Finland around 1st of May.
Soo, now some really cool finnish traditions is coming up. I am really happy I went here in these two particular days, because we participated in this 1st of May tradition, that is very speciel for Finland. Especielly in Helsinki the traditions is used a lot.
So the thing is, the highschool students graduate around this time, like they do in Sweden, Norway and Denmark. We all have a student hat, but the way to use it is different in these countries
Here we are on our way to this square in Helsinki with the stautue of a ladie. It is all ready crowded, and everywhere they are selling ballons like these. People are wearing these curly things (serpentinere), that we only use for new year. (Strange people these fins). It is a day of celebrating and partying for everyone in Helsinki.
So
these
students hanging there is lifted
up with a crane to get close to
the statue. You
can
see
the
statue in between
them.
Every
year,
someone
is choosed
to this
task.
First
they
clean
the
statue, and then
afterwards,
when
the
clock
has turned
six,
they
can
put the
student hat on
the
head of
the
statue. You can see the hat in the hand of one of the sudents at the left.
...and
then...
The
statue with
the
hat.
And you
might
see
some
people
are
now
wearing
their
hats compaired
to a earlier
picture.
Because after this, you can wear your student hat...
So everywhere people are wearing their hats. Its so cool to see the change in the wiev. Suddenly everything is white and black.
This
is my
"perfect
picture"
Because
the
VERY
cool thing
about
the
finnish
tradition compaired
to the
danish
is, that
you
get
to wear
your
hat these
two
days
every
year.
In Denmark we
wear
it
for about
two
weeks
of
crazy partying,
when
we
graduate
from high
school,
and then
we
never
wear
it
again.
I think these two old people are so cool. The picture is taken the day after
(1st of May) and the statue all ready lost its hat.
Well
I off
course
brought
my
danish
student hat too.
For the
first
time in six
years
I was
wearing
it
again.
(You
are
not supposed
to wear
it
with
the
black
strap like
this,
but they
forced
me
to do it.)
Mine is red, because
of
the
kind of
high
school
I attended.
We
have them
also
and several
shades
of
blue
for other
kinds of
high
schools.
And then I got to meet more AIT-people. Phoung and Kim. They where joining us for dinner. Cool!
Conrad with the curly stuff.
And then dinner at Jennis place! Notice the bottle, my mum made the recipe for this alcohol; Blå Aalborg. A danish snaps.
...Well Kim was really in the mood this evening, he was singing drinking songs and doing bottoms up all the time. The result was, that we all got pretty drunk. But Kim himself... Well, the last I saw of him, was when he was talking in the big ceramic telephone... Ooops! I have no more pictures from this night, but we went to the Finlandia bar made with ice... Cool.
The next day; The traditional picnic in a park in Helsinki. We were there too. Still wearing student hats.
And in Finland you of course eat your picnic food from Marimekko plates.
TUULI!!! (She got drunk, and I bet she hoped this picture would never appear on the web...)
With student hats and
Jennis
friend
at the
right. (Forgot
her name
SOLLY,
but she
is studying
medicine,
and have been
doing
a semester in Cph)
Notice the thing hanging
from Jennis
hat. It
is because she and Tuuli are technical
students. I should
have on too,
but mai dai.
Sooo, this was it from Finland.
Thank you Tuuli, Boyfriend Ville and Jenni for letting me stay at your places and showing me, that Finland is a cool place. Hope to see you again some time. (Beer festival in Munich october maybe?)
Hugs from here
