Juha Ylitalo

In spring nature comes to life, but it always takes its own pace. For Finnish people, there is one day, when everyone is on cheerful mood and people are mentally getting ready for upcoming summer. This happens on May 1, when Finns celebrate Vappu. While Vappu might have its root somewhere in socialist tradition, those roots are getting weaker and weaker each year and for most people (especially among university students), it is just an extra holiday and a good time to party.

Celebration usually starts on evening of April 30, when Manta (statue in Helsinki downtown) gets a white cap. On May 1, many people in Helsinki will start their morning by gathering their picnic gear and heading to Kaivopuisto for picnic. Some parties only have a blanket, sandwiches and couple bottles of water, soda, wine or something else, while others might walk in with big tents, chairs, three course meals, champagne bottles, etc. During Vappu, people try to be in cheerful mood and as such, its quite fun time to be in downtown Helsinki (if you are not afraid of crowds). Some downsides of Vappu are that during May 1 some people drink too much and when the party is over, parks are full of garbage, shattered glass, etc. that needs to be collected into trashcans.

Technical details: Canon EOS 20D & Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM (1/250s, f/5.6, ISO100)