The first stop of the real Santa Claus from the Finnish city of Rovaniemi in Lapland on this year’s trip around the world will be Dubrovnik, where the beloved Santa with his elves will arrive on November 26 to celebrate the opening of the ninth Dubrovnik Winter Festival!
Joulupukki or Santa Claus is a Christmas ambassador of goodwill, love and peace who lives in mystical Lapland. His original home is on the mysterious Korvatunturi mountain, a thousand kilometres north of Helsinki, where he lives with Santa and hundreds of elves and reindeer.
The legend of Santa Claus is one of the few that has survived for centuries, in all corners of the world, and the popularity of the smiling white-bearded grandfather from the far north of Finland, who delights the youngest with gifts, is not waning even today. Millions of curious visitors from all over the world go to Finland to look for his home in the mysterious place of Rovaniemi where his post office is located, which has received more than 15 million letters from 198 countries in the last 30 years. Before he sets off on his journey around the world, Santa Claus invites the children of Dubrovnik to bring him their letters to the atrium of the Rector’s Palace and share their wishes for this year at a magical get-together on the occasion of the opening of the ninth Dubrovnik Winter Festival.
Two days of socialising with Santa Claus in Dubrovnik is a gift that the Dubrovnik Tourist Board and the City of Dubrovnik have provided for the youngest for an unforgettable start to Advent.