Vappu in Finland

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As today is Labor Day in the US, I thought I would describe what Labor Day looks like in Finland. First off, Labor Day is called Vappu in Finland and it is celebrated May First. Also known as Mayday in English, Vappu is a weeklong celebration of workers and students. And it is a big deal. Everyone celebrates it.

In the beginning Vappu used to be the biggest procession for workers' rights, taking place every year on Mayday. Through time, the Mayday origins were forgotten and Vappu became a celebration workers and students. Even today there are still marches that take place during Vappu; I believe I was invited to a communist march, but missed it by a few minutes.

Today, everyone celebrates Vappu, but students are probably the most involved in it as they treat it as their graduation celebration. Every year students wear their boiler suits and white caps while walking around celebrating the end of the school year. Parties take place all over the city and the country. But this holiday isn't just for students; everyone celebrates in their own way, whether it is afternoon house parties or family picnics.

Usually students wear their boiler suits for every Vappu event that they attend. At the beginning of the school year, students buy boiler suits in the color of their department and acquire patches from events they attend throughout the year. On Vappu, everyone is wearing their boiler suit. These coveralls first were established by applied and polytechnic students when visiting locations, but were adopted by all university departments as a student tradition.

Then comes the white graduation cap. Only students who are graduating or have graduated can wear the cap. The white hats, which kinda look like sailor hats, are the traditional graduation caps in Finland, not the boxy ones that we're used to in America.

In April 30th, the statue of Havis Amanda is capped with a white graduation cap by a group of students. Once she is capped, all students are allowed to put their graduation cap on. If you do it before, it is considered bad luck. Everyone crowds in front of the statue, watching the capping as if it was the New Year's Eve dropping of the ball in Times Square. And trying to explain this to foreigners is really hard, because not much of the holiday makes sense.

On May 1st, everyone in Helsinki heads to Kaivopuisto for a picnic. The day is less about graduation and more about celebrating with friends and family. The park is absolutely packed, with blankets laid upon blankets; people crammed together trying to enjoy their picnic. But the students and their parties are still present, as the boiler suits and caps are still worn.

While Vappu is traditionally two days of events, students and young adults have spread out a week of activities. There are pre-Vappu parties, even pre-pre-Vappu parties. And now post-Vappu parties are becoming a thing. So that means it is a solid week of activities and drinking, because let's be real, Vappu today involves a lot of drinking. This insane holiday makes an Olympic event out of drinking, and the Finns all seem to be ready for it.

So there you have it, my best attempt at explaining a holiday in Finland that is practically unexplainable. It combines drinking, work, and education with family, tradition, and celebration. If you're ever in Finland around May first, check it out. The whole city is in party mode!