Christmas Peace ( fi, joulurauha, sv, julfrid) is a tradition based on old Swedish legislation created by

Birger Jarl Birger Jarl, also known as ''Birger Magnusson'' (21 October 1266), was a Swedish statesman, ''jarl'', and a member of the House of Bjelbo, who played a pivotal role in the consolidation of Sweden. Birger also led the Second Swedish Crusade, whi ...

in the 13th century, extending the tradition of the

Truce of God The Peace and Truce of God ( lat, Pax et treuga Dei) was a movement in the Middle Ages led by the Catholic Church and one of the most influential mass peace movements in history. The goal of both the ''Pax Dei'' and the ''Treuga Dei'' was to limit ...

. Offenders who committed crimes on religious holidays like

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

were given harsher punishments. Today it is a tradition to recommend that people behave in a respectful and peaceful manner at Christmas.Roots of the Christmas Peace in ancient peace legislation
City of Turku. Retrieved 5 December 2013. The Declaration of Christmas Peace has remained in Finland where it is an essential part of the Christmas tradition.The Declaration of Christmas Peace
City of Turku. Retrieved 9 December 2013.

Declaration of Christmas Peace in Finland

Today, the tradition of Christmas Peace survives mainly in Finland, which was an integral part of Sweden from the late 13th Century until 1809. Declaration of Christmas Peace is announced in several Finnish cities on

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation ...

. The oldest and most popular event is held at noon at the Old Great Square of the former Finnish capital

Turku Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; ...

where the declaration has been read since the 1320s. The most significant exceptions to this are thought to be the years of the

Greater Wrath The Great Wrath (, in contemporary sources: , 'Era of Russian domination/supremacy'; ) was a period of Finnish history dominated by the Russian invasion and subsequent military occupation of Finland, then part of the Swedish Empire, from 1714 u ...

when Finland was under Russian occupation which lasted from 1712 to 1721, and the single years missed during both the 1917 militia strike and the

Winter War The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...

year of 1939. There may also have been a break between 1800 and 1815. In 2020 and 2021, the Christmas Peace was declared without an audience due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. The Turku declaration has been broadcast by the

Finnish Broadcasting Company Yleisradio Oy (Finnish, literally "General Radio Ltd." or "General Broadcast Ltd."; abbr. Yle ; sv, Rundradion Ab, italics=no), translated to English as the Finnish Broadcasting Company, is Finland's national public broadcasting company, founde ...

since 1935. National television broadcasts started in 1983 and the Turku declaration has also been seen on the

Swedish television Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

since 1986. The event can be viewed via the internet as well. Besides Turku, the declaration is also announced in some of the oldest Finnish towns like Rauma,

Porvoo Porvoo (; sv, Borgå ; la, Borgoa) is a city and a municipality in the Uusimaa region of Finland, situated on the southern coast about east of the city border of Helsinki and about from the city centre. Porvoo was one of the six medieval to ...

Pori ) , website www.pori.fi Pori (; sv, Björneborg ) is a city and municipality on the west coast of Finland. The city is located some from the Gulf of Bothnia, on the estuary of the Kokemäki River, west of Tampere, north of Turku and north-w ...

and the Estonian city of

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after the Northern European country's political and financial capital, Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 91,407 (as of 2021). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of ...

.Christmas Peace is Proclaimed
Tartu Postimees.ee, retrieved 26 December 2013 Music has been a part of the event since the 17th century. Traditional instruments used include the bagpipes, timpanis and various string instruments. The current format was established in 1903. It starts with the hymn "

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" (originally written in the German language with the title ) is one of the best known hymns by the Protestant Reformer Martin Luther, a prolific hymnwriter. Luther wrote the words and composed the hymn tune between ...

" and is followed by the declaration which is announced by a city official at midday. As the declaration is read in Finnish and

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

, the public sings the '' Finnish national anthem'' in both languages afterward. The event ends with '' March of the Men of Pori'' which is usually played by a local military band, usually from the

Finnish Navy The Finnish Navy ( fi, Merivoimat, sv, Marinen) is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. The navy employs 2,300 people and about 4,300 conscripts are trained each year. Finnish Navy vessels are given the ship prefix "FNS", short for ...

The text

The present version of the Turku declaration was written down in 1827. The text used differs in other. English translation of the Turku Declaration of Christmas Peace: :''"Tomorrow, God willing, is the graceful celebration of the birth of our Lord and Saviour;'' :''and thus is declared a peaceful Christmas time to all, by advising devotion and to behave otherwise quietly and peacefully,'' :''because he who breaks this peace and violates the peace of Christmas by any illegal or improper behaviour shall under aggravating circumstances be guilty'' :''and punished according to what the law and statutes prescribe for each and every offence separately.'' :''Finally, a joyous Christmas feast is wished to all inhabitants of the city."''

Gallery

File:Laivaston soittokunta joulurauha.jpg, Finnish Navy Band playing in Turku File:Christmas PEace balcony, Turku.jpg, Balcony in Turku where the declaration is announced File:Joulurauhan julistus.JPG, Declaration of Christmas Peace at the Old Town Hall of Pori

References

External links

2012 Declaration of Christmas Peace in Turku
{{Christmas

Peace Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...

Finnish culture

Declaration of Christmas Peace in Finland

The text

Gallery

See also

References

External links