Zwar haben wir da recht gut gegessen (Wildpfanne von Russen
), aber es war sogar am Sonntag abend gähnend leer und viel zu kurz geöffnet (und keine Alkgetränke). Immerhin wurden letztes Jahr die alten Zelte mit stillvollen Holzhäusschen ersetzt und die meiste Ware sind Spezialitäten, Bastelarbeiten, Eingemachtes, etc. (sofern hinter dem Häusschen kein Bottich mit Industrieware steht :P ) Preise sind normal, also teuer.Traditional St. Thomas Christmas Market in Helsinki’s Esplanade Park opens
Sales will depend on the weather, but tourists buying an increasing share of the goods
By Antti Tiainen
The annual St. Thomas Christmas Market in Helsinki’s Esplanade Park opened on Monday.
On Sunday afternoon Ilkkka Leeve and his wife Riitta Tuure were busy finishing their stall, in which they are going to sell wool terry products over the next two weeks.
"We expect to sell quite well, but it will of course depend largely on the weather. If there is no snow, hopefully no rain either", Leeve said with a glance skywards.
Leeve’s booth is one of the 120 stalls making up Helsinki’s largest Christmas market, where one can find hand-made gift items, crafts, baked goods, and other Christmas specialities.
The workers of Saunaholm, the firm responsible for the construction of the St. Thomas Christmas Market, have been erecting stalls at a brisk pace since Friday last week. Four truckloads of materials have been carried from Asikkala, north of Lahti.
On Sunday, only some finishing work remained to be done.
"Many passers-by have asked when the market will be opened. Particularly tourists are interested in the traditional Christmas Market", reported Rainer Parhiala from Saunaholm.
For Heikki Huttunen from the Finnish Seamen’s Mission this is the eighth time that he is selling goods at the St. Thomas Market. Over the years the number of tourists visiting the market has increased several times over, Huttunen noted.
After participating in the annual market a few times, Ilkka Leeve also confirmed that the share of tourists among customers is now significant.
"They are all like 'very nice, very nice'", he smiled contentedly.
For all its claims to be a Christmas Mecca and the home of Santa Claus himself, Finland is only a small player in the "Christmas Market" game, far behind the cities of Germany and Austria where the Weihnachtsmarkt tradition originated.
Tallinn, too, has a thriving Christmas market, which this year will be open right through to Twelfth Night, so accommodating those Russians for whom Christmas only begins after the New Year.
The St. Thomas Christmas Market in Esplanade Park will be open until December 23rd on weekdays from 11.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m., and at weekends from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. () Father Christmas will visit the market at weekends. Another Finnish Christmas tradition, the Christmas mystery play Tiernapojat will be performed on December 14th through 16th, and also on December 23rd. At the last weekend there will also be a barrel organ player.
Other events to be arranged by the City of Helsinki include the Farmers’ Market in Töölöntori Square on December 15th from 8.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. and the Sunday Market in the Ylä-Malmi Square on December 16th from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m.
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 10.12.2007