The eyes of Texas are upon you...Rough tough real stuff Texas A&M."
- J.V. "Pinky" Wilson
No...I am not an Aggie alumni, fan, or want to be, just very impressed with how they respect and continue tradition for so many years! We experienced our first Vappu and May Day in Helsinki this weekend. The festivities reminded me of a college back at home that family & friends attended. There, Bonfire was a time for all students and alumni to gather, drink, and be merry. Tradition is definitely the ongoing theme in both places.
Students, graduates, and alumni line the streets of downtown wearing their white caps and colored overalls that are covered with patches and logos. At 5:00 in the evening, a select few hang from a cherry picker over the Havis Amanda statue, prepared to bathe her. An hour later she is "capped" while thousands of people in the Helsinki Market Square, Esplanade Park and surrounding streets drink and watch.Even though we were expecting a Mardi Gras-like experience, the party was quite tame. We purchased a few cider ales from the nearby R-Kioski and witnessed the tradition. We were home by 1830...just in time for the real party to begin from what we have heard.
The following day was May Day and thousands of people gathered in Kaivopuisto to drink champagne, picnic and once again, wear their white caps. Kaivopuisto is the boys favorite park to play at and we visit there at least 3 times a week. We have never shared the play ground with more than 10 other children. On May Day the boys had to wait in line for 5 minutes just to go down the slide and did not even get a chance to swing! After a 2 hour picnic and watching hundreds of intoxicated individuals "relieve"themselves on a nearby wall...we headed home for naptime.
It was a great Finnish experience and we look forward to next year's Vappu celebration. Maybe we will haul over the turkey fryer and Miller Light keg to show these people how to really picnic!
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