1.5.2017

Vappu - Walpurgis day

In Finland, Walpurgis day (Vappu) is one of the four biggest holidays along with Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, and Midsummer (Juhannus). Walpurgis witnesses the biggest carnival-style festival held in the streets of Finland's towns and cities. The celebration, which begins on the evening of 30 April and continues to 1 May, typically centres on copious consumption of sima, sparkling wine and other alcoholic beverages. Student traditions, particularly those of the engineering students, are one of the main characteristics of Vappu. 

Since the end of the 19th century, this traditional upper-class feast has been appropriated by university students. Many lukio (university-preparatory high school) alumni wear the black and white student cap and many higher education students wear student coveralls. One tradition is to drink sima, a home-made low-alcohol mead, along with freshly cooked funnel cakes.




A typical and very popular (species) Finnish Dachshund






Kuvahaun tulos haulle vappubrunssi

Kuvahaun tulos haulle vappubrunssi

Kuvahaun tulos haulle vappubrunssi

In the capital Helsinki and its surrounding region, fixtures include the capping (on 30 April at 6 pm) of the Havis Amanda, a nude female statue in Helsinki, and the biennially alternating publications of ribald matter called Äpy and Julkku, by engineering students of Aalto University. Both are sophomoric; but while Julkku is a standard magazine, Äpy is always a gimmick. Classic forms have included an Äpy printed on toilet paper and a bedsheet. Often, the magazine has been stuffed inside standard industrial packages, such as sardine cans and milk cartons. For most university students, Vappu starts a week before the day of celebration. The festivities also include a picnic on 1 May, which is sometimes prepared in a lavish manner, particularly in Ullanlinnanmäki in Helsinki city.

           

The Finnish tradition is also a shadowing of the Socialist May Day parade. Expanding from the parties of the left, the whole of the Finnish political scene has adopted Vappu as the day to go out on stumps and agitate. 

                     Kuvahaun tulos haulle vappumarssit

                     Kuvahaun tulos haulle vappumarssit

This includes not only political activists. Other institutions, such as the state Lutheran church, have followed suit, marching and making speeches. Left-wing activists of the 1970s still party on May Day. They arrange carnivals. And radio stations play leftist songs from the 1970s.

                

           

Traditionally, 1 May is celebrated by a picnic in a park. For most, the picnic is enjoyed with friends on a blanket with good food and sparkling wine. Some people, however, arrange extremely lavish picnics with pavilions, white tablecloths, silver candelabras, classical music and extravagant food. The picnic usually starts early in the morning, where some of the previous night's party-goers continue their celebrations undaunted by lack of sleep.

Some student organisations reserve areas where they traditionally camp every year. Student caps, mead, streamers and balloons have their role in the picnic, as well as in the celebration as a whole.

During the last week there is raining snow every day 5-10 cm, and at night frost, still we spend walpurgis day, outdoors in the wild by party..

Happy walpurgis days all visitors

7 kommenttia:

  1. Vastaukset
    1. Thanks, and a good Vappu-day for you too.
      Yep. These day is the feast day for students and workers.

      For me this is not important.
      I'm born (typical) small farm boy, and later I was a landscape contractor.
      I have never been a decent employee, I'm not also a "right" employer.
      I've always be try balances and bounceds works, against states authorities and regulations between my employees

      Poista
  2. Vastaukset
    1. Thanks, my distant loyal friend, and a good Vappu-day for you too.

      I think this traditio has come to Finland already during Tzar Alexander II
      When he founded four new cities, soon after the Crimeas war (1860 - 1870).

      Poista
  3. Great stuff, I love finlandia vodka, can't wait to get to Bulgaria in July to get stuck into a few bottles lol.

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Moi, S-K
      :D be careful
      Maybe you've heard of drunkenness
      We drink that lingonberry blend
      And storage freezer (-18c) cold

      Finlandia vodka is (perhaps) a bit intense flavor
      Much softer taste is Leijona/Lion, Suomi/Finland
      and Koskenkorva (rapids-ear)

      Poista
    2. Soft and bright 38-40% alcoholic beverage
      are also
      Pohjan Poika = The son of the North
      Tapio = Forest King

      Poista

Any explosive ammunition or empty cores, you can put in this.