#Finnish Christmas songs

[nei-ning]

In Finland our Christmas songs are 99% about gloom, misery, life has kicked your ass, your family has abandon you or they have died, you go to their grave, you celebrate Christmas alone (either drunk or not) etc. No joy of any kind, ever.

Today I heard another horrible Finnish Christmas song. The song started like this:

A child finds his / her father dead on the snow, at the park. Police comes to inform them about this later. Their house is cold because their electricity has been cut off.

That was enough and I shut the Christmas radio...

[suometar]

Merry Christmas 🎄

[anabetel35]

A little piece for an AU where Aziraphale isn’t exactly the guardian of the Eastern gate — not in practice, anyways — but guards a gate, at least, if what he does can be called guarding, heaven doesn’t really have a representative on Earth (yet), the serpent of Eden might not actually be a demon, but rather something a little different, and where the Bookshop and even a small cottage are still a few mistakes and centuries down the line.

(It’s all a WIP for now, still in the brainstorming phase, actually. I’ve got one other fic I need to finish before jumping into this. Plus, this is going to be a bit… seasonal, one might say :) )

[dick-chugger]

All right, it's officially Christmas Eve aka the day we celebrate Christmas in Finland. So here's the most beautiful Finnish Christmas song for you guys.

Also a quick warning: This song contains themes of death and religion.

Varpunen jouluaamuna / Sparven om julmorgonen / Sparrow on Christmas Morning

[ruuhkaaika]

one thing that will break the family apart

what are good christmas songs..? what even is considered a christmas song

[neroushalvaus]

Koska niistä joululauluista on tullut nyt puhuttua, tässä on vähän mun omia suosikkeja, jos etsitte kuunneltavaa jouluunne:

Taivas sylissäni (säv. Carola Häggkvist suom. Pia Perkiö). Suosittelen Suvi Teräsniskan laulamana.

Marian ajatuksia, kun hän pitää vastasyntynyttä poikalastaan sylissään. "Olet aarre sydänten / Miten sinut suojelen? / Helmassani kantaa / itse taivastako saan?"

Seimiyö (säv. Olli Ahvenlahti san. Tommy Tabermann). Spotifyssa Johanna Iivanaisen versio, mutta youtubessa myös Johanna Kurkelan versio on aika ihana.

Tommy Tabermannin runoon sävelletty laulu. "Olemalla kynttilöitä toisilleen / eivät ihmiset / koskaan kulje täällä yksikseen"

Oi jouluyö / O helga natt (säv. Adolphe Adamin, suom. Kyllikki Solanterä ruots. Augustin Koch)

Tästä tärkein kohta on se neljäs "oi jouluyö", joka menee mukavan korkealle. Muista siis kuunnella mahdollisimman mahtavalla tenoriäänellä. Ruotsiksi kuunnellessa Jussi Björling on klassikkovalinta.

Joululaulu (säv. Konsta Jylhä san. Paul Holm)

Jeesus lohduttaa äitinsä haudalla surevaa lasta. "Joulun ensimmäisen / mä olla tallissa härkien sain / Sinne tähtöset tuikkivat valkeuttaaan / Sinne saapuivat tietäjät maan / Sitä taas viettämään / sinun kanssasi jään / Sinun joulusi kauniiksi teen / Sinä huomata saat / surun laaksot ja maat / voivat peittyä kirkkauteen"

Pieni taivaan enkeli (säv. Pekka Simojoki san. Anna-Mari Kaskinen). Tätä ei ole spotifyssa, mutta youtubesta löysin tosi ihania versioita.

Pieni taivaan enkeli pyytää Jumalalta lupaa mennä kertomaan koko maailmalle, että Jeesus on syntynyt. Tää on niin suloinen ja hellä biisi, varsinkin lapset liikuttuvat.

Sylvian joululaulu (säv. Karl Collan san. Sakari Topelius). Oikean mahtipohtisuuden tavoittaa ainakin Jarkko Ahola.

Tässä on sitä oikeaa joulun dramatiikkaa. Paatosta ainakin riittää. "Ja Etnanpa kaukaa mä kauniina nään / Ah, tää kaikki hurmaa ja huumaapi pään".

Tää ei oo se joulu (säv. trad san. Hector)

Mä haluan pistää yhden surkeusosaston kappaleen, niin voin sanoa sen tehneeni. "On seimessä lapsi / viaton, viluissaan / Ei näy enkeleitä / raunion varjot vaan / Kun taas pyhään yöhön / ohjukset pisaroi / Uuteen surmatyöhön / valtiaat käydä voi"

Jouluyön hymni (säv. & san. Pekka Simojoki). Esimerkiksi Jipulla on kaunis versio tästä.

Tässä on vain niin valloittavan kauniit sanat. "Soi huurteessa helinä huilun / Niin kirkas on tähtinen yö / Hän kulkenut on yli kuilun / Maa taivaalle kättä nyt lyö"

Tulkoon joulu (säv. & san. Pekka Simojoki). Kyllä ainakin kerran joulussa pitää katsoa se youtubesta löytyvä Raskasta Joulua -musiikkivideo.

On tää vaan hieno. Hitti ripareilla kesät talvet. "Pääsköön vangit vankiloistaan" pitäis olla taglinena jos Christians For Prison Abolition perustais Suomi-osaston

Suutari ja vieras (säv. & san. Pekka Ruuska). Samuli Edelmann laulaa tän aika ihanasti, siinä on juuri oikea lempeä energia.

Vanha suutari odottaa Jeesusta jouluvieraaksi kotiinsa, mutta vastaanottaakin kolme muuta vierasta. Lopuksi hän kysyy Jeesukselta, miksi tämä ei tullutkaan, ja Jeesus antaa yllättävän vastauksen.

[girafferoyalty]

Happy St. Stephen’s Day! Being very much a Christmas person, I felt like doing some doodles based on Finnish Christmas songs.

The first one is inspired by Kettu ja tähti (the Fox and the Star), which places the nativity scene in the northern Finnish scenery. The song mentions the Northern Lights, which in Finnish are called “foxfires”, based on an ancient belief that they were made by the tail of a giant fiery fox.

The second one is based on Sylvian joululaulu (The Christmas Song of the Sylvia), where Sylvia refers to small a bird caged in Sicily, who sings about his distant homeland. It is not widely agreed upon which bird the writer meant by “Sylvia”, but some believe he might’ve meant the robin, who was believed to be part of the genus Sylvia.

[misdre]

damn i was today years old when i learned that carol of the bells is ukrainian. the original name is Щедрик.

[wuekka]

12 days of Christmas in finnish is a harem anime song. ("Joulun 12 heilaa"= 12 suitors of Christmas.)

I can see in my mind so clearly a drawing of a woman in 1800-early 1900s clothing with brown hair up and in a red dress, in the middle of 12 men around her looking serene and happy. There could be ladies too because word in the song is gender neutral.

[potatounicoorn]

And naturally all of these songs have an offical heavy metal cover, because what is Finland if not making everything heavy metal

Finnish Christmas song topics

your brother died (Varpunen jouluaamuna)

your mother died (Konsta Jylhän joululaulu)

you are locked in a cage in a foreign country (Sylvian joululaulu)

life sucks and then you die, hi-ho (Hei tonttu-ukot hyppikää)

Baby Jesus freezes to death in the snow while humans stuff their faces indoors (Me käymme joulunviettohon)

Mary looks at Baby Jesus and has a vision of him crucified (Rauhaa, vain rauhaa)

Baby Jesus looks so peaceful on the manger, you know what, soon he will be executed (Heinillä härkien kaukalon)

Christmas elf has an existential crisis (Tonttu)

Bubbling under:

the whole family is drunk at Christmas dinner (Jouluaattona kännissä)

it snowed, it's beautiful, the homeless freeze to death under the bridges (Jos Helsinki on kaunis)

your friend went to war and promised to come back for Christmas, guess what, he's dead (Herra Melperin sotaanlähtö)

it snowed, it's beautiful, well you know what the black rotten leaves are still there waiting for the snow to melt (Musta, niljaisten lehtien kaupunki)

burglars dress up as Santas and rob the house when everyone is visiting relatives (Joulu on juhlista pahin)

[niuniente]

Finnish Christmas online radio with 24/7 music, available globally, has started again! If you are tired with regular Christmas songs, you can listen to Heavy Metal Christmas channel. It plays punk, rock and metal Christmas songs 24/7. Perhaps the only metal Christmas channel? Choose this panel Rouhea Joulu:

If you want calm, more peaceful Christmas songs, you can choose Kauneimmat joululaulut, which plays Finnish classic Christmas songs. Which are gloomy and melancholy.

Klassinen joulu plays only classical Christmas songs and hymns. Find opera, baroque and rococo Christmas songs from here:

Other channels:

Jouluradio = All Christmas songs, different styles and genres

Julradion = Finnish Swedish Christmas songs

Lasten jouluradio = Christmas carols for kids

Pop joulu = Pop Christmas songs

Happy Holidays = Your generic American style bright and happy Christmas songs.

[nei-ning]

HORRIBLE CHRISTMAS SONG is playing in the radio! A woman sings (with very happy melody):

"Grandmother wants to die and so do I. Maybe someday elves hear our wishes, too." AND "Try to forget everyday worry while placing a candle on your sister's grave with frozen fingers."

Yep, welcome to Finland where we know NO HAPPY SONGS. Everything here is ALWAYS about dying, darkness and misery. No wonder we have so much mental health issues here...

The song is called Vuoden Pimein Yö by Maustetytöt. I can already say I hate this song.

[lucedilunax]

Timezone - J. Slafkovsky

Songs masterlist

song: Timezone - Måneskin

pairing: Juraj Slafkovsky x girlfriend!reader

summary: Struggles in Juraj and his girlfirend's long distance relationship

warning: none

words: 1.1k

note: changed again songs masterlist and make it shorter, hope you don't mind!

masterlist

---

She and Juraj had been dating since they’re 16. They met in one of the Finnish high schools. He was trying to combine education with training. At the beginning it was tough, but when he met her, everything looked easier. She was tutoring him so he could get proper education and he was trying to teach her hockey. 

They acted like an old married couple, despite their young age. When Juraj had a debut in Liiga, her parents agreed on him moving with them so they could be closer to each other. This helped him a lot because earlier, he was all by himself in a different country and now, she had a new family with the love of his life. 

However, things got complicated when Juraj got drafted to Montreal. He had to leave her and move to a different continent and live 7 hours ahead of her timezone. She was the happiest person alive when he got into the NHL. She knew he's an incredible player and deserved this chance but was scared that they wouldn't make it as a couple. 

I call you every hour just to tell you that I’m losing my mind

First months were terrible. They couldn't get into each other's schedules. Many times, Juraj called her after a game, completely forgetting that it's the middle of the night for her. She had the same issue. She called him when she had free time but he was on training so couldn’t pick up. Slowly, their relationship became based only on text messages.

They’ve been struggling a lot. Juraj missed her voice and her face. They’ve been together for two years. He was living with her and her parents. This created a bond between them that was painful now. He was the happiest to play in the NHL but started questioning if this is worth their love. He got caught up with his thoughts that he ditched his teammates plenty of times.

She missed him too. She couldn’t watch hockey without thinking about him. It was tough because the whole city was living by this sport. She just wanted to hug him and kiss him. She knew they couldn't do anything about it, so she had to wait until she graduated to move to Montreal. Because of their distance, her grades started to fall down and her mood changed completely.

Only thing that keeps us apart 

Is a different timezone

On Christmas, her parents let her go to Montreal to be with him. It was the first time in months they could finally see each other. Juraj had training and games but still, he was coming back to her, not the empty apartment. He could picture this in the future. 

She was more than happy to be with him. She was cooking all his favorite food when Juraj was out. She took care of his whole apartment while he was planning dates and trips around Montreal. They felt like the day was too short for them. She even met his team and they could see how much happiness she’s bringing to him. 

After New Year’s Eve, she had to come back home. It was a hurtful time for them. For the past two weeks, they’ve been inseparable and now they have to come back to their jobs and live in different countries. She was crying all day when she had to pack but Juraj was repeating to her that only timezone is the issue when the love and care is still there. 

So fuck what I’m dreaming, this fame has no meaning

I’m coming home

In March, she had a crisis. She felt like she’s failing at school, failing her family and friends but most importantly, she felt like she’s failing Juraj. She hasn't spoken much, tried to keep it to herself but one day, she completely broke. She called Juraj to tell him how she’s feeling. At first, she didn’t want to bother him but she knew that he’s her safe space.

It broke Juraj’s heart when he heard what she’s been dealing with. Suddenly, hockey hadn't been his priority but she was. He was close to saying to the coach that he needs a personal break. He wanted to fly to her and cuddle her. He spoke with her parents about it but they convinced him to stay in Montreal. 

As much as they wanted him there to help their daughter, they didn’t want him to risk his career, especially that it was his rookie year. Juraj asked them to keep him updated with how she’s feeling, knowing that she won’t tell him the whole truth. It was a rough period of time for him.

And I don’t give a shit about the contracts that I signed

After the season was over, Juraj flew back to Finland to be with his girlfriend. He didn’t care that he had to stay for one more week to do media duties, he just wanted to be with her. He knew that he’s risking his place in the team by his actions but he tried to justify his actions. No one on the team said anything. They understood why he did it. 

However, the media team told Juraj that he can’t do that and he needs to tell them this earlier so they can find an alternative. Again, he didn’t really care. He hated doing media and if this was the thing keeping him away from his girlfriend, he’s not gonna be bothered by it. 

Now I know you’re sleeping, where I’m supposed to be in 

When summer was over, Juraj had to be back in Montreal. Still, he couldn’t go there with her. She was in last year of high school but after the season, they could be together. This thought was keeping him sane. The whole three months they had were incredible. They were everywhere together. Even when he was meeting his home friends, she was attached to his hips.

Every evening, Juraj imagined her waiting for him at his place but he knew she’s asleep in her bed. He wanted to call her and talk about his day but with her final year, he didn't want to bother her. When he was going to bed, he wished that she was laying next to him. She was his home and he missed her like crazy. 

One more season and she’s gonna be with me, that’s what Juraj was repeating to himself every day. 

She got so used to his presence during holidays that she felt like she couldn't sleep by herself. Juraj, laying in her bed and cuddling her to sleep placing soft kisses on her face and shoulders was something she was missing the most. She knew she needed to sleep but without him it was difficult.

Last year and I’m gonna be with him, that’s what she was repeating to herself every day.

---

Thanks for reading💕

[halipula-aika]

Okay I've seen enough "Christmas should include more existential dread" type posts on my dash to physically need to talk about Heinillä härkien kaukalon and why it is the best hymn ever if you want to feel sad about baby Jesus.

So this epitome of depressing Finnish holiday songs isn't actually Finnish in origin; it's a translation of Entre le bœuf et l’âne gris, a French song from the 16th century. It was adapted into Finnish in 1926. I say adapted instead of translated here, because the Finnish version has an EXTREMELY DIFFERENT vibe.

The first verses are very similar in both French and Finnish. Like, here's the French translated literally:

Between the ox and the grey donkey / Sleeps, sleeps, sleeps the little son

A thousand divine angels, a thousand seraphim / Fly around this great God of love.

And here's the Finnish:

On the hay, in the bulls' trough / Sleeps an innocent Child. The path of a flock of angels / Soon leads to Him / To marvel at the greatest Love

The next two verses are the same shit in both languages. There's "in the arms of Mary/the mother", and then there's "between roses and lillies". The metaphor used for Jesus changes a bit so it rhymes with the verse, and the thousand angels/great love part is always repeated.

And then. The Finnish translation. Pulls the fucking rug from under you.

The French version has two more verses; you've got "Amidst the gentle shepherds / Sleeps, sleeps Jesus who smiles" and "On this beautiful, so solemn day / Sleeps, sleeps, sleeps Emmanuel". Okay, cool, it's five verses of baby jesus. Great.

The Finnish adaptation only has four verses. And I'd like you to imagine what you have read so far with me. Every time I've heard this hymn, it's sung as almost a lullaby. It's about a baby sleeping in his various aspects: an innocent child, the son of God, the Lord of people. Singing those verses as a fragile lullaby makes sense.

And then in the fourth verse, the choir goes all out, the organist gets to flex how loud they can play, and the church echoes as the last verse is sung:

On the cross beside a criminal / Sleeps the purest sacrifice

The path of a flock of angels / Soon leads to Him / To marvel at the greatest Love

Additional fun facts about the Finnish language: the words for "sacrifice" and "victim" are the same, so you could read this as "the purest sacrifice" or "the cleanest victim".

Merry Christmas!

[kuulyyra]

There's this very sad Finnish Christmas song that tells about a girl who wakes up at Christmas morning and goes outside. She meets a sparrow and gives him seeds since it's cold outside.

At the end of the song it turns out this sparrow is her dead brother. Since it reminded me of Hanzo and Genji, here's something for Christmas. Yes, it is very angsty but the original song is to blame, not me.

[garbageonion]

tagged by @magenta-somethings on a 10 people i'd like to get to know better tag game :> this was fun to do!

last song: 100 kaunaa by lyyti (i've been absolutely obsessed with her music lately, every single song is so beautiful)

fave color: green (almost typed orange at first by accident. i considered it my favorite color for a long time but lately green has definitely overthrown it)

last book: lazarus by lars kepler (i'm trying to read all 9 keplers before christmas so i can ask for the newest 10th book as a christmas gift)

last movie: west side story (the 2021 version; i watched it with my stepdad and musical-loving sister)

last tv show: arcane (i'm watching season 2 with my other sister)

sweet/savory/spicy: sweet all the way (i'm a candy lover through and through and also have the spiciness tolerance of a sickly medieval peasant who's survived on turnips their entire life)

relationship status: single (for 25 years and pretty much happy with it)

last thing i searched: vaporeon (someone mentioned it in a tiktok and i wanted to check what it looks like because it was relevant to the joke. yes i needed to google what vaporeon looks like, no i'm not a pokémon person, what gave it away?)

current obsession: project diva (currently the only game i'm actually playing on my switch)

looking forward to: tattoo session 2 of 3 this sunday!!

bonus topics

favorite drink: i don't really drink coffee but caramel lattes have really grown on me lately

song playing on a loop in your head: salamander by deco*27

current favorite character: jinx from arcane (almost said ciel phantomhive because i've been thinking about black butler a lot again but right now the arcane brainrot is just taking over. also am i really basic for saying jinx? i don't care)

fun activity you would like to get into: i absolutely loathed crocheting at school but some crazy part of me wants to learn it for some reason

last video game: project diva (been also playing a lot of subnautica and neon white lately)

last comic/graphic novel: a couple days ago at a bookstore i flipped through a graphic novel about a middle-aged woman in a straight relationship coming out as a lesbian. the last one i fully read was at a library, about fatphobia and living and existing as a fat person. both were autobiographical i'm pretty sure? unfortunately can't remember the names of either one (and they were both by finnish authors so idk how much it would help anyway. if a finnish moot happens to recognize either one i'd be happy to hear)

tagging (with no pressure!) @mayrine @kiilttis @indy-ug @rainia @appleflavoredkitkats @plaguethewaters @stainedpurplehoodie @genevawrenn @agaricriminal @starlit-bawka