Finland’s Christmas Craft Markets
Holiday Shopping in Helsinki for Fine Crafts and Finnish Design
Nov 14, 2007
According to Finns, Santa Claus lives north of the Arctic Circle somewhere near Rovaniemi, but the annual Christmas holiday markets in Helsinki make the whole city seem like his workshop.
The biggest of Helsinki’s holiday fairs is the St. Thomas Market, which fills the park-like center of the broad Esplanadi, a central artery from the harbor into the heart of the city. As the northern sun drops low in mid-afternoon, the park takes on a red glow from the lights in the long double row of red tents. Inside each is a display of handmade goods that reflect the Finnish, Russian, Swedish, Karelian and native Sami cultures that have melded here for centuries.
Among the most crowded are the vendors selling sweaters and other clothing made from knit and woven hand-spun yarns. Beautifully made and in colors and patterns that range from typical Nordic to cutting edge contemporary styles, many of the sweaters, hats, scarves, mittens, capes, shawls and sox are sold by the people who designed and made them.
Wooden household accessories range from useful kitchen utensils to decorative sculptures. Even tiny Christmas tree ornaments and clever animal-shaped zipper pulls show the Finns’ careful attention to design and workmanship.
Toys fill many of the tents with trucks, planes, trains and imaginative pull-toy animals, each finely crafted and finished. Look for clever wooden puzzles in the shapes of frogs, turtles and other animals, all in bright primary colors that appeal to small children.
Beautifully carved woodenware for the kitchen seem almost to pretty to use, but the foremost rule of Finnish design is that form follows function, so they are designed for serious use as well as decoration. A sturdy and utilitarian flour scoop may be exquisitely carved, and the wooden blades on carved spatulas are made of hard-wearing woods that make them as durable as metal. Look too for delicate spoons, bowls and serving plates.
In Finland’s far north, reindeer are domesticated animals used for food and other products. In the markets many booths will feature beautiful objects made from reindeer antler or bone. These make unusual and useful gifts -- a horn corkscrew, for example, or matched horn buttons, are gifts not found in every store.
Reindeer hide is also abundant and makes strong and warm jackets, hats, gloves and boots, often decorated with bright colored borders and outlines of embroidered tapes in bold ethnic patterns. But look for other furs as well. This is a cold country where fine furs are prized.
Wherever there is a market, there will be food. Some of these bright red tents offer delicious Finnish specialties. Savory grilled fish, sausages, and reindeer are on the menu at the very popular take out stands. Look too for special holiday cakes and pastries and for the booths selling home made preserves and jellies such as lignonberry and cloudberry jam.
The St Thomas Market is not the only show in town. The Women’s Christmas Fair is held from the first Wednesday through Sunday of December at the Wanha Satama, close to Helsinki’s harbor. It specializes in the handwork of women throughout the country and offers a huge range of high-quality crafts. Here you will find everything from fashionable clothing and painted silks to straw elves and charming finger puppets.
Shopping is not the only attraction in Finland’s capital city. December is filled with concerts, opera, fine dining, special museum exhibits and rollicking nightlife. But even without these, shopping in the Christmas markets would make a trip to Helsinki worthwhile.
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