11 December: Great food, Christmas movies and sauna
Salla Manninen, International student, studying a master in Human Security, is from Finland. She is going home for Christmas and she hopes for snow.
The Omnibus Advent Calendar:
The Advent calendar is a treasured Danish Christmas tradition. In many families, kids get to open a small gift each day all December until Christmas Eve, when Christmas is celebrated.
Our small holiday gift to you is a chance to meet one of AU’s many international students and employees every day until Christmas.
All 24 will share where they’re spending Christmas this year, their favorite (and least favorite) Christmas traditions from their home countries, and what’s most annoying – or surprising – about Christmas in Denmark.
How are you going to celebrate Christmas this year?
I'm going to Finland as always for Christmas. It is the time of the year that I always hope to be with my family and friends, and in my home country. We eat well, go to the sauna, watch Christmas movies, decorate the Christmas tree, play Trivial Pursuit and visit the graves of my grandparents. Hopefully, all of this in a snowy environment.
What is the best / worst Christmas tradition from your home country?
The best tradition is that most years we have snow (I don't know whether it can be called a tradition, but it's an important one!). Other than that, overall I think Finns like to spend Christmas with their loved ones. It's a nice tradition to hold on to. The worst, which goes for many countries, is the culture of buying so many unnecessary things/gifts for Christmas. I hope it will calm down in the coming years, that people will become more aware of their consumption and materialistic ideals. I also really don't like the extravagant Christmas lights, such as blue/red cable lights or the super flashy ones.
What do you think is the most annoying thing about Danish Christmas?
In my opinion, the celebrations start too early. Also, to hold on to my main concerns, I don't think there will be any snow.
- Hyvää joulua!
The Omnibus Advent Calendar:
The Advent calendar is a treasured Danish Christmas tradition. In many families, kids get to open a small gift each day all December until Christmas Eve, when Christmas is celebrated.
Our small holiday gift to you is a chance to meet one of AU’s many international students and employees every day until Christmas.
All 24 will share where they’re spending Christmas this year, their favorite (and least favorite) Christmas traditions from their home countries, and what’s most annoying – or surprising – about Christmas in Denmark.