Christmas goat

* Knut will devour your souls! *

Joulupukki, Christmas goat, literally, that's our santa here in the North ^___^ The original Finnish Santa was known as Nuuttipukki, Knut goat. Young men dressed in inverted goat fur, leather or birkbark mask and goat horns. On 13th of January the Xmas goat wanders around the houses demanding food and alcoholic beverages while scaring the kids. If they were not offered any beer they might break something and leave. Sometimes he may bring small presents for the kind kids and twigs for the naughty ones.

In some regions in Finland they still carry on this tradition, however, as everything, it's toned down a bit and it's more like a funny play for the kids and stuff.

As the old Finnish proverb says "Good Thomas brings the Christmas, bad Knut takes it away". Have a nice and traditional Christmas where ever you are and try to be nice and stay on the better side of Knut so that he doesn't come and eat your soul! o/ ... you have been warned...