Joulupukki is the Finnish name for Santa Claus. The name Joulupukki literally means Yule Goat or Christmas Goat. This name is likely to come from an old Finnish tradition, where people dressed in goat hides called nuuttipukkis used to circulate in homes after Christmas eating leftover food.
Today Joulupukki looks and behaves mostly like his American version, but there are differences. Joulupukki's workshop is situated, not in the North Pole or Greenland, but in Korvatunturi, Lapland, Finland. He doesn't sneak in through the chimney during the night, but knocks on the front door during Christmas eve. When he comes in, his first words usually are: "Onko täällä kilttejä lapsia?" (Are there (any) nice children here?)
He wears usually red, warm clothes and uses a walking stick. He goes to people's homes with a sleigh driven by a number of reindeer, of which one is called Petteri Punakuono (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer). Joulupukki has a wife, Joulumuori (Christmas Lady), who knows how to make very delicious Christmas porridge, riisipuuro (rice porridge).
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