Snomannen: Bigfoot from Lapland. Holidays in Lapland
Lapland traditionally considered the home of Santa Claus. This frosty country occupies an area in northern Sweden, Finland, Norway and the west Kola Peninsula. This is the homeland of the Lapps or Sami. The heraldic symbol of Lapland is Wild Man- a huge, red and hairy man with a club on his shoulder, wearing a loincloth made of leaves. His name is in Swedish Snomannen.
The Sami believe that this creature lives in inaccessible forests beyond the Arctic Circle. In Sweden and Finland you can find sculptures, signs and posters depicting popular character. Sometimes his statues stand at the forks of the road, images of the red Snomannen with a snow-white beard are painted on the walls of buildings. This large, monkey-like, dirty, bearded creature has been featured in Sami legends since the Middle Ages.
Its body is covered with fur, reminiscent of matting or bast, and emits a terrible stench. The ancient Sami depicted him with horns and a huge club in euki. Snomannen has a wild, furious disposition, he is intemperate and rude, lustful and depraved. His vices are gluttony and drunkenness. Snomannen lives in the northern chess in a cave or den. It feeds mainly on reindeer meat.
In different areas of Lapland, the Wild Man has different names - Stallo, Klous, Div, Jadek, Jass, Klapperbok, Kinderfresser (which means “baby eater”), Tomasniklo. He is sometimes called Red Satan. Over the centuries, the brutal figure of the Wild Man has changed and began to resemble a clown or a fairground fool; it is this character that is the forerunner of the modern Santa Claus.
Santa Claus' helpers before he got the elves were devilish creatures covered in soot - the Dark Helper, Krampus, Julgubben, Black Peter, Peltz Nickel and Ru Klass. They are very reminiscent of the Wild Man.
One cannot help but notice how much Snomannen's descriptions resemble those of Bigfoot or Yeti. The latter looks like a monkey, covered with coarse, dirty fur. His broad face has prominent brow ridges, a flattened nose, and a square jaw. The monster's upper limbs are much longer than a person's arms. His feet are huge, and there is no hair on the soles.
IN mountainous areas The Yeti molts and becomes covered in white fur in winter. Bigfoot lives mainly in the polar regions, his favorite food is cranberries, and his home is a cave or den. Bigfoot hunts deer, eats its meat raw, and tears off its skin to sleep on. Interestingly, the word “Yeti” itself is similar to the Swedish word “jatte”, which means “giant”.
In January 2010, reports appeared in Norwegian newspapers of several teenagers encountering Bigfoot. They were picking cranberries in a remote area of Norway when they noticed a huge ape-like creature in the distance. It deftly picked berries with both paws and put them into its mouth. The creature sniffled and grumbled. The guys were afraid to come closer. The berry pickers spent the night in a light, collapsible house. At night, some animal came to the house and scratched itself against the corners, emitting a wild roar and almost toppling the building.
In the morning, the teenagers saw rumpled bushes and excrement. They decided that it was Bigfoot who was coming. It is significant that one of the notes talking about this incident was called “Snomannen’s Visit.”
Everyone recognizes that Santa Claus's home is in Lapland, but several countries are fighting for the right to be considered his homeland. In Sweden, Tompteland is declared the headquarters of Santa Claus. Here, 360 million years ago, a meteorite hit the surface of the Earth with a force equal to the explosion of a thousand atomic bombs. A crater formed at the site of the impact, which eventually filled with water, and Lake Silyan appeared. It is in these places that, according to legend, the Wild Man, Snomannen, or, as the Sami call him, Stallo, lives in the dense forest.
In Tomptelend, the Swedish Santa Claus lives with his helpers, trolls, Snomannen and the Snow Queen.
Tourists visiting Tompteland during the Christmas holidays, in addition to Santa Claus, can also see our friend Snomannen. His face is black, and his body is dressed in animal skins, he holds a club in his hand, and a red cap is on his head.
Sometimes Stallo, which means "metal man" in Sami, is dressed entirely in black or a shiny suit. This tradition probably came from the Viking warriors who wore chain mail. According to Sami legends, Stallo especially loves to get into mischief around Christmas. He rides around on a sleigh and steals food supplies from barns and cellars. He raises a wind that lifts up the hem of young girls, and can climb into the bed of young widows or faithful wives whose husbands have gone hunting.
To appease Stallo and discourage the libertine from the marital bedrooms, on Christmas Eve the Sami leave porridge, beer and tobacco on his doorstep. Near the wells, the Sami drive a pole into the ground. It serves so that Stallo can tie the sleigh to the pole. The Sami believe that if the monster does not find water and drink, he will break the child's skull, suck out the brain and drink the blood. That is why it is called the baby eater.
Stallo's sleigh (pulka in Sami) is pulled by lemmings, wild rodents native to the Arctic Circle. These animals were mentioned by the Catholic missionary priest Olaus Magnus, who visited Sweden in 1555. He claimed that in Lapland, lemmings fall from the sky. According to the clergyman, God was thus punishing the pagans because they did not want to accept Catholicism.
Sergey MIKHAILOV
Lapland is known to be the birthplace of Santa Claus (in his native Finland he is called Jolopukki). However, not everyone agrees with this; Americans, for example, believe that Santa lives at the North Pole. Anyway, 8 km from the Lapland city of Rovaniemi Santa Joulupukki all year round receives guests. Here, among the snow-covered spruce and birch trees, there is a whole economy: post office, shops, office, cafe, snow labyrinth.
Interesting fact: the first tourist to visit the place where Santa Claus lived is considered to be the wife of the 32nd American President Franklin Roosevelt, Eleanor. She visited the village in 1950. A hut was built here in her honor and can still be seen today. Lapland also has amazing nature. 
Sledding with husky, Lapland
Daylight hours in Lapland are very short in winter
Santa Claus Village near Rovaniemi, Finland
Winter forest and its inhabitants
The winter starry sky is considered one of the most beautiful. The constellations Orion and Taurus rise to the zenith, you can see the two most famous nebulae: the Horsehead Nebula and the Greater Orion Nebula - astronomers were the first to photograph it
In the forest
The Northern Lights can be seen during the day, but at night they are much brighter
Despite its proximity to the Arctic, winter temperatures above the Arctic Circle in Finland are not too low: the average for January is -11 °C. But it's windy and there's a lot of snow...
Road sign "Attention, deer!" all roads in Lapland and many roads in Southern Finland are difficult
Santa Claus Village in Lapland is, in fact, Santa's office, a post office, a souvenir shop, an ice maze, huge snowmen, a glowing Arctic Circle line and many more wonderful structures
Reindeer and husky riding is one of the main winter fun
Santa Claus office in Santa Park. Santa Park is located in a real mountain. There is a troll school and a toy store here. Railway.
Northern lights reflected in the water
Reindeer herders in Ruka, Finland. Ruka is one of the most popular ski resorts countries
Rapids of the Muonioelven river in Finnish Lapland at dawn
White Silence
Lapland is located in the northern part of Finland. Its area is 30% of the territory of Finland. You can get here by plane. The roads here are simply excellent.
Lapland is the land of fairy tales. Snow-covered trees look like fantastic sculptures, the skies shimmer with golden-pink hues, and deer walk along the roads. This country is the birthplace of Santa Claus, or, as he is called here, Yellowpook. Here, nearby central city Rovaniemi, his village is located. In the village there is a real Santa's office and his post office. In Lapland you can meet gnomes who help Yellowpooks fulfill the wishes of children. And people have never been to Santa Claus's house on the Korvatunturi hill. According to legend, only good spirits can get here.
A little about the Sami
The Sami are the indigenous people of Finland, living in Lapland. They fish, hunt and breed deer. You can still go dog sledding here. Modern Sami youth try to live with the times. Many people leave for Helsinki, but the traditions of this people are very strong and are carefully followed. Many Sami do not know Finnish.
Tourism in Lapland
Lapland has excellent conditions for relaxation at any time of the year. Winter activities such as snowboarding and skiing are popular. They also offer this interesting entertainment, like snowmobile safaris, dog sledding and reindeer sledding. In Rovaniemi, tourists can even get a “reindeer license” to drive this type of transport. The Arktikum museum, the Santa Park amusement park are located here, and in the suburbs of Rovaniemi there is the Ranua Arctic Zoo.
The Pyhätunturi hill deserves special attention, at a distance of 53 km from Arctic Circle. This is popular ski resort. The skiing season starts in November and lasts until May. If natural snow cover is not enough, it is supplemented with artificial snow, thereby maintaining favorable conditions for skiing throughout the season. They also offer snowshoeing through snow-covered forests and ice fishing.
A truly wonderful sight is the midnight sun, the polar nights, northern lights. Tourists can admire this beauty of glass igloos. In the village of Sodankylä, they opened the “House of Radiance”, in which, using a projector and mirrors, this natural phenomenon is artificially recreated.
In memory of the trip, you can bring products made from leather and deer antlers, as well as from Arctic birch. Traditional Sami headdresses, costumes, mittens, and handmade shoes are sold.
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Lapland — cultural region, located on the territory of several countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. It is a plateau cut through by numerous river valleys and mountain gorges; its northern and western parts are occupied by the Hjölen ridge, the northeastern part of the Scandinavian mountains. This mountainous country is followed by a terrace dotted with lakes and swamps, and beyond this a coastal strip covered with extensive pine forests and excellent pastures. The latter is where the settled population is concentrated, while the mountains are visited almost exclusively by the nomadic Sami.
Lapland as the birthplace of Santa Claus
According to one version, Lapland is the birthplace of Father Frost (Santa Claus, Mun Callsa), and today it is his most famous residence. In 1950, Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of Franklin D. Roosevelt, visited here. She is considered the first tourist to visit the home of Santa Claus. A hut was erected here in her honor, which can still be seen today.
Holidays in Lapland
Lapland- this is one of the most popular destinations in winter. Last minute vacations in this region are distinguished by their low cost and therefore attract everyone every year more tourists. The main place where people gather is the amusement park Santa Claus Village (Joulupukki Workshop Village), which is located in Finland.
The main visitors come here from Great Britain, Germany, Russia, France, Ireland, China, Japan, and India. IN last years The number of tourists from the American continents has increased significantly. Although in the American tradition, Santa Claus lives at the North Pole, despite the fact that there is no land there. European culture does not mention the place of residence of Santa Claus at all.
Santa Claus Village is located 8 km northeast of Rovaniemi and 2 km from international airport Rovaniemi. During Christmas, the number of flights arriving at this airport triples.
How to get to Lapland?
Mostly tourists get to Rovaniemi from connecting flight at Helsinki Airport, since the flight schedule is designed in such a way that the wait does not exceed 3 hours. During the Christmas holidays, charters from Sweden, England and some other countries are organized here.
In addition, Rovaniemi can be reached by regular buses and trains.
You can get from Rovaniemi to Santa Claus Village on route No. 8, which runs between the stations " Train Station Rovaniemi" and "Santa Claus Village". The bus ride takes about 30 minutes.
