May day (May 1) is an active public celebration in Finland. The Finnish word is ‘vappu’ and is originally celebrated as labour day or international workers day, and also celebration of the arrival (or coming) of Spring.
These days, especially in Jyväskylä, being a university town, May day eve followed by May day is more about student and community celebration, party time and good feelings at all age levels. Interestingly many don white hats and student wear their ‘uniform’ of overalls covered in badges. The badges come from hotels/pubs and wearing them provides a discount for drinks, as I understand it. Each faculty or discipline has its own overall colour therefore the streets are vibrant with red, purple, yellow, pink and more.
As is the custom I sampled ‘Sima’ a traditional Finnish mead, and ate well-sugared donuts called ‘Munkki’, found everywhere before and on May day. Read more.
On May day eve (April 30) I went to the Jyväskylä Paviljonki (Pavilion – doubles as a concert and meeting/conference area) to hear ‘Behind everything is Tango’. I had a good seat, second row from the front. I was surprised to see the Jyväskylä Symphony Orchestra (a good number of them at least) as well as the expected ‘tango band’ that comprised of:
Timo Hietala , lead vocals
Helena Juntunen , vocals and arrangements
Jori Huhtala , bass
Veli Kujala , accordion
Seppo Kantonen , piano
Anssi Nykänen , drums
It was a fabulous event, although not understanding Finnish I missed the story behind the evolution of the Tango, but did very much enjoy the music that combined orchestra with accordion, expert pianist, drummer, bass and vocalist.
The website described the story intention: Where was tango born and where is it right now? During the concert, we will travel from the Latin tango of the bars of Buenos Aires in the 19th century to the tango nuevo created by Astor Piazzolla in the 1950s. The story also covers the Finnish tango tradition from the beginning of the 20th century – one that is deeply rooted in the themes of love, sadness and nature – and also brings with it the latest tango music.
Sunday drive to Mänttä-Vilppula
Sunday May 4 a group of us set off for a trip to Mänttä-Vilppula, about 1 hour south west of Jyväskylä. We were in 2 cars, 8 adults and 2 children, comprising 1 Fin, 3 Hungarian speakers, 5 Chinese speakers from HK, and me, the lone Australian and only native English speaker.
On the way we stopped for lunch at Petäjävesi, at what we would call a road side stop. Burgers or the typical Finnish buffet were on the menu. I had a cheeseburger – upsized! It was busy! After lunch we visited the Petäjävesi Church, a UNESCO world heritage site. Read more.
Final destination for the day when we finally arrived at Mänttä-Vilppula was the Serlachius Museum housed in an old Scottish-influenced Manor House built in the 1800’s by the local paper mill’s former owner. This mill still exists and specialises in toilet paper these days. The museum housed a number of interesting special exhibits in a new wing, a lovely cafe/restaurant and gift shop. In the old manor house a small but significant collection art works was on display, including a Monet and representation from Finnish artists across from 1700’s to more modern. The image on the left is from the museum, painted by Finnish artist, Pekka Halonen in 1895, called ‘Lissom Lassies at the Lakeside’. You certainly do not go very far in Finland without finding a lake or waterway. I like this painting as it depicts a realistic view of the forrest.
Below is the Manor House. Followed by a group shot looking back towards it and a picture of part of a sculpture in the grounds. Don’t be fooled by the blue sky – it was cold and snowed a little!
What an extraordinary weekend, Julie! The pictures make it vibrant – though it looks like a chilly start to spring!