Finland has marked the 'official' opening of the festive season with the traditional declaration of Christmas Peace.
The declaration ceremony is held every year at noon on Christmas Eve in the Old Great Square in Turku — Finland's former capital — and has been televised live by Yle since 1983.
The declaration was read in Finnish and Swedish by Turku's head of protocol Mika Akkanen, and was followed by a rendition of the national anthem in both languages.
The tradition has its roots in the 14th century, and meant that crimes committed during the Christmas Peace period were subject to harsher punished than at other times. Although the declaration still threatens harsher punishments for violations committed over the holiday period, it has carried no legal consequences since 1889.
”This Declaration of the Christmas Peace is of particular importance to all of us, and I sincerely hope that the core message of the Declaration will spread more widely this year than ever,” Turku's mayor Minna Arve said in a press release.
For many Finnish people, the Declaration of Christmas Peace is a tradition that marks the official start of the festive period.
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