What Does Santa Ride on in Finland?

Everyone has the image of Santa Claus flying through the night on a sleigh driven by nine reindeer, but the picture of what Santa rides on in Finland is quite different. He does begin in his sleigh; however, at some point during the night, he stops his travels, parks his sleigh, and hopes on another form of transportation.

In Finland, Santa leaves his sleigh and climbs aboard a goat named Ukko! This tidbit of information might seen quite surprising to you, but if you lived in Finland, it would just be the norm. Legend holds that Ukko is made of straw.

Santa in Finland

People in Finland refer to Santa Claus as Joulopukki, which actually translates as "Yule Goat." Clearly, there is a connection between Santa Claus and Ukko. People believe that Joulopukki actually lives in Finland, so there are some differences between him and the traditional Santa Claus. Check out his office in Lapland if you want to see for yourself. However, as times have progressed, more people in Finland stick with the idea of the traditional Santa.

When Santa arrives at a home in Finland, the children are not fast asleep. Often, he comes in person to the children and he brings along some elves to help him give out all of the gifts. Of course, you must remember that this is the traditional Christmas of Finland. For convenience sake, some people have partially adopted the American traditions in some cases.