Skip to main content

Christmas Countdown Characters #20

A little Finnish surprise for you today.....
 T is for tonttu 
A tonttu ( or tomte in Swedish)  is a mythological creature from Scandinavian folklore today typically associated with the winter solstice and the Christmas season. It is generally described as being no taller than three feet, having a long white beard, and wearing a conical or knit cap in red or some other bright colour. They often have an appearance somewhat similar to that of a garden gnome.[1] from Wikipedia. 
In the past, in Finnish households  there were guardian spirits known as elves (tonttu) Each type of building had its own sort of elf.- household elves, sauna elves, stable elves, storehouse elves, barn elves and mill elves. When treated with respect, they brought good fortune, but if they took offence, there was no predicting the consequences. All commonly were active after nightfall,but individual tonttu were often notorious for their eccentricities. from  The Book of Finnish elves (Suomalainen tonttukirja
These days, Tonttu are Santa's little helpers. According to legend, these quick and cute
characters find out which children have been good by listening to conversations and writing down their findings in a huge notebook. When Christmas arrives, Joulupukki (Santa Claus) rewards the good children with gifts.

Tonttujen Jouluyö is a popular children’s song in Finland with a very catchy tune. It was once featured on an episode of Teletubbies. It relates story of the Tonttu, the elves who visit the house on Christmas Eve, dance, sing, and eat some of the goodies they find. The Tip Tap refers to the noise they make. As morning draws near, they scurry back to their homes under the bridge.

Soihdut sammuu, kaikki vaki nukkuu,
vaki nukkuu,
Oiten varjoon talon touhu hukkuu, touhu hukkuu.
Tip-tap, tip-tap, ti-pe ti-pe, tip-tap, tip, tip, tap.
Tonttujoukko silloin varpahillaan, varpahillaan,
Varovasti hiipii alta sillan, alta sillan.
Tip-tap, tip-tap, ti-pe ti-pe, tip-tap, tip, tip, tap.


“TIP-TAP”
Day is fading, night is slowly creeping, slowly creeping.
Lights go out as people start their sleeping, start their sleeping.
Tip-tap, tip-tap, ti-pe ti-pe, tip-tap, tip, tip, tap.
From their caves the elves come softly prancing, softly prancing.
From beneath their bridge on tiptoe dancing, tiptoe dancing.
Tip-tap, tip-tap, ti-pe ti-pe, tip-tap, tip, tip, tap.
Complete lyrics and translation can be found at You and Me Around Europe
Chrsitmas card by Eva Melhuish

 The Tonttu reflects the Finnish Christmas tradition's innermost being: whatever is linked to Christmas, Peace on Earth and Happiness among all People. The Tonttu is an important symbol for the Christmas celebration and its magic winter mood, not only in Finland but all over the world where  Scandanavian  Christmas traditions. are shared.   

Hyvää Joulua ja Onnellista Uutta Vuotta (Merry Christmas and Happy New Year) 



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for reading my blog and please share your thoughts about my blog post by leaving a comment.Your comment won't appear immediately as comments are verified before publication in an effort to reduce the amount of spam appearing. Anonymous comments will not be published.

Popular posts from this blog

Meditations on Mercator

‘ The Timelessness of Stitch’ was an invitational group exhibition at Timeless Textiles Gallery, Newcastle NSW , 1 April  – 10 May 2026   ….  Across generations and cultures, the act of stitching has woven together stories, traditions and identities. Each thread carries not only aesthetic value but also the memories and emotions of those who crafted it, demonstrating how this simple act transcends time and place. I was honoured and humbled to be amongst the twenty-three artists (national and international) participating in this exhibition. My small installation took some time to develop…. Although I knew about this exhibition for some time, I kept procrastinating, going from one idea to another and not settling on any. Recently, I came across the word “mercator” and while a vague notion of maps was recalled, I really needed to research. Besides the modern commercial connections, Mercator has its origins in cartography, which Is often a source of inspiration for my ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fish and Sticks : Art Dolls

This week I've been working on fish and sticks ....  The sticks are the message stick art dolls which were very popular, attracting some attention and a few orders at the Wise Women exhibition. Each of the message stick dolls are from the Wise Women series, each with her own personality and  message of wisdom, handwritten on a handmade timber tag. I gather the sticks during my walks around my neighbourhood and the tags are made from special bits of timber, some collected by me or  my husband or from off cuts gifted to us  from another doll making friend whose husband makes bagpipes. These dolls start off very simply with a wrap around a stick, in the general shape of a body. 'Naked" message stick dolls - strips of wadding wrapped around found sticks.   Then I usually wrap other layers of fabric, wool, and/or fibres, over which I do some simple embroidery. I sculpt  or mould small face masks for these dolls. I really like using "sari ribbon" as w...
3 comments
Read more

Is it a mutant? Is it an alien? It's an octopus - or is it?

Have you ever thought how strange a creature the octopus is?  This week's fascination started when I asked the question, "What colour is an octopus when it's underwater?"  The answer is  "any colour it wants to be " -  An octopus' coloration depends upon its surroundings.  An octopus possesses the ability to alter its coloration depending on its immediate environment. This defensive technique protects the animal from predators and entices prey to come close to the animal . ((from  https://www.reference.com/pets-animals/color-octopus-be94f74fcdc74ebe)    . Why did I want to know the colour of an octopus? Because I wanted to draw octopus tentacles as mermaid hair for my art journal! Then, I began to think it might be considered a little too weird and even perverse to give a mermaid octopus hair.... Facebook friends assured me that this was not so, citing Medusa and her snake hair as a precedent, and even one friend said that she thought it was l...
Post a Comment
Read more