The traditional Father Christmas

Father Christmas is the name used in many English-speaking countries for a figure associated with Christmas.

He is the most “invited guest” by children during Christmas waiting for that special gift which they have requested weeks and months before.

A similar figure with the same name, in other languages, exists in several other countries, including France, Spain, almost all Hispanic South America, Brazil, Portugal, Italy, Armenia, India, Andorra, Romania and Turkey.

In past centuries, the English Father Christmas was also known as Old Father Christmas, Sir Christmas, and Lord Christmas. Father Christmas wears a bright red suit, but in Victorian and Tudor times he wore a bright green suit.

Father Christmas typified the spirit of good cheer at Christmas, but was neither a gift bringer nor particularly associated with children.

A traditional figure in English folklore, Father Christmas is identified with the old belief in the Old English god Woden.

In the English-speaking world, the character called Father Christmas influenced the development in the US of Santa Claus.

In the UK and elsewhere, most people now consider them to be interchangeable. However, although Father Christmas and Santa Claus have for most practical purposes been merged, historically the characters have different origins and are not identical.

Some authors such as C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, have insisted on the traditional form of Father Christmas in preference to Santa Claus.

Father Christmas is often said to reside at the North Pole or less commonly, in the mountains of Korvatunturi in Lapland, Finland.

Children write letters to Father Christmas every year from all over the world and they eventually arrive at Father Christmas main post office in Rovaniemi, Finland.

Rovaniemi is the capital of Lapland in Finland, located at the northern Arctic Circle.

Lying at the junction of north and south on the border to the Arctic, Rovaniemi has become a modern town, full of life with its own unique characteristics.

There are eight different seasons this far north, each having its own type of daylight, temperature and natural phenomena. The changing seasons offer excellent settings for a whole variety of activities. During the frosty twilight, one can ride a snowmobile through snowy forests or over a frozen river.

Although Christmastime comes once a year, in Rovaniemi one can experience Christmas throughout the year.

Santa Claus can be met on any day of the year at his office at Rovaniemi.