Helsinki city
National celebrations
Laskiainen – Shrove Sunday
Shrove Sunday, or Finland’s version of Mardi Gras, is celebrated in February seven weeks before Easter on a Tuesday.
Laskiainen is traditionally a day of sledge riding. In the past, folks believed the further you can ride with your sleigh, the better the next year’s crop would be. Also eating heavy foods, like pea soup and buns filled with jam or almond paste, would have the same effect. Nowadays people enjoy the Laskiainen buns simply because they’re delicious. And sleigh-riding is always fun.
Vappu – First of May
Springtime’s biggest party is Vappu, or Walpurgis’ Night. All over the country, generations come together on the eve of May Day for this carnival-style street festival. Students (and former students) parade through town wearing their graduation caps and celebrating the beginning of summer. But it’s not all balloons, confetti and champagne. Both May Day and Worker’s Day are celebrated on May 1st, and speeches from politicians can be heard in almost every public square of the major cities.
Food-wise, Vappu’s delicacies include tippaleipä, a type of funnel cake, and munkki, a doughnut. These are served with sima, or Finnish mead, which is delicious! The celebrations begin the day before May Day, and typically people head out to the parks for a picnic – it is one big feast!
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Itsenäisyyspäivä – Independence Day
Finland’s Independence Day is on the 6th of December. Not only is Finnish Independence Day about honouring the original date, it is also about commemorating those who lost theirs lives fighting for the country’s independence in the Winter and Continuation Wars during WWII. Friends and family typically honor the holiday by getting together for dinner at home or in a restaurant. Watching the Presidential Independence Day reception live on TV (and critically examining its guests!) is a beloved tradition, and people also take part in torch light processions or visits to soldiers’ graves. Candles are placed in homes’ windowsills.
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Saint Lucia’s Day
Historically, this day has been tied to Swedish-speaking Finns and it is most visibly celebrated in Helsinki. Every year, on December 13th, a new Saint Lucia is crowned and parades through the city, starting from the main Cathedral in Senate Square. The contemporary Lucia brings light and joy to the darkness and helps collect funds for different charities. Originally, the Saint Lucia traditions dates back to an early-4th-century catholic martyr legend.
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Joulu – Christmas
As every Finn knows, Santa Claus lives in Lapland, in the north of Finland. There, he prepares presents and answers children’s letters with the help of his elves.
Finns themselves prefer to spend Christmas at home with family, preparing a traditional meal that often includes mashed rutabaga, carrot and potato casseroles. Salmon is also very common, but some people eat turkey or ham. At midday on Christmas Eve, the declaration of the Peace of Christmas is broadcast on TV and radio, straight from Finland’s “second capital,” Turku. The tradition of the declaration dates back 700 years!
Finally, a Christmas sauna is a must for many a Finn, along with a trip to church to sing Christmas carols.
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