Next Tuesday, the 1st of May, in Finland it is not only
celebrated the International Worker’s Day
but is a celebration that finds its origin back in the remote past, and with the time it has become a sort of
mixture of feasts.
So, let’s start
with the first that is the PAGAN SPRING
FEAST. The May Day represents the mid-period between the two solstices and marks the victory of the spring
over winter and the sunlight over the darkness. Now to add a personal note, I
have to say that spring, although spring has yet to come, we can definitely
consider the end of the winter, as we can say that there is no more snow on the
ground and the temperatures keep over zero.
In the ancient times,
the spring fest was called hela, and
it marked the time when the cattle could be brought to the pasture for the
first time after the long winter.
The second one is the St.
Walburga’s day. This
is a feast that was started after the Christianization of Finland. Walburga was
the daughter of a Saxon king, and she served as an abbess in a convent in
Germany. In Finland, the May Day is
called Vappu, (in Swedish Valborg) which is a name derived from the saint.
It is also a STUDENT FEAST because this is the day chosen by
Student’s Union of the University of
Helsinki to celebrate the ending of the student’s year.
During the 30th of April and the 1st of
May, the streets of the whole country are
filled with all sort of colorful happenings, but as you can imagine, the main
cities are those where you can expect most of the celebrations.
Helsinki transforms itself in a sort of Rio Carnival
(without the dancing girls and the risks for your own life) for one day, and people gather outside to enjoy the sun (if
it decides to show up)
The most common thing to do is having a picnic on the main
parks, whether it is the one in Kaisaniemi, on the Esplanadi or the largest one in Kaivopuisto, there isn’t a
place that cannot be suitable for gathering and having fun.
…The Finnish way!!
However, the real celebration for the Hela is set for the following week, exactly the 11th of
May, and it is called Helatorstai
(which is a good chance to have a long weekend from
work by taking Friday free.
As a bottom note, I have an announcement, and perhaps you
have also noticed by yourself. If not, The “Book” section contains now the link to
my new author website. There, my writing’s life is taking over my wandering
life, and I have all the flexibility I need to showcase all my books, explain a
bit of myself, telling a couple of fun facts about my complicated life as a
geologist, writer, wanderer, amateur photographer and whatever else.
On the left side of this blog,
I have also added the link where you can find all my books in the same place,
which is my author page on Amazon. Moreover,
I have also added the link to give you all the chance to get to know my writing
(in case you aren’t yet familiar with) and I
have set for free a copy of my first novel “A Tale
of a Rough Diamond.”
I wish you all a great weekend as for many people around the
world it will be a longer one!