The Sami people live in the Arctic region of Sápmi, which includes parts of northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Kola peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south- and mid- Sweden and Norway. They have their own fascinating and beautiful language, known as Sami, which is divided into ten distinct Sami languages. All of them are different and because of this, the Sami people in the North can’t understand the language of the southern Sami people. The languages belong to the Uralic language family and are linguistically related to Finnish, Estonian and Hungarian.

National Sami Day is celebrated on the 6th of February to commemorate the first ever Sami conference which was held in 1917 at Trondheim, Norway. The conference marked the first time that Sami people from different countries came together crossing their national borders to find answers and solutions to common problems.

To celebrate this special day, the Sami people usually dress up in their national garment, known as Gákti, and sing their national anthem and fly the Sami flag. In Oslo, the capital of Norway, the Sami people are honored with a flag raising ceremony while the city hall bells play the Sami national anthem.If you’re interested in learning more about the Sami people and their culture during your vacation, please check below for information about some Sami adventures we can provide you as part of a tailored holiday in Norway, Finland and Sweden:

Reindeer Herder Day – Menesjarvi, Finland

Join the reindeer herder as he drives you to his reindeer farm with his snowmobile while you relax on the sledge and enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way. On the farm you’ll get a chance to observe these peaceful animals while feeding them with the herder. Truly a wonderful experience. You will also have the chance to witness how Sami art takes shapes and colours from the surrounding nature and how the Sami mother has clothed her family from head to toe with traditional Sami clothing.

Book the holiday!  www.magneticnorthtravel.com/tour/details/winter-activity-holiday-in-search-of-the-northern-lights-finland

Tromso Sami Herder visit, Norway

Try reindeer sledding, the oldest means of transportation in the north, on the beautiful island of Kvaloya. It’s the perfect place to see the northern lights due to the islands low amount of artificial light. And don’t worry that you might miss them because you had to leave back to the city, stay and spend the night in a traditional Sami lavvu (tent), sleeping on reindeer skins in winter-insulated sleeping bags.

Book the holiday:  www.magneticnorthtravel.com/tour/details/northern-lights-short-break-in-troms

Sami Herder Visit, Northern Sweden

<p>Combine your stay at the unique Treehotel with a visit to a Sami family in the village of Flakaberg. Learn about the Sami culture and visit the family’s reindeer pastures. Join the family for a typical Sami lunch in the cabin or around a campfire in a teepee like “kåta”, depending what time of the year you arrive.

Book the holiday: http://www.magneticnorthtravel.com/tour/details/treehotel-and-the-northern-lights-sweden-short-break-holiday

Here at Magnetic North Travel, we can arrange tailored holidays to Northern Sweden, Finland and Norway to include authentic encounters with Sami people. Some are daytrips while others are longer herding expeditions – a once in a lifetime opportunity to assist a herder in the annual reindeer migration (around April each year). Please get in touch with us and we’ll be happy to assist.