As every winter for more than 400 years, last week there was again a market in Jokkmokk. No one knows if there was an all time high in visitors this year, but the hotels were full in nearby towns (in Lapland that means 200 km). The weather was normal for the season, that is 20 degrees centigrades below zero, and snow in the air. There is a healthy mix between the simplest, cheapest stuff and the finest Sámi handicraft with items for thousands of euro.
There are also great chances for cultural and culinary experiences, that is at least if you have booked far in advance. Otherwise you can always visit local friends and try differing varieties of the traditional and compulsory reindeer meat soup, or participate in folk dance at the folklore centre. The Sámi museum Ájtte also offers a lot of activities during the market.
People come from a lot of places – not only Scandinavia and Finland but there also many German visitors.
