Finland has officially ushered in the festive season with the traditional Declaration of Christmas Peace in Turku, amidst tightened security measures this year.
Mika Akkanen, Manager of International Affairs at the City of Turku, read the Peace declaration aloud in Finnish and Swedish from the balcony of Brinkkala House in Turku, overlooking the Market Square. This was followed by a rendition of the national anthem in both languages.
The Declaration of Christmas Peace has been read in Turku on Christmas Eve for 700 years.
Tightened security measures
The Southwestern Finland Police Department had announced that security plans for the historic event were reviewed and updated after the recent tragic incident in Magdeburg, Germany, where a driver drove into a Christmas market crowd, resulting in five deaths and over 200 injuries.
The most visible change for television viewers and those standing near the balcony of Brinkkala House was the installation of a safety barrier in front of the audience.
"After the unfortunate events in Germany, we ensured that the preparedness plan for both organisers and police was up-to-date. While the security plans already accounted for such incidents, we double-checked everything," said Inspector Harri Aaltonen of the Southwestern Finland Police Department.
However, police said that the decision to strengthen security measures for the peace declaration was already made in the fall, due to the significantly larger crowds following the pandemic years.
In the past two years, an estimated 18,000 people have gathered in the area between Turku’s Old Great Square and the Cathedral to witness the declaration. Pre-pandemic, the annual audience was estimated to be just over 10,000. No formal population count is conducted at the event, but the figures are based on police estimates.
Long broadcast tradition
Regular television broadcasts of the event began in 1983 for domestic audiences and extended to Sweden in 1986. Today, the Declaration of Christmas Peace can be followed live worldwide via Yle Areena.
The broadcast tradition has only been interrupted twice: in 1939, during the war, when the Christmas Peace was not declared due to air raid fears, and in 1943, when the broadcast originated from Rauma instead of Turku.
Several other cities in Finland, including Rauma, Naantali, and Porvoo, have also revived the tradition of proclaiming Christmas Peace.