Easter in Helsinki

The long Easter weekend has started. And there is lots to do in the city. Traditionally the weekend starts with the Via Crucis. Tonight at 21:30 the crucification will is reenacted with the Walk of the Cross from Kaisaniemi Park to Senaatintori.

And if you have time, drop by at the Helsinki Zoo as well. During the weekend it turns into an Easter island with a special program.  

Also good to know: This year many supermarkets stay open throughout the whole Easter time due to the new legislation on opening time. 

Have a wonderful Easter time!

Some Mämmi?

Have you had some mämmi over the Easter holidays yet? It's the probably most traditional Easter dish you can find in Finland. And it unfortunately has a bad reputation especialyl among foreigners.

But don't let the look scare you away. The brown rye mash might not look too appealing but it can be surpisingly good. And not all mämmis are the same. Some self made ones might really surprise you. Some even come with different tastes like vanilla or caramel.

And of course you should not eat mämmi just on its own but always with some cream and sugar on top.

So be brave enough and give it a try. You might be surprised.

Hyvää pääsiäistä!

Happy Easter to all of you! Have a great Easter Sunday!

And good luck finding all those eggs.

Easter in Helsinki

So many days off and you don't know what to do? There are quite a few fun Easter activities going on around the city.

Today big Easter bonfires will be lit at Seurasaari to scare away evil spirits. Children dress up as trolls and witches. The entrance is free.

Helsinki Zoo has put together a whole spring program around this long weekend called the Easter Island. Among other things visitors can witness the bears waking up from their winter hibernation.

During the Easter days also many concerts are held in the churches around town.

To find more information on what's going on around Easter in Helsinki have a look at VisitHelsinki.

Have a great Easter weekend!

Easter timetable

If you want to get from A to B today by public transport you might have to calculate in a little bit more time. During the Easter holidays the timetables are a little different. 

Today as well as on Sunday and Monday all metros, busses, trams and trains operate according to the Sunday timetable. On Saturday nothing changes though. You can find more detailed information on all the changes on HSL's website.

So be sure to check your connection before heading out.

Have a nice Easter weekend!

Easter opening times

Easter is about to start. And quite often people are not exactly sure how stores and shops will be open during that time. Here is a short list of the regular opening times during the upcoming few days:

02 April (Maundy Thursday)

Normal working day. Some shops might anyway already close at 18:00

03 April (Good Friday)

Closed.

04 April (Holy Saturday)

Most shops are open till 18:00

05 April (Easter Sunday)

Closed.

06 April (Easter Monday)

Closed.

If you still need some groceries on one the the holidays don't worry. Many of the small supermarkets such as alepa, siwa and k-extra as well as the big k-market in Kamppi Kauppakeskus are open every day.

Don't be late!

Dailight Saving Time started last night. Did you already adjust all your clocks, watches and phones to the new time? Better take care of it today before showing up at work an hour late tomorrow.

And beware! There might be small trolls and witches ringing your doorbell today, give you a branch with colorful feathers and demand candy in return. So if you open the door, have some candies ready.

Have a nice Sunday!

Hyvää Pääsiäistä!

Have a happy Easter and enjoy the wonderful weather!

Got your Mämmi?

Do you already have some Mämmi in the fridge for Easter? For those of you who don't know what that is, Mämmi is a very dark porridge made from malt, rye, salt, sugar and some orange rind.

Don't let the look and the talks about it scare you away. Not every Mämmi is the same and it can actually be quite good. Also try it in together with either cream, milk or ice cream.

For more information on Mämmi also read this article from Yle News. There you can also find a nice recipe how to pimp your Mämmi.

Enjoy!

Via Crucis

Every year on Good Friday the way of the cross and the crucifixion of Christ is reenacted at Senaatintori on the stairs of the Tuomiokirkko.

After the sun has set actors show the whole story of Jesus' walk to Mount Golgotha. It's quite an event and worth seeing. The scenery with torches and light in front of the big white church is impressive.

The Via Crucis show starts tonight at 9 pm and is of course for free.

Got everything for Easter?

Maybe check your fridge and your cupboards if you still need something for the upcoming weekend. During the Easter holidays most shops and supermarkets are closed. Well, at least on Friday, Sunday and Monday. So there is still a chance on Saturday if you realize you forgot something.

And then there is always still the K-Market inside Kamppi that is open every day of the year and can help you out if you figure out that something is still missing from your shopping list.

Have a wonderful Easter weekend!

Warm Easter ahead

This week already ends on Thursday and according to the weather forecast the long Easter weekend is waiting with some warm temperatures. The thermometer is going to climb up to 15 degrees during the Easter days.

Sounds like a perfect opportunity for a nice Easter walk. Maybe here along Kaivopuisto. Till then have a nice and not too stressy week!

Mämmi beer

Easter time is close. And you can already get into the Easter mood tonight. Instead of the usual why not have a Mämmi beer for a change tonight. Yes, you can make beer from this traditional black rye based Easter dish. And it's quite nice. 

It's called Laitilasta Kievari Mämmi and you can get it e.g. at Stone's at Keskuskatu fresh from the tab. Give it a try!

Hyvää pääsiäistä kaikille!

Happy Easter everyone!

 

No Easter without Mämmi

The probably most traditional Finnish Easter desserts is Mämmi. It is made of water, rye flour, and powdered malted rye, seasoned with dark molasses, salt and dried powdered orange zest. Normally Mämmi is eaten cold with milk and sugar.

This dish really divides opinions. Some love it, others hate it. Even some jokes about Finns are based on this quite unusual black dessert. But Mämmi is definitely not as bad as its reputation. You should definitely try it yourself. During Easter time Mämmi can be bought at every supermarket. In some places it is even available the whole year through.

Enjoy and have nice holidays!

Mignon – An Easter egg with a long tradition

If you already bought all the Easter eggs for Sunday you hopefully didn’t forget to also buy some Fazer Mignon eggs. They are the most popular and traditional Easter eggs in Finland. And even the tsar of Russia used to order them as a very special Easter delicacy.

Mignon eggs are produced by filling a real egg shell with an almond and nut nougat chocolate. The eggs can then be decorated and hidden for the kids. If you didn’t get them yet tomorrow is your chance.

But today you shouldn’t miss the Via Crusis at Senaatintori. As on every Good Friday tonight at 21:00 the crucifixion of Christ will be reenacted here.

Don’t forget your Easter groceries!

Easter is close now. Today is the last working day and also one of the last chances to get all your groceries for the Easter holidays.

Here is an overview over the regular opening times of shops during the next days:

28 March (Holy Thursday)

Normal working day. Some shops might anyway already close at 18:00

29 March (Good Friday)

Closed.

30 March (Holy Saturday)

Most shops are open till 18:00

31 March (Easter Sunday)

Closed.

01 April (Easter Monday)

Closed.

It’s Easter Sunday and you find out that you still need something for the big dinner tonight. The K-Supermarket at Kamppi is open every day of the year till 22:00.