Life in Finland: Celebrating Vappu (May Day)
It's a great day to (hopefully) say goodbye to the snow and look forward to the coming longer, warmer days of summer.
Disclaimer: I am not an expert on all things Finland, I am only offering my perspective- that of an American who has been living here for almost eight years. Part of the fun will be having my Finnish friends and colleagues explaining how things actually work as they have a laugh at my expense. I welcome your comments and corrections!
For most of my life I’ve associated May Day with communists. I remember hearing that the USA celebrates Labor Day is in September so as to remove any association with the ‘Communist’ International Day of Labor, May 1st. When I lived in London, street marches by communist organizations were the big event on May 1st. The local McDonalds restaurants would board up their windows. But what is May Day like in Finland?
Celebrating Vappu- Manta gets her Cap
Vappu (or Wappu) refers to St Walburgis, whose feast day was celebrated on the first of May. The Saint’s name became Valpuri in Finnish, and the name of the holiday shortened to Vappu over time. Today, the celebration has left behind most of its Christian roots and mainly concerns celebrating students.
Yle, Finland’s state broadcaster, reports:
In Helsinki, the main May Day Eve festivities usually centre on the 1908 Havis Amanda fountain on the Market Square, featuring a mermaid nicknamed "Manta" surrounded by water-spouting seals. Student representatives lifted by a crane lower a white student cap onto the female figure's head. However, with the fountain temporarily removed for restoration, this year brings a change in the tradition, which stretches back more than a century.
May Day Eve festivities in the capital this year instead focus on Kansalaistori (Citizens' Square) between the Oodi Central Library and the Helsinki Music Centre, where thousands gathered in warm, sunny weather.
The light-hearted capping ceremony took place there with a one-off stand-in sculpture created by students from the University of the Arts Helsinki and dubbed "Manta's little cousin". The pink plastic statue resembles the real Havis Amanda, designed by sculptor Ville Vallgren.
Students graduating from Upper Secondary Education receive their student caps upon completing their studies and matriculation exams. These traditional caps are proudly worn by all who have them, young and old, on April 30th and May 1st. One will also see many students partying in their overalls.
Manta on a normal day:
Manta getting her cap, in a previous year:
Manta’s Little Cousin:
Student Ceremonies Across Finland
Students in other cities also have traditions:
In Kajaani, students place a cap on a statue of Elias Lönnrot, who famously compiled Finland’s national epic, the Kalevala.
And in Tampere, engineering students are ‘baptized’ in the Tammerkoski channel.
These are but a few examples of the events that take place on Vappu eve.
Vappu Parties
On the 30th of April and the 1st of May, many streets are closed to traffic allowing revelers to relax and enjoy the (hopefully) beautiful weather. Traditional fare for the celebrations includes tippaleipä (literally drop bread), which is similar to funnel cake; sima, a Finnish version of mead; and donuts. Low alcohol sima is available for children.
Tippaleipä:
Sima and donuts:
Champagne is also quite popular, particularly in Helsinki’s Kaivopuisto park:
According to Finland’s state broadcaster Yle, more than 21,000 bottles of bubbly were consumed in Kaivopuisto park during 2019’s Vappu celebration.
Vappu Marches
Although not a main focus of the celebration, worker’s marches do take place on May 1st. SAK, a trade union confederation, marched through Helsinki around mid-day.
Finland’s participation in the global Jesus March also takes place on May 1st, although this is out of sync with the global event which takes place this year on May 18th. According to the web page of Finland’s Jesus March, this is for very practical reasons:
The event arrived in Finland in 1992. At first, we marched in June with the rest of the world, but it turned out to be a bad time due to the summer holidays, among other things. That is why May Day has been established as the day of marching in Finland, when people are on the move anyway. (via Google Translate)
Vappu 2024:
According to press reports, Vappu 2024 was peaceful, warm, and relatively neat:
Police on Wednesday said May Day celebrations had been relatively peaceful, with the festivities peaking on Tuesday evening.
In Helsinki, the police cleared out Kaivopuisto park during the night, where people traditionally gather to celebrate May Day. Police said that in light of the good weather and the many people out and about, the festivities had proceeded relatively calmly, according to Finnish news agency STT.
The authorities in other parts of the country did not report any major disturbances either. In Eastern Finland, the police said callouts were not more frequent than during weekends, whereas the Central Finland Police Department said it had fewer tasks than on a typical summer weekend.
The practical, good-natured Finns even come out to clean up after themselves:
May Day traces are not cleaned up by city employees alone. Volunteer garbage collectors were also present in the morning, as the environmental organisation WWF organised a garbage collection campaign in the park.
"The city is responsible for garbage collection with large equipment, but there is also a lot of small rubbish here. The first thing we do is ensure that no rubbish ends up in the sea," Kokkonen says.
According to Kokkonen, there were blankets, mugs, food packages – and an unfinished salad.
– It looked like there had been a big party here and it was as if a UFO had caught people in the middle of the party, he describes.
(Translation via Google Translate)
Concluding Thoughts:
Although some snow may still remain, and the weather may be a bit chilly, Vappu marks the return of Spring weather and long days (sunset was around 2130). It is a chance to celebrate outside with family and friends, and one of the few times you can see normally reserved Finns showing a bit of their wilder side in public.
We don’t generally venture into Helsinki for Vappu, although it is safe for the entire family (despite the public drunkenness). Instead, we tend to grill, stay outside, eat and drink some traditional fare, and basically just enjoy the weather while looking forward to the warm1, long days of summer.
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All the Best,
PGR
Average summer high temperature in Helsinki: 68F. Warm is relative.