Santa Claus Village is located in the Arctic Circle, about 8 km north of the center of Rovaniemi, the official hometown of Santa Claus.
Christmas village for families open all year round with Santa Claus, elves, shops and igloo hotels.
In the Roosevelt Cabin you can find an exhibit relating to the history of tourism to the Arctic Circle.
Rovaniemi and Lapland were the first recipients of aid provided by UNICEF’s predecessor, UNRRA, in post-war Finland.
The help provided by UNICEF also included the construction of the cabin of the Arctic Circle and the start of tourist services.
Known as the "soul" of UNRRA, Eleanor Roosevelt made a surprise visit to Rovaniemi in 1950.
The Arctic Circle was built in just two weeks for the reception ceremony.
The figure of Santa Claus is a character present in many cultures of the Christmas tradition of Western civilization, as well as in Japan and other parts of East Asia.
He distributes gifts to children, usually on the night of Christmas Eve and is represented as an elderly man dressed in a red jacket, trousers and hat with white fur trim.
All the versions of the modern Santa Claus, called Santa Claus in English-speaking countries, derive mainly from the same historical figure: St. Nicholas, bishop of Myra (today Demre, a city located in today's Turkey), of whom, for example, it is said that he found and reported in life three children, kidnapped and killed by an innkeeper, and for this reason he was considered the protector of children.
The name Santa Claus derives from Sinterklaas, the Dutch name of Saint Nicholas.
The first character is Saint Nicholas of Myra, a 4th century Christian bishop. Myra was a city in Lycia, a province of the Eastern Roman Empire located in present-day Turkey.
In Europe (in particular in the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, and in some parts of Italy) he is still represented with bishop's robes.
The relics of St. Nicholas were partly moved to Bari, according to a legend by some fishermen, but in reality it was merchants who stole them from Myra in 1087 and a basilica was built to house them, placing the foundations on a pre-existing structure, in the year same.
The place, the basilica of San Nicola di Bari, has since been a destination for pilgrimages among the faithful.
Part of the Holy Relics, which remained in Myra, were later found by the Venetians and moved to the church and abbey of San Nicolò in Lido di Venezia, the left humerus is still almost intact in Rimini and other bones are scattered throughout Europe.
Santa Claus Village - Virtual Tour 360°
Address: Roosevelt Cabin, Santa Claus Village, 96930
Phone:
Site:
https://santaclausvillage.info/fi/Location inserted by
CHO.earth