Driving conditions in many parts of Finland will be hazardous on Christmas Eve, according to the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI).
Roads are especially icy in central and western areas, the FMI noted, as well as in Finnish Lapland.
Powder snow has also fallen onto road surfaces in eastern Finland which may affect driving conditions, especially on smaller roads.
Motorists across the country are advised to plan longer routes carefully and to allow plenty of time for their journeys.
The latest weather-related traffic warnings can be found on the Finnish Meteorological Institute’s website.
The roads have been quiet in the early hours of Christmas Eve, according to Traficom's latest information, but the daytime hours are expected to be much busier.
"Today there will be traffic, as it is the so-called main day," traffic operator Iida Pennanen told Yle.
Hursti's tradition continues
Meanwhile, the Hursti charitable foundation will hold its annual Christmas event for people facing hard times on Christmas Eve.
The event will take place from 12 noon at the Helsinki Exhibition and Convention Centre, with doors opening at 11am. The venue can accommodate up to 2,000 people.
The foundation offers Christmas food and festive-related performances for the capital's homeless, impoverished and lonely. Attendees will also receive a bag of groceries to take home from the event.
Hursti's Christmas party has been held at the Exhibition Centre since 2015. The foundation, which was established in the 1960s, operates year-round by distributing food aid and clothing to those in need.
Finland to declare Christmas Peace
Another tradition that will continue this year is the declaration of Christmas Peace, made at 12 noon from the Old Great Square in Turku.
The tradition has lasted over 700 years and it was broadcast on Yle radio for the first time in 1935.
This year the declaration will be read once again by Turku’s Chief of Protocol, Mika Akkanen, while Finnish President Alexander Stubb and his spouse Suzanne Innes-Stubb will also be in attendance.
The declaration used to mean that crimes committed during the Christmas Peace period were subject to harsher punishments than at other times.
