In Finland, the Christmas holiday officially began on Thursday with a Declaration of Peace in the country's former capital city of Turku, in Southwest Finland.
Due to coronavirus-related restrictions on public gatherings, the nearly 700-year-old tradition was held without an audience at noon, with ceremony participants separated at safe distances from one another. _ _
For the eighth time, Turku’s head of protocol, Mika Akkanen, read the centuries-old peace declaration from the balcony of the Brinkkala House overlooking an empty market square, as the area was cordoned off to the public in an effort to prevent people from gathering.
The Navy band also played at the event, along with the male choirs, Naskalit and Mieskuoro Laulun ystävät.
Under normal circumstances, the declaration usually draws a huge crowd of onlookers.
The peace declaration ceremony dates back to the Middle Ages, and has only been called off due to wartime conflicts, the last time of which was during the Winter War. The event has been broadcast on the radio since 1935, with TV broadcasts beginning in 1983.
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