It’s no secret that Finnish Lapland is Santa Central, a territory in which the White-Bearded One sits in permanent residence, extending the festive season beyond its allotted schedule. The Santa Claus Village on the Arctic Circle at Rovaniemi, the provincial capital, comes charmingly alive with festive glitter at and around Christmas itself, with elves and reindeer galore against a backdrop of plentiful snow, as well as the red-gowned governor making himself conspicuous. But if you’re looking for a less Santa-saturated experience, with or without the kids, in an authentic Lapland setting, you’d do well to head even further north. In fact, about as far north in European terms as it’s possible to go.
Inari, a compact community 350 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle on the edge of a vast lake of the same name – Finland’s third largest – is a good choice at which to be enchanted by Lapland’s special winter magic, at and either side of the Christmas and New Year season. That season falls within the period of deep winter in Arctic Finland called kaamos, the Polar Night during which the sun sulks below the horizon without bothering to rise above it. If poolside tans and cocktails are a priority for your midwinter break, you won’t be heading in this direction in the first place, but visitors are invariably thrilled beyond expectation by the magical Arctic half-light at this time.
Visitors can visit the Inari reindeer farm
(Tim Bird)
“Polar Night is an especially beautiful season,” says Anne Karhu-Angeli, whose Sámi family runs the Angeli Reindeer Farm near Inari. Visits can be booked in advance to those who seek an introduction to the authentic life of the local Sámi minority, the only ethnic grouping in the EU to have earned indigenous European status. “We are busy with our reindeer but the stillness of nature calms everything down. Lakes freeze up. Wild birds migrate southwards. Wild animals hibernate.”
Reindeer herding keeps her family tightly connected to Sámi culture. “We speak the Inari Sámi language and we use materials sourced from the animals – antlers and hides – for traditional Sámi handicraft. Our grandparents still teach Sámi traditions to our children. Our visitors learn about our culture, the revival of our ancient Inari Sámi language, and our sustainable lifestyle. Our connection…
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