Salla, Finland — Traditional reindeer racing that has delighted spectators in Finland for decades brought hundreds of fans to the Salla Reindeer Cup in the frigid town of Salla this past weekend.
About 1,000 people took part in the competition despite the cold subfreezing temperatures and remote location near the Russian border, approximately 264 kilometers (164 miles) northeast of the city of Oulu.
They watched and cheered as the reindeer flew across the snow-covered track, pulling their handlers behind them on skis. Whoever is fastest wins the race.
Spectators came not only from Finland but also from Italy, Norway, Germany and France, among other countries.
Reindeer herding has been an important part of Scandinavian culture for many decades, especially for the Sami indigenous people in the northern part of the country.
“Salla has a long history in reindeer racing – it’s been going on here since the 1950s,” said Lasse Atsinki, head of the Salla Reindeer Cup. “Back then, men spent the winter in the forest, there were no snowmobiles. At the end of winter, the reindeer were in good shape, so they started racing them.”
Nowadays, reindeer racing is an organized and regulated competition with trained male reindeer.
The premier event is called the Hot Series, in which a reindeer qualifies if it runs a kilometer-long (just over a half-mile) track in 1 minute, 19 seconds or less. Only the fastest reindeer compete in this race.
“It’s a science. A lot depends on the character of the reindeer – it has to endure a lot: spectators, other reindeer, noise, movement,” Atsinki said. “Everyone has their tricks – and they’re usually kept under a fur hat. Every owner has their own way.”
During the race, as the reindeer ran to the finish line, they cheered their favorites with calls of “Haiva, Haiva” and “Mene, Mene” – which means “good, good” and “go, go” in Finnish.
Between races, people warm up with reindeer soup and traditional local pastry specialties from salla to companisu.
The competition concluded with the final rounds on Sunday and it was Pompom, a reindeer, who won the final race.
“Pompom is exceptionally fast and smart, and you rarely find anything like that,” said Hannu Kripula, owner of the winning animal.
“If there’s any weakness, it’s not very pretty — it can be misleading,” he said.
“When you see that reindeer, you might think very quickly that it’s poorly fed or something. But it eats well. It’s a rare individual.”
And so after the race, Pompom and all the other reindeer got their own reward – lichen, their favorite treat.
(tags to translate)Deer
