Tjugondag jul!!!

Happy Tjugondag jul (Twentieth Day of Yule) or Happy St. Knut's Day!

I could wish you a Happy Friday the 13th but, frankly, I'm not into all of that superstitious stuff and in my book a day where you take down the Christmas decorations and man dressed as a goat comes to eat your cookies and drink your beer is MUCH more interesting than black cats and walking under ladders. 

Today is the festival of St. Knut in Sweden and Finland.  The day is named after the Danish prince Canute Lavard and also associated with his uncle, Canute the Saint, the patron saint of Denmark.  For some, Canute the Saint was seen as a tyrant because he was very ambitious in his goal of strengthening the Danish monarchy.  For others he was a devout Roman Catholic and follower of the law (sometimes to extremes) and had his eyes set on the English throne.  He was killed along with his brother and 17 of his followers after hiding out in St. Albans Priory during a rebel revolt.  Because of his staunch support of the church and reported miracles at his gravesite he was quickly canonized.   It is interesting to note that in the years following his death, Denmark suffered crop failure and it was thought of as divine retribution for killing the King.   (Side comment-while I NEVER consider myself to be a historian doesn't it seem like most monarchs of this time period had a lot of those same almost fanatical ambitions for their country?  Sure, the methods were at times barbaric and boy talk about a time when people came up with horrible ways to torture and kill each other but if you weren't ambitious I don't think you'd last very long and especially not on a throne).  

There is a proverb that says "Good St. Thomas brings Christmas and evil Knut takes it away.

On Tjugondag jul, there has been a tradition a bit analogous to modern Santa Claus, where men dressed as a Nuuttipukki (Finnish for goat) would visit houses on the 20th day of Christmas.  Unlike Santa Claus, Nuuttipukki was a scary character and he wandered from house to house, came in, and would typically demand food and alcoholic drinks.   In Finland the Nuuttipukki tradition is still alive and well in some outlying areas.  However, in most places now (like in many  modern renditions of old European folk stories) it has been given a rewrite and children usually play Nuttipukki and the visits involve happy encounters.  Sort of reminds me of one of my favorite German stories where if you are caught sucking your thumbs they are cut off.  We certainly don't teach that to kids today. 

Don't despair if you want to celebrate Tjugondag jul and you find yourself lacking in goat costumes.  You can always stick with the tried and trued tradition of taking down the decorations and eating the candies and cookies that decorated the tree. 

Buon Friday and happy last day of Christmas!

Bussi Bussi!