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Doesn’t Lapland sound like a festive fairytale? Such a
lovely name and it happens to have a remote and exotic
location. In spite of its ethereal moniker, there really is a
Lapland and it is located above the Arctic Circle. Yes,
you read that right, above the Arctic Circle. personally
I didn’t know it was possible to travel any further North than
the Arctic Circle but then again I never was a geography expert.
As soon as I think Arctic North I picture the
northernmost geography of Canada, most likely because I live in
Canada. Yet that is not where Lapland is located. It is
actually the northernmost province in Finland, Sweden and
Norway.
Away back during the Middle Ages Lapland was better known
as No-Man’s Land. Very few people lived there with the
exception of Normadic Sami people. These people are
indigenous to northern Europe and their ancestral lands spans an
area the size of Sweden, but located entirely in the Nordic
regions. Today, Sweden, Norway and Finland are hard at work
building up the Sami culture via cultural institutions and
encouragement to continue the use of Sami language.
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Now back to a Lapland Christmas! Should you venture to Lapland
for the holidays, it boasts several national parks worth
visiting. Abisko, Muddus, Sarek and Stora Sjofallet
are among many of the gorgeous parks in this unique
country. Abisko is actually a village and a national
park. Close to the Norwegian border, it is approximately 195 km
north of the Arctic Circle. Yes,
north
of the Arctic Circle. Yet surprisingly it is
not snow-covered
all year round. Abisko, Lapland actually has a warming season a
lot like a North American spring. The gorgeous green tundra
emerges after many months of winter, and it is lightly covered
by sparkling permafrost. Mind you, during the Christmas season
snow-covered hills and snow-capped mountains are the only
landscape you will see in all of Lapland. |
Vacationers can expect to visit the type of bearded, jolly
Santa Claus we in North America are used to seeing in
shopping plazas except families get to visit Santa in “his” log
cabin home, rather than in a busy shopping center. Rides in
wooden sleighs, hot drinks made of Arctic berries, scavenger
hunts for reindeer tracks and sumptuous Lapland cuisine are
among many of the treats in store for your family in Lapland
this Christmas.
Learning a new cultural heritage and a different way of
celebrating Santa’s arrival are Christmas gifts not soon
forgotten from a Lapland holiday!
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