Christmas is the most important winter festival, bringing light and joy into the dark winter days.

Food has to be plentiful and a wide variety of traditional dishes are carefully prepared for the Christmas table.

A typical Christmas table includes:

• fish ( e.g. salmon and herring)
• salads (e.g. rosolli, a salad made of pickled herring and vegetables)
• carrot, swede and potato casseroles
• a roast ham with mustard sauce (the most important dish!)
• kotikalja, a home brewed non-alcoholic beer
• rice porridge and mixed fruit soup ( for dessert )

Ice fishing is a very popular winter pursuit in Finland. Delicious fish soup is often cooked after a successful day out on the ice.