered to be Lapland's own indigenous population.
It is first mentioned by name in official documents in 1453, existing
effectively as a set of small villages whose inhabitants earned their
living mainly in agriculture and animal husbandry - with fishing and
hunting the most important offshoots. There has probably been continuous
settlement in the Rovaniemi area since the Stone Age. Periodic clearance
of new land for agriculture and the practice of slash-and-burn
cultivation began around 750-530 .Lappish culture is a mixture of
influences from every direction. The cultures of the neighbouring
regions of Sweden, Finland, Norway and Russia have greatly influenced
the Sami culture and Finnishness. The cultural differences between
Lapland's different regions are rather significant.
The Rovaniemi area in the arctic zone has a subarctic climate and is
characterised by extreme seasonal changes between darkness and light,
cold and warmth. Just like the warmth and cheer Santa spreads around the
world during the magical season of Christmas .Lapland has four seasons
that very distinctly differ from one another. Spring, summer, autumn,
and the winter that takes up half the year.
The most common and best known animal is the reindeer, an essential
part of Lappish nature and of course Santa Claus, because it is the
reindeer who help Santa fly all over the world on Christmas Eve to
distribute gifts to children. Although Christmas comes but once a year,
in Rovaniemi you can experience Christmas throughout the year. Why?
Because Rovaniemi, is the home town of Santa Claus who can be met on any
day of the year at the Santa Claus Office on the Arctic Circle. |