Christmas in the Style of an Old Wooden Town

Lutefisk, cured salmon, cheeses and wines imported from abroad, casseroles, rice porridge, gingerbread cookies and rosolli (also called sallatti). Sound familiar? Indeed, the Christmas feast of the late 1800s was filled with many of the same delicacies that appear on today’s holiday tables.

Christmas was celebrated in a festive spirit, and preparations were made well in advance. Local shops advertised their Christmas displays, where one could purchase jewellery, fabrics and glassware. Christmas baked goods were flavoured with saffron, cloves and ginger, and they were prepared with great care. The bourgeoisie could also buy their Christmas treats at the market or from their own merchant.

Christmas candies, marmalades and marzipan were specialties of local confectioners, and elaborate dessert decorations—known as krokaanis—were true showcases of confectionery skill.

“Because Uusikaupunki had sea connections to destinations around the world, it was possible to acquire some more unusual food items for Christmas—such as oranges, dried fruits, spices and marzipan. It was perhaps also possible to obtain some gift items by sea, although most presents were handmade,” explains museum director Mari Jalava.

“These maritime connections may haveallowed even ordinary seafaring families to enjoy something a little special for Christmas—both gifts and food.”

In parsonages, bourgeois homes and manor houses, even the household staff might be invited to the parlour for the Christmas meal.

“That was probably the only time of the year when the entire household ate together,” Jalava notes.

In bourgeois homes, the Christmas idyll created by the servants was celebrated around a tree decorated with apples, gingerbread, small flags and candles—playing games and opening presents. In other families, Christmas celebrations were more modest. Homes were thoroughly cleaned for the holiday, and the food was slightly better than usual, but hams, casseroles and rice porridge were not yet part of a typical family’s Christmas table in the 19th century, nor was a Christmas tree brought indoors and decorated.

“When schools began holding Christmas tree celebrations in the early 1900s, the custom gradually spread to ordinary families,” Jalava explains.

Bulb flowers, such as hyacinths and tulips, were already common Christmas decorations in the 1800s. Lily of the valley was also forced to bloom for Christmas. Homes were decorated with candles, straw and crepe paper ornaments, as well as decorated gingerbread cookies.

A Christmas tradition shared across all social classes was, of course, attending church. On Christmas morning, families in every cottage—from the town to the archipelago—rose early for the Christmas service. Religion was important, and all who were able made their way to church.

At least one citywide Christmas tradition in Uusikaupunki has survived for more than 100 years: the illuminated Christmas tree in the town square.

“When electric lighting arrived in 1909, the city decided to erect a Christmas tree in the square and decorate it with electric lights,” says Jalava.

Christmas celebrations often continued until St. Knut’s Day, on 13 January.

“On St. Knut’s Day, tenant farmers and peasants dared to tease and mock landowners. According to stories, especially the strictest landowners fell victim to the antics of the nuuttipukit,” Jalava describes.

The nuuttipukit (St. Knut’s mummers) would end their rounds with shared dances, enjoying the leftover Christmas food and beer they had gathered—and bidding farewell to the festive season.

The opening of the Christmas exhibition at the Wahlberg Museum House (Ylinenkatu 11) will be held on Sunday 30 November from 12:00 to 16:00. The downstairs bourgeois rooms will be filled with the scents of Christmas flowers, sparkling decorations and Christmas trees. In addition to the decorations, the permanent exhibitions also offer a look into the Christmases of seafaring families. The Christmas exhibition will be open until 9 January 2026. Opening hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 12:00–15:00.