It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas - at least in Kuopio.
The eastern city brought a giant 20-meter Christmas tree to the town square on Tuesday, and hoisted it upright with the help of some heavy equipment.
The locally-grown spruce tree arrived at the market on a flatbed truck, and was lifted into position on a specially-made stand.
And just in case of any mishaps, the Kuopio Christmas tree has an understudy: a spare tree ready to step into the limelight in case anything should happen to the original.
A dozen other smaller trees will be placed around the city and lit up during the month of December.
Kuopio’s Christmas season officially gets underway on Saturday 23rd November when the market will be decorated with Christmas lights.