DESTINATION IDEAS
   England
   Germany
   Italy
   France
   Austria
   Belgium
   Croatia
   Ireland
   Wales
   Switzerland
   Castles
   Museums
   Cathedrals
   War History
   Family Travel
   Wine & Food
   Motorsports
   Romantic Hotels

Belgium Image

EUROPE
HOTEL DEALS

BARGAIN SEARCH
HOTELS
AIRFARES
AUTO & RAIL


Christmas items 2016 by Villeroy & Boch are available now at Porzellantreff!

 

 







 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bargain Travel Europe guide to Europe on a budget for vacation destinations, travel ideas
and secret spots missed by travel tours.


Collectibles Today - Home to All Things Collectibl


Hammacher Schlemmer Holiday


EUROPEAN SANTA CLAUS GAP
Christmas Custom Crisis Threatens Fragile Peace on Earth

Santa Claus Village Finland North Pole photoFinland claims to be the home of Santa Claus, present year round in his Village in the North Pole town of Rovaniemi. Iceland, with its House of Christmas in Reykjavik tries to trump with its custom of 13 Santa Clauses in the form its Yule Men or Christmas Lads who start arriving 13 days before Christmas. While, in ever icoclastic and isolationist Switzerland, some regions have no Santa Clauses for gifting, prefering to eschew the jolly old elf and go straight to the source, having the Christ Child himself deliver presents - without Joseph and Mary, unsupervised, handing out gifts to children.

Finland - Santa's Village

Thousand of people make the journey to Santa’s Village in Finland, where old St. Nick can be found in his office on the Arctic Circle preparing for his annual Christmas trip, with his Lapland reindeer grazing on the tundra. Plan a visit to Finland’s Santa Village a beautiful complex or stone and logs set in a sparkling winter wonderland, or if you just want to send a letter for your eager child and have it returned with a North Pole postmark, Santa Claus’ main post office is open all year and Santa’s mail box is available online (www.santaclaus.posti.fi). Santa’s assistant elves speak many languages, of course.

Iceland - Thirteen Christmas Lads

Christmas Crafts in Iceland photoIceland’s 13 Santas or Christmas Kids “Jolasveinar” are the sons of two trolls, Gryla and Leppaludi, and take characters with names like Curd Glutton, Sausage Swiper and Meat Hook, for their mischievous pranks. They started out in olden days to be rather scary boys, but over time have grown into more familiar jolly elfs who arrive one at a time over the twelve days of Christmas and leave little presents for the children who have behaved all year. The kids leave their shoes on their window sills into which the Jolasveinar place gifts to be found by the family. Any children who have been naughty get a potato or some other reminder that good behavior is essential around Christmas. For year round Christmas spirit the House of Christmas in the center of Reykjavik offers quality Icelandic Christmas handicrafts including unique figures of Iceland’s special santas. Just follow Skólavörðustígur street to the big church and look to the left. For a cheap European Christmas experience, Iceland is especially budget friendly now since Santa left a lump of coal in their investment portfolio - and they're the closest.

Switzerland - Christkindl and Chlausjegen

Saint Nicholas Festival Kussnacht photoIn Switzerland, Dec. 6th is the big Christmas celebration - Chlausjagen Festival (Klausjagen) or the Feast of Saint Nicholas. In the small village of Kussnacht, just a ferry ride on beautiful Lake Lucerne from the city of Lucerne (Luzern), a cannon shot fires and the street go dark before nearly two hundred celebrants called "lifeltrager" (all men) dance in white robe costumes with enormous transparent bishop's miters, some 6 feet high balanced on their heads lit by candles, escorting St. Nicholas on his way through the village. Heavy bells worn around the neck accompany the Swiss horn blowing to announce the coming of Christmas. Star Singers or Sternsingers dressed as the Three Kings parade through the streets of towns singing Christmas carols throughout the holiday season. The children wait for the Christ child called Christkindl, to arrive with present in his reindeer-drawn sleigh. A wide variety of Christmas customs are practiced in neighboring Swiss villages were centuries of isolation during the winter months when the heavy snow restricted travel between the mountain valleys. Yet, there is indeed a Santa Claus in Zurich, who trundles through town in a fairy tale tram to give children rides through the city, handing out sweets. Most Swiss Christmas Markets happen on the 6th and 7th of December, but in Winterthur the Christmas Market Festival located around the main train station lasts until December 22, while Zurich hosts Switzerland's biggest Christkindl Market at its main train station. © Bargain Travel Europe

Compare best travel and hotel deals in Switzerland on TripAdvisor

More Travel Info
Finland

Iceland
Switzerland

These articles are copyrighted and the sole property of Bargain Travel Europe and WLPV, LLC. and may not be copied or reprinted without permission.


SEE ALSO:

ZURICH FOR CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEARS

BEST BIG CHRISTMAS MARKETS IN GERMANY

GERMANY MEDIEVAL CHRISTMAS MARKETS

MATTERHORN - SKI ZERMATT UNDER A ROMANTIC MOON

WINTER SKI RESORTS OF LAKE GENEVA REGION