- Title: FINLAND: Santa Claus is getting ready for his Christmas journey around the world
- Date: 23rd December 2005
- Summary: SANTA CLAUS LEAVING HIS GROTTO WITH SACKS OF PRESENTS SANTA LOADING THE SACKS INTO HIS SLEIGH VARIOUS OF SANTA FEEDING LICHEN TO HIS REINDEER VARIOUS OF SANTA GETTING INTO SLEIGH AND BEGINNING HIS JOURNEY
- Embargoed: 7th January 2006 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Finland
- Country: Finland
- Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
- Reuters ID: LVA5TE721G6CA1WC004V88BEGMNE
- Story Text: Santa Claus is getting ready for his Christmas
journey around the world and this year his attention is
also focused on the arctic environment.
Musician Matti Korva is a master of Finland's national
instrument the kantele. It is similar to a dulcimer, and
has been played for centuries in Finland. Every Finnish
child learns to play the instrument in school, and it is
regaining lost popularity. There are long waiting lists of
people who wish to buy the hand-made instrument because
there are so few kantele makers in the country.
Rovaniemi is on the Arctic Circle in Finland. The
region has had a relatively mild winter so far, though a
recent heavy snow gave the countryside around Rovaniemi its
white winter coat. Temperatures in the region have rarely
dipped below minus ten degrees Celsius so far this year.
Santa Claus is enjoying the snow this year. It is just
as much a part of the season as he is. Santa is preparing
for his Christmas Eve journey as usual; reading children's
letters, spending time with kids who make the trip to see
him, and of course packing his sleigh with presents. This
year, though, Santa Claus is concerned about his reindeer
and the possible effects global warming may have on them.
"The environment is very important for all of us of
course its very important to me and my reindeer," said
Santa Claus.
"For everybody in the whole globe I think people should
remember that we don't inherit the globe from our previous
generations, we borrow it from our children. And one thing
about nature, it doesn't have spare parts," he said.
Santa Claus' office is right on the Arctic Circle in
Rovaniemi. Every year people from around Europe and the
world go there to meet him. And local children visit him
too.
Santa's post office has received over 10 million
letters in the last 12 years. He does his best to read as
many as possible, but of course his elves help him with the
workflow in the busy season.
Before he takes off to bring presents to children
around the world, Santa has local friends to visit. The
Association of Reindeer Herders of Finland is holding its
Christmas party. It is a time for men and women who spend
much of their lives outdoors with their animals to discuss
issues of common interest. Some traded observations about
changes in the environment they work in.
A worm larvae that breeds in birch trees is normally
killed by long frosts but recent mild temperatures have
lead to an explosion of the birch eating worms --putting
the reindeers's supply of food at risk.
"It's the birch which is the reindeers' summer food,
and if the birch disappears the reindeers lose their food.
That's why it is important," explained reindeer herder Eero
Lansman.
"We already have vast areas of forest that were
destroyed. It's because of the wild winters that the
reproduction of worm larvae is explosive," he said.
Another herder said the difficulty created by climate
change facing the herders was the loss of winter
transportation routes.
"The long mild winters are affecting the development of
ice layers on the rivers and streams. This causes problems
in the everyday work of the reindeer herders like moving
the reindeer from one place to another. This is something
you can see clearly this autumn," said Raimo Hannuniemi.
Santa Claus reindeers get executive class treatment.
Lichen is a real treat for them. With the sleigh loaded,
Santa begins his incredible journey that takes him around
the world in one night. No one is sure how he does it, but
Santa puts it down to the difference in time zones and the
very long Arctic winter nights. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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