Happy sleighing!

Today is Laskiainen. One could say it's the Finnish way of celebrating carneval. And it's a celebration especially for kids - and for students. 

Kaivopuisto is the place to be today. Students from all the universities around the city come here today to take advantage of the last snow and sleigh down the Ullanlinna hill. They also compete on who built the best and nicest looking sledge. It all starts today at 13.00 and officially ends at 17.00 (before the crowd moves on to continue celebrating in some clubs in the center).

If sleighing down the hill with a can of beer in your hand on a Tuesday afternoon is not what you had in mind for today then rather get a delicious Laskiais Pulla. The sweet pastry is filled with either jam or marzipan and topped with a lot of whipped cream.

Whatever you decide to do, have a great Laskiainen!

Laskiainen at Kaivopuisto

Tomorrow is Laskiainen (the Finnish equivalent for carnival). Traditionally students from around Helsinki meet at Kaivopuisto for a sleighing competition. Several groups compete for the best sleigh.

This year they definately don't have the best weather conditions for that competition. You can be sure though that starting from around noon students will gather in the park for a big party anyway. And they will most likely come up with a solution to deal with the lack of snow this year.

So if you happen to be in the area tomorrow go and check it out. It's always quite an event.

Student's magazine in a box

You might already have wondered why some students are selling small paper-made mailboxes on the street this year at Vappu. Well, actually the mailbox is just the wrapping for their traditional Vappu student magazine Äpy which is filled with jokes and wordplays.

The text is in Finnish though but if you don’t speak it that well yourself ask a Finnish friend to help you understand some of it.

You can still get one of the magazine today for 10 € everywhere in the city.

Hauskaa vappua!

Sledging down the hill

Every year on Shrove Tuesday thousands of students come to Kaivopuisto to sledge down the hill. And in case you didn’t make it to Laskiainen 2013 this might give you an idea of what you have missed.

What’s with the white cap?

Vappu is all about the white student’s cap that was already mentioned in several posts before. Now here comes some background information on this special hat and its meaning and tradition.

Introduced in the 1870s it was just given to those who earned the right to study at a university though passing the entrance exam. It was worn by students during their summer vacation which traditionally started at Vappu and lasted till the end of September. Nowadays Finns get the cap after graduating from high school and wear it every year on the two days of Vappu (April 30^th and May 1^st).

The golden cockade at the front of the cap shows lyra of Apollo and represents the University of Helsinki. It is sold with this symbol all over Finland. Universities in other parts of the country recommend their students to replace the cockade with the symbol of their university though.

Even the size of the cockade has a meaning. The bigger ones with 22 mm diameter are worn by the Swedish speaking, the smaller ones with 16 mm diameter by Finnish speaking students.

Finns have a very special connection to their caps. After receiving your cap you keep it for the rest of your life. It’s never to be replaced and also never to be washed. That also explains why some of them have a rather yellow then white color. This might not just indicate how old the cap is but also how well it is treated by its owner.

A cap for Amanda

Vappu is about to start. One very important part of the celebration is Mantan Lakitus. But what is that and what happens there?

Every year at April 30th (tomorrow!) the students of Helsinki come to the fountain at Kauppatori where they give the white student’s cap to the Havis Amanda Statue. It is a special honor to be chosen for this very special event. In the old days the students used to climb up the statue to put the cap on top of the woman’s head. At some point the city forbid that to avoid damage for the fountain. Nowadays a crane lowers a group of students from above down to the statue. Before Havis Amanda (or Manta) gets her cap the statue is being washed by the students. At 6 p.m. the cap will then be put in place. This is then also the sign for everyone around to start wearing their hats (it’s not allowed before).

Mantan lakitus has a long tradition and is really worth watching. It is recommendable to be there an hour early if you want to see something.

For charity and honor

Today the freshmen from Helsinki University of Technology gathered on the square in front of the Kamppi shopping center for a special ceremony. Divided into guilds (faculties) they stood in line and sang for charity.

This ceremony is part of the process of earning the white hat with the black tassel that makes them fully accepted students. Every year around the same time an event is organized by the older students in which the freshmen have to do something for charity and at the same time prove their team spirit. Each faculty is represented by a handful of freshmen. The faculties colors are shown through the flag and the overalls the students proudly wear.

This year the young students supported an initiative that raises money for elderly people. One evening before Vappu (May 1^st) all freshmen will finally receive their much sough-after hats.