Vappu photos

I survived Vappu and managed to take a few photographs of the melee. A Helsingin Sanomat article I found helps to explain the origins of Vappu which noone seems to remember or care about anymore. It's a giant drunken street carnival everyone seems to enjoy regardless of where it came from. :)

The tradition is to have a group of university students winched up by a crane over a rather voluptuous fountain statue whereupon they place a cap on her head at 6pm on Vappu Eve. They dangle in the air waiting for the time to arrive and discuss how many beers they've had already while drowning out the din of the bad, drunk brass band playing on top of a van nearby.

Once the cap is on the statue named Manta, everyone puts on their own caps, regardless of age, and the festivites officially begin. The harbor area is full of balloons, typical carnival fare, and a few food vendors selling sausages and pancake/crepe-like pastries with jam to help keep a few people sober or liven up the sidewalk vomit, depending on how you look at it. :)

People hang around while drinking champagne and wearing goofy hats. One girl had a giant grinning flower balloon in one hand, a bottle of champagne in the other with a curious look on her face while the friend next to her is saying somthing like 'you didn't need him anyway'. I really like that photo. I also caught Sammy Hagar amidst the crowd.

After about 2 hours of this, people wander to private parties or to pubs, leaving the empties for the clean-up crew.

http://www2.helsinginsanomat.fi/english/archive/