The City of Turku offers once again the traditional Declaration of the Christmas Peace. The announcement is made as usual from the balcony of the Brinkkala House on the Christmas Eve at noon on the 24th of December. Finnish broadcasting company Yle will live broadcast the event on the television. About 10,000 people are expected to attend the event.

Notice

  • The Turku unit of the Finnish Red Cross will serve glogg in the front of the Statue of Porthan.

  • Channel 1 of Finnish broadcasting company YLE will broadcast the Declaration of the Christmas Peace live on the television.

  • Sign language interpretation will be provided by Elina Parkkila.

At the Declaration of the Christmas Peace, two men’s choirs, ‘Laulun Ystävät’ and ‘Naskalit’ will perform together and they will be directed by Juha Järvinen. The Christmas Peace will be declared in Finnish and in Swedish for the seventh time by Mika Akkanen, Manager of International Affairs of the City of Turku.

-    The Declaration of the Christmas Peace is a beautiful and viable tradition. I have participated in the detailed preparation of the event together with the other event organisers. What makes the event special this Christmas Eve is that it commemorates the Christmas of the Winter War between the Soviet Union and Finland 80 years ago when the Christmas Peace was not declared in Turku because it was forbidden to organise gatherings, tells Akkanen.

Finland’s national broadcasting company Yle will use this year also a drone. It takes advantage of a new 5G network for transmitting images to the broadcast. Other drones are not allowed in the area.

The Declaration of the Christmas Peace has been Maintained Through the Years

The practise of declaring the Christmas peace is a centuries-old tradition which has continued in Turku almost uninterrupted for 700 years since the Middle Ages. Only the Finnish Civil War caused an interruption of one year in the tradition but in Christmas 1918 the Christmas Peace was declared again. The City of Turku is responsible for organising the event.

The Declaration of Christmas Peace in Turku has been broadcast on the radio since 1935. The television broadcasts started in 1983 in Finland and in 1986 also in Sweden. Nowadays, the Declaration of the Christmas Peace can be followed around the world via the Internet.

Special Traffic Arrangements

It is advised to take the special traffic arrangements into consideration and to arrive at the event site on foot or with public transport. The surroundings of the Turku Cathedral and the Old Great Square will be closed for the traffic and the parking already at 9 o’clock on the 23rd of December 2019. The event site will be marked with road traffic signs requesting vehicles to be moved. The street Uudenmaankatu will be closed for the traffic around the Turku Cathedral at 11.30 a.m. onwards on the 24th of December. The traffic arrangements will be normal as soon as possible after the event.

As far as the public transport is concerned, the lines of the Föli buses using Tuomiokirkkosilta Bridge will be transferred to Aurasilta Bridge between 11.30 a.m. and half past noon on the 24th of December. The bus stops of the Cathedral Park will be relocated to the Hämeenkatu Street during the event.

Programme // The Declaration of the Christmas Peace on the 24th of December 2019

In the front of the Brinkkala House at the Old Great Square of Turku

Christmas Carols at 11.30 a.m. The Band of the Archipelago Fleet of the Finnish Navy, conducted by Lieutenant Commander (Mus.) Petri Junna and the men’s choirs ‘Laulun Ystävät’ and ‘Naskalit’, directed by Juha Järvinen.

The Declaration of the Christmas Peace

at 11.57 a.m. A hymn ‘Jumala ompi linnamme’ (A Mighty Fortress Is Our God’) Finnish Hymn Book, Hymn No. 170, verses 1, 4

at 12.00 The bells of the Turku Cathedral chime 12 times. Ceremonial fanfare of the Finnish military march ‘Marsalkan hopeatorvet’ composed by Artturi Rope.

The Christmas Peace is declared by Mika Akkanen, Manager of International Affairs of the City of Turku.

  • The Finnish National Anthem ‘Maamme’ (1. verse in Finnish, 1. verse in Swedish, 2. verse in Finnish)
  • The honorary march of the Finnish defence forces ‘Porilaisten marssi’ (March of the Pori Regiment)