Lapland – Day 3: Santa’s Village
LAPLAND
Day 3: Santa's Village
December 04, 2024
On the day’s agenda was something everyone but me had been really looking forward to – a visit to Rovaniemi’s Santa Claus Village.
One of Finnish Lapland’s most famous attractions, Santa Claus Village is a festive settlement built directly on the Arctic Circle, where visitors can experience the Christmas season throughout the entire year. It is a mixture of wooden cabins, snowy courtyards, reindeer enclosures, souvenir shops and glowing fairy lights. Visitors can also cross the marked Arctic Circle and meet Santa at his office every day of the year – a Christmas dream come true for most people.
While most people seem to love the holiday season, I, for one, don’t particularly care for it. Being dragged to this village wasn’t something I was especially happy about, but I didn’t have many other options, so I tagged along begrudgingly.
Perhaps owing to my jaded outlook on the entire thing, the village seemed like little more than a tourist trap. It felt like an endless succession of overpriced cafés and equally overpriced souvenir shops. The atmosphere was nice and all, but I couldn’t help feeling underwhelmed throughout. Most disappointing of all was the fact that Zara and Priya didn’t manage to meet Santa – the one reason they had begged us to visit in the first place.
The Real Winter Wonderland
We were running on a tight schedule and, for once, I was grateful for it. We had to rush through our visit to Santa Claus Village to reach Apukka Resort, a winter retreat surrounded by frozen lakes and snow-covered forest outside Rovaniemi.
I have to admit that this place was simply gorgeous, with soft lights glowing from wooden buildings, snow piled high on the roofs and just about the most serene atmosphere one could imagine. Here, we’d be doing something all of us had been looking forward to – though that would have to wait a while. And so, after donning waterproof black-and-blue thermal suits, we followed our guide through a snowy forest that looked as though it had come straight out of a fairytale.
The Sámi People
Following a short walk, we reached a hut beside a reindeer enclosure. Once inside, we sat around a crackling fire and were each handed a hot cup of tea. There, we were given a brief introduction to the Sámi people.
The Sámi, we were told, are the Indigenous people of Sápmi, a cultural region stretching across northern Norway, Sweden and Finland, as well as Russia’s Kola Peninsula. Their traditional livelihoods include reindeer herding, fishing, hunting, gathering and the rich craft tradition known as duodji. However, Sámi culture is incredibly diverse, and not every Sámi community has historically practised reindeer herding. Sámi identity also encompasses distinctive forms of artistic expression, including joik, a traditional vocal art form, and gákti, the traditional clothing whose colours, patterns and designs can indicate a person’s family and regional background.
There are ten Sámi languages, nine of which are still spoken across Sápmi. Three are spoken in Finland – North Sámi, Inari Sámi and Skolt Sámi – and many remain endangered following long histories of assimilation, discrimination and the suppression of Sámi languages and culture. Today, language revitalisation programmes and the Sámi Parliaments of Finland, Norway and Sweden continue working to preserve Sámi culture, strengthen political representation and defend Indigenous rights.
Meeting Lapland’s Reindeer
We were then led into the reindeer enclosure to continue the tour. These reindeers, we were told, are semi-domesticated animals that have been deeply woven into the cultures and livelihoods of northern peoples for centuries.
The animals themselves are perfectly adapted to Arctic life. Their dense coats protect them from the bitter cold, while their broad hooves help them move through the snow and dig down towards lichen and other food beneath it. Both males and females grow antlers, although those of mature males are generally much larger. Their colouring varies considerably, ranging from dark brown and grey to almost completely white. Most reindeer calves in Finland are born during May. Despite facing the lingering cold of the Arctic spring, they grow rapidly during the short northern summer. Predators include wolves, wolverines, lynx and bears, while golden eagles can pose a threat to young calves.
Herding practices vary considerably across Sápmi. In many areas, the animals roam freely across extensive grazing grounds before being gathered at particular times of the year. Rather than being identified solely by their antlers, markings or behaviour, privately owned reindeer are traditionally distinguished by unique earmarks registered to their owners.
Peace Among the Pines
As though getting to see these majestic creatures up close wasn’t enough, we also got to hand-feed them carrots. Then came the fun part – the reindeer sleigh ride.
While reindeer-pulled sleighs called pulka were historically used as a means of winter transport across parts of northern Fennoscandia, our ride would be less of an iconic Sámi cultural experience and more of a tourist fad. That said, it was still quite the experience. Together with Henry (a gorgeous reindeer who’s real, complicated name I couldn’t for the life of me memorise), I’d be going on a ride around a short loop that would give us a glimpse into Sámi transport.
The ride was incredibly gentle and quiet, with nothing but the crunching of hooves against the snow and the soft swish of the sleigh runners breaking the silence. As we glided through the enchanted forest, I was filled with a sense of peace unlike anything else – so much so that I was nearly lulled to sleep. I had expected some sort of adrenaline-fuelled adventure, but it turned out to be one of the most calming and tranquil experiences I’d ever had. All thanks to Henry, of course!
One Final Goodbye
After the tour, we walked back towards the resort. Here, we’d be saying goodbye to Akash, Zara and Priya, who would be spending the night in a glass igloo before leaving for Paris the following day to continue celebrating Priya’s birthday and engagement.
As I hugged Priya goodbye, it felt as though I was finally letting go of her completely. I wished her all the best for her wedding. Despite all my promises that I’d attend her big day, deep down, I knew that I wouldn’t. As far as I was concerned, this would probably be the last time I ever saw her. And I had finally made my peace with that. Goodbye, Priya…