Truth and Myth About Christmas

This morning, the rush of Christmas preparations is already almost over, and around midday Finnish people go to listen to the Declaration of Christmas Peace, which dates back to the Middle Ages. Later in the evening, at the festive table, the Christmas Gospel is read, telling how the child Jesus was born to Mary, who had become pregnant as a virgin and who, together with her betrothed Joseph, had gone to Bethlehem to be registered for taxation.

This story, familiar to all Westerners, is a rather beautiful narrative. In addition, for many people it is associated with such childhood memories that they wish to revive them even if their worldview is not theistic. If anything, this shows how extremely important traditions are to people.

* * *

As most of you—my esteemed readers—are probably aware, many Christmas traditions are much older than Christianity. One of their sources is the Roman festival of Saturnalia, which was celebrated for a week around the time of the winter solstice.

The description of Saturnalia given, for example, on Wikipedia sounds very familiar, although there are of course differences beyond the Christian nature of the celebration. During the festival, people gave each other gifts, and there was plenty of festive food, games, and merrymaking. It is also interesting that in the Roman temple considered the center of Saturnalia, the cult statue of Saturn had its feet unbound.

On the other hand, Saturnalia was led by a carnival king chosen for the occasion, and slaves were granted the freedoms of free people. This meant that they were allowed to gamble, become publicly intoxicated, cast aside the cloak of restrained behavior, and even act insolently. The streets, too, were filled with boisterous celebration.

These latter Roman customs do not belong to the Christmases of my generation, but I have noticed that, at least in terms of celebrating, Finland is gradually changing. Not everyone spends Christmas at home anymore; instead, people set off on boisterous holiday trips to the south or the north. And perhaps nightlife, too, is livelier than before even in cities where people’s homes are located.

* * *

The ancient Romans had neither Christmas trees nor Santa Claus. The origin of the former is not known for certain.

According to Estonians, the first public Christmas tree was erected in Tallinn as early as 1441, but Latvian archival sources claim that the Brotherhood of the Blackheads brought the Christmas tree to Riga in 1510. In addition, there is a well-known account according to which the Christmas tree originated in 16th-century Germany, in the area of present-day Strasbourg.

What is certain, however, is that the Christmas tree tradition does not originate from Finland or even from the Nordic countries, since spruce trees began to appear in people’s homes here—initially among the nobility—only in the 19th century. Among the common people, the Christmas tree became widespread only about a hundred years ago.

* * *

Santa Claus, of course, lives on Korvatunturi in Finland (the name translates as “Ear Mountain”), together with Mrs. Claus and his elves. This is so despite the fact that some who have lost their faith in him believe that Santa Claus originated as a kind of successor to the tradition of Saint Nicholas, the Bishop of Myra who lived in the 4th century.

Even more absurd is the idea held by Americans that Santa Claus lives at the North Pole and travels around with flying reindeer—as if they did not know that there are no reindeer living at the North Pole at all. And even if there were, they certainly would not know how to fly.

In Finland, however, there have always also been relatives of Santa Claus: the Nuutti goats and Kekri goats. They are known to have gone from house to house, first drinking the alcoholic beverages offered to them, second distributing gifts to well-behaved children, and as a third option handing out birch twigs to the naughty ones.

Fortunately, in recent years Santa Claus has reduced the first and third of these pastimes and has instead focused more on listening to Christmas songs sung in children’s clear voices and on distributing gifts.

With these words—taken more or less seriously—I wish you, my esteemed readers, a very good and happy Christmas!

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
A Different Kind of Christmas
Christmas gift to the Holy Land
Merry Christmas!

Police to Finnish Graduates: Leave Fireworks, Blades, and Booze at Home

As many know, Europe has changed rapidly in recent decades. In the United Kingdom, massive grooming gangs have come to light; France and Germany have experienced acts of terrorism; and in Sweden, there are residential areas where emergency vehicles will not enter without police protection.

In Finland, changes have so far been more modest, but today the police issued a statement concerning next weekend’s school graduation celebrations, advising: “Leave fireworks, bladed weapons, and intoxicants out of the festivities!” This is because — according to the police — “the past few years have shown that although celebrations have mostly gone peacefully, as night falls, party venues become unsafe.”

Of course, young people finishing school have known how to use intoxicants before, but new phenomena in recent years include threats — and even use — of bladed weapons, as well as firing fireworks directly at people. Everyone can speculate on the reasons, and many may even know the real cause behind the increase in these incidents.

Still, one can hope that graduation celebrations across the country will pass peacefully, without anyone suffering stab wounds — let alone losing their life — or burn injuries caused by fireworks. 

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
The Increasing Criminality Among Swedish Students Stems from Their Values
Finland to Tighten Citizenship Requirements Further
The Swedish Immigration Catastrophe – A Cautionary Tale

Fear Lurks in Vladimir Putin's Mind as He Celebrates on the Wrong Date

Tomorrow, Russia’s dictator Vladimir Putin, along with his cronies and subordinates, will celebrate the so-called Victory Day in honor of the end of World War II. However, the timing isn’t quite accurate, as World War II is generally considered to have ended with Japan’s surrender—first with the Emperor’s announcement on August 15, 1945, and officially with the signing of the surrender documents on September 2. Of course, the European war had already ended 80 years ago, in May 1945.

It’s also worth remembering that the Soviet Union didn’t stop fighting when the war in Europe ended. Instead, it entered the war against Japan on August 8, 1945, in accordance with what had been agreed among the Allies at the Yalta Conference earlier that year. This happened at a point when Japan’s defeat was all but inevitable, though no formal surrender had yet occurred. The Soviet offensive in Manchuria, southern Sakhalin, and the Kuril Islands continued through late August and even into early September.

As a consequence of these events, the Korean Peninsula ended up divided into Soviet and American occupation zones—and remains split into two nations to this day. In addition, Japan and the Soviet Union, and later Russia, have never signed a formal peace treaty due to the ongoing dispute over four of the Kuril Islands.

These facts are unlikely to dampen Putin’s celebratory mood. What may trouble him more—like a squirrel tormented by a frozen nut—is the persistent fear, lurking in the back of his mind throughout the festivities, that a Ukrainian drone could strike directly in Red Square. Even if Ukraine likely lacks the capacity to cause large-scale destruction in such an attack, that doesn’t guarantee peace of mind inside the Kremlin.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
When the War Comes Home to Moscow
Bless Ukrainian Soldiers With the Spirit That Once Defined the Celebrated Finnish Veterans
Ukraine’s Situation Mirrors Finland in 1944

When the War Comes Home to Moscow

Russian tourism authorities have reported that at least 350 flights have been delayed or canceled due to last night's drone attacks by Ukraine. According to them, this has affected around 60,000 passengers, meaning that Putin’s subordinates have now personally experienced what it's like to live under a dictator waging a senseless war.

This is, of course, a good thing, as public support for Putin’s so-called special operation might once again drop a little. However, it’s futile to imagine that the opinions of the Russian people would have any more influence on their president than those of citizens under other global dictators.

That’s why it’s interesting to read that U.S. President Donald Trump has speculated that Putin might be enticed into peace by offering Russia a chance to participate in the next FIFA World Cup. However, such speculation is likely already too late, as the qualification rounds are underway, and Russia can no longer make it to the tournament.

Nevertheless, the idea that major sporting events could be used to pressure Putin into peace is intriguing. The thought is almost delightful—if only it were that easy.

Unfortunately, I have to remain somewhat skeptical here as well. Peace would mean that at least hundreds of thousands of brutalized men would return home from the Ukrainian front, many of whom would undoubtedly struggle to reintegrate into normal civilian life.

As a result, these soldiers could generate tensions within Russian society, which in the worst case could escalate and even lead to questioning Putin’s position. I don’t believe for a second that Putin fails to understand this—nor do I think he would be willing to take such a risk.

The fact is that, for a dictator, it's safer to wage even an eternal war—as long as it doesn’t end in defeat and doesn’t overly affect the daily lives of ordinary Muscovites or St. Petersburg residents. Which, incidentally, Ukraine’s recent drone strikes against Moscow might well begin to do.

And it’s certainly not insignificant that Ukrainian drones might very well spoil the mood of the dictator’s upcoming holiday celebrations. This could happen even if Zelensky’s army voluntarily refrains from sending a single drone to annoy the Russians on Friday, out of respect for the end of World War II.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Putin Faces a Heavy Price for His Hesitation
Be Ready: Russia May Launch Another "Special Operation"
Trump Speaks from Putin’s Pocket – A Perilous Shift in the Ukraine War

Bless Ukrainian Soldiers With the Spirit That Once Defined the Celebrated Finnish Veterans

During the Second World War, Finland fought three separate wars. The first of these was the legendary Winter War, in which a nation of just 3.7 million people fought virtually alone against the Soviet Union, which was indirectly supported by Germany. Despite overwhelming odds, Finland managed to preserve its independence, though it had to cede one-tenth of its territory.

This loss fostered a spirit of revenge, leading Finland to attempt to reclaim its lost lands — and to conquer Eastern Karelia, home to related Finno-Ugric peoples — when Germany attacked the Soviet Union in 1941. In this Continuation War, too, the Soviet Union was the first to initiate hostilities. Unlike Germany, however, Finland managed to halt the Soviet Red Army’s major offensives toward the end of the Continuation War and preserved its independence, with borders roughly similar to those agreed after the Winter War.

The two wars mentioned above are relatively well known even outside Finland. However, few have even heard of the Lapland War. It broke out on September 15, 1944, because the Soviet Union made the rapid expulsion of German troops from Finland one of the conditions of the Continuation War’s armistice.

At that time, northern Finland was a major base for a very large number of German troops — over 200,000 men — who had fought alongside Finland during the Continuation War and now had to be expelled swiftly according to the peace terms. If the Finns failed to do so, Stalin threatened that the Soviet Union would "send assistance" — effectively meaning a renewed attack on Finland, which was simultaneously required to demobilize most of its own army.

Due to this situation, and the relatively small size of the Finnish forces in Lapland — at most about 75,000 soldiers — the Finns were forced to attack the Germans first by surprise, without a formal declaration of war, and later with increasing but often tactically unwise aggressiveness. As a result, Finnish casualties were very high, and the surprised German troops retaliated for what they saw as betrayal by burning almost every building in northern Finland to the ground. Fortunately, most of the civilian population had been evacuated across the border into Sweden.

Moreover, the Germans scattered anti-personnel mines from their depots throughout the region, causing deaths and injuries well into the 1960s, during my own childhood. It is no wonder, then, that until the collapse of the Soviet Union — and the inflow of money brought by East German tourists that followed — the people of northern Finland harbored a deep hatred toward the Germans.

Through great sacrifice, Finland managed to satisfy Stalin and avoid a new Soviet invasion. This was achieved even though the Finnish army ultimately failed to capture the narrow northwesternmost corner of Finland, where German forces held strong positions in extraordinarily defensible — virtually unconquerable — terrain. They abandoned these only when the broader situation of the ongoing world war forced them to.

Today marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Lapland War. It is also the Finnish Veterans’ Day, when we honor the memory of those men who defended our country in their youth. 

At the same time, I extend my heartfelt wishes to all the soldiers fighting for Ukraine, hoping they may be blessed with the same skill, valor, courage, resilience, and unwavering determination that the Finnish veterans so nobly displayed during the Second World War.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
A Different Kind of Christmas
Finns - Among the World’s Best
Ukraine’s Situation Mirrors Finland in 1944

Why Hamas Is Unwilling to Give Up Its Weapons

Representatives of the terrorist organization Hamas are scheduled to meet with mediators of the ceasefire negotiations in Cairo, Egypt. Perhaps for that reason, Hamas has announced that it is ready to release all remaining hostages and agree to a five-year ceasefire.

However, it refuses to give up its weapons, which has been Israel’s condition for peace. In other words, Hamas’s proposal is unlikely to have been made in earnest — although of course, I would very much hope that it were.

This led me to reflect on why Hamas insists on keeping its weapons. During the Gaza war, it has become extremely clear that their weapons are of no real use against the Israeli army, and thus the organization is completely incapable of protecting Palestinian civilians with them.

This leaves two obvious possibilities. In my view, the more likely one is that Hamas uses its weapons to maintain control over the Gaza Strip by suppressing dissent among Palestinians. The motive for holding on to power is the opportunity it provides for personal enrichment and a comfortable life.

This fact is illustrated by the enormous wealth amassed by Palestinian leaders — for example, the billions of dollars in assets owned by the family of the late Ismael Haniyeh, or Khalid Mashal’s fortune, reportedly reaching up to many billion euros. Similarly, Yahya Sinwar, who led Gaza until his death, and Mussa Abu Marzouk also had fortunes amounting to billions.

The second — though in my opinion less likely — possibility is that Hamas intends to continue using its weapons for terrorist attacks against Jews. Without significant military capability, such attacks would be reduced to sporadic stabbings and similar — repugnant yet relatively minor — actions, making it impossible for terrorists to even dream of carrying out assaults similar to that of October 7 in the future.

As a result, Hamas and its leadership might find it difficult to maintain their popularity among Palestinians. The effectiveness of terrorism is illustrated by the fact that every terror attack committed in Western countries has been wildly celebrated by many Palestinians (example).

Of course, the two possibilities I have described are not mutually exclusive. Rather, their combination provides a strong motive for refusing to surrender weapons. And naturally, there may be a variety of other reasons for retaining them as well. However, it is clear — as I have stated — that Hamas’s weapons have absolutely nothing to do with defending Palestinians from any potential threat posed by Israel. 

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
In Finland, the Enemy Is Clear – and Now the Truth Is Emerging for the Palestinians Too
The Complete Demilitarization of Gaza: What Would It Mean for the Palestinians?
Questions to the Winners of the Gaza War

90 years ago in Germany

Exactly ninety years ago president Hindenburg of Germany nominated a new chancellor for his country. The name of the new leader was Adolf Hitler, who was the leader of the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP), that had a bit earlier become the biggest party in the parliament. 

After those developments a Dutch communist set on fire the Parliament building of the country which probably helped NSDAP to gain such popularity that in Elections in March the Nazi Party's share of the votes increased to 43.9 per cent, and the party acquired further seats in the Parliament. 

Thereafter Hitler was able to rise to a position of a true dictator of Germany via a "law to Remedy the Distress of People and Reich" with the help of the small Centre Party. Today it is politically correct to call all of this a mistake and a huge disaster to the whole world - which I believe we all agree on - and not to think about anything about the alternatives of that time.

In order to consider alternatives, we should understand that Hitler started his political life in the Weimar republic, established after the loss of Germany in World War I. That suffered on many problems before mid-1920´s, but the society settled by the end of the decade, until the Great depression changed everything.  

According to Wikipedia: "the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP), until then a minor far-right party, increased its votes to 19%, becoming Germany's second largest party, while the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) also increased its votes; this made the unstable coalition system by which every chancellor had governed increasingly unworkable. The last years of the Weimar Republic were marred by even more systemic political instability than previous years, as political violence increased."

And in another Wikipedia chapter: "from 1928 onwards (after Stalin reinstated Thälmann as KPD leader against the majority of the KPD central committee..., the party followed the Comintern line and received funding from the Comintern... the party was closely aligned with the Soviet leadership headed by Joseph Stalin; Thälmann has been described as ´the driving force behind Stalinization´... and ´Stalin’s right hand in Germany´. 

And somewhat later continues: "in February 1932, Thälmann argued that ´Hitler must come to power first, then the requirements for a revolutionary crisis [will] arrive more quickly´. In November 1932, the KPD and the Nazis worked together in the Berlin transport workers’ strike."

The question arising is: what was the alternative for Hitler in the Germany of 1930´s. Was it a democracy or was it a communist revolution supported by Josif Stalin. People of 2020´s probably think only about the first option, but in reality, it could as well have been a stalinistic Germany. 

What happened in early Soviet Union in 1930´s was not much different from what happened in Hitler´s Germany. People were massacred and both countries acquired military power. And it is also probable, that Stalin was planning on an attack towards the West in early 1940´s but Hitler started his operation Barbarossa before him. 

The question is that if such an attack would have occurred in collaboration with stalinistic Germany, would Western Europe have lost the war, and stayed under the occupation of Russian communists until the late 1980´s? And if so, would that have been better or worse than the German occupation for few years in 1940´s?

 

Naturally I have no answer to this question, because history is an invalid research topic where no repeated experiments can be organized. However, we may be happy to celebrate - instead the Hitler´s rise to the power 90 years ago - his loss of life in May 1945. And again, we can rejoice in the 70th anniversary of Josif Stalin's death on the fifth of March, just a bit more than a month from now.  

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Independence day of Finland now and 83 years ago
Tradition of low professional ability among Russian security agency and dictators
An ignorant mediahouse failed again in historical facts

The beautiful PM of Finland has driven herself into a trouble

The beautiful Prime Minister of Finland - Sanna Marin - seems to have a problem in controlling her behavior during her free time. The list supporting this conclusion has grown quickly.

The first suspicious occasion was in May 2021, when the PM was found out to use tax-free meal benefit during her normal life at home. She had to pay her taxes afterwards.

In October 2021 Sanna Marin was celebrating in her official residency with some of her friends after an event with people in the music business. Afterwards it turned out that there had not been proper discussions - based on the agenda - even during the official part, but the focus was rather in drinking and community singing. 

The third case was in December 2021, when she was seen celebrating in a night club although she had been exposed to coronavirus. And even worse, she did not carry with her the governmental emergency telephone, which should follow her everywhere for the case of urgent need to get PM contacted. She was called twice during the evening...

The fourth case could also be interpreted as a positive thing, unless other cases would not prove otherwise. Namely, in June 2022 Marin was shown in television behaving notably wildly during an ice hockey game with a glass of wine in her hand. 

The last case was a set of videos, where Marin was dancing wildly and was obviously strongly intoxicated. However, the PM of Finland should be 24 hours a day capable of making decisions in surprising situations. According to the video collection she hardly was... 

The behavior of the PM have raised many questions. They all can be summarized with a simple question: is she capable to act as a PM of Finland or rather a safety risk to the nation she has been selected to lead?

Finland will have an election of the Parliament next spring. The cases listed above will probably be forgotten by then - provided that further cases will not appear. And I believe that PM will not leave her position voluntarily before that. 

However, the first impression on the effect of the latest misbehavior of the PM - that seems to be more serious than previously - will be obtained when new polls measuring popularity of political parties appear. That is, pretty soon.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
The pressure on Sanna Marini is growing, but will she and/or the government resign?? In Finnish, but translatable by google translator.

A stupid thief and vandalizing celebrators

Vantaa is a more than 200 000 inhabitant town in Finland. Few days ago its Lutheran congregation faced a loss as someone had stolen a copper-made decoration of its chapel next to a medieval stone church. The stolen materials weighed 950 kg and were worth of at least 100 000 euros. 

Today we heard that the stolen property was found and brought back to the chapel. In addition, police had arrested a suspected thief. The official authority have not revealed details except that the arrested person is not a citizen of Finland. 

During recent years it has been a common practice in Finland to steal copper parts from buildings, often by Romanian citizens. Therefore it would have been weird - or stupid - if the area of the chapel with its 100 000 euros decoration would not have been under a camera surveillance.

The congregation, however, seems not to have been stupid, as police caught a criminal in just few days. Therefore, we should look for the thief, and conclude that his head seems not to have been filled with very brilliant brains. In contrast, he can be considered as type example of an idiot conducting crimes.

* * *

Also another interestingly stupid case happened during last weekend as Finland won the world championship in ice hockey by beating Canada in a thrilling final. That led to massive celebrations in the big towns. 

One would think that after such an occasion people would be happy and full of joy. However, it turned out that a considerable number of celebrators had weird ways of showing their happiness.

In the capitol of the country - Helsinki - some of the people climbed on the roof of a historically valuable building of the restaurant Kappeli, which had just been opened after renovation. As a result of their "joyful celebration", terrace furniture was broken and various wires were torn out of place. Also the roof itself was damaged.

Along the same lines, tens of ice hockey fans climbed on two pavilions under construction in the former capitol of Finland - Turku -  causing damage to at least one building. As a result, the city has asked police to investigate whether the fans were guilty of a crime.

If the copper thief from abroad was not among the most brainy persons, the same can be said about the people climbing on buildings and causing damage. And these people were almost certainly Finnish citizens. 

The question is the following. Why some idiots want to express themselves even in the most joyful moments of the nation? And why there always have to be those, whose destiny is to spoil otherwise memorable historical events?

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Demonstration of one´s own stupidity is a sign of western values
Current status of mankind and its culture