Vappu

Me & Michael at Havis Amanda

This weekend was Vappu (May Day) weekend, Finland’s wildest annual celebration. Originally Labour Day, it’s nowadays sort of Start Of Warm Weather Day (very loosely), and all the Finns get out in the streets and celebrate.

A group of us gathered at Marian Helmi pub beforehand (my downfall, as it turned out). Then we went together to the Havis Amanda statue, where at 6pm students are lowered by crane to place a hat on the female statue’s head, to much cheering and champagne cork popping by the thousands of Helsinki folk gathered in the square and all the nearby streets.

From there we went to the Senate Square, and then to Michael’s party. I had to leave at 10pm, somewhat ‘over-tired’, but I hear (and see from the photos) that it was a lot of fun.

Then on Sunday we gathered at Kaivopuisto park for the traditional champagne picnic, before retiring to Cindy’s place to escape the cold. All in all a rather fun time!

But don’t just take our word for it: see Flickr’s photo’s tagged with Helsinki and with Vappu to see what other people were up to.

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