Holidays

Holidays in Finland

It’s hard to imagine the Finns’ year without holidays. They love to celebrate their ancestral festivals exuberantly. Whenever the weather permits, the festivities take place outdoors. In Finland’s national self-image, the old traditions play a decisive role, which is also expressed in the design of the holidays.

These lively customs also include influences from Sweden and Russia, which have been incorporated into Finnish culture.

Overview

New Year’s Day – ]on January 1

Three Kings Day – on January 6

Karif Friday – two days before Easter Sunday

Cars Saturday – one day before Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday – after the first full moon in spring

Easter Monday – one day after Easter Sunday

May Day (“Vappu”) – on May 1

Ascension Day – 39 days after Easter Sunday

Pentecost – 49 days after Easter Sunday

Midsummer Festival (“Juhannus”) – a Saturday between June 20 and June 26

All Saints’ Day – first Saturday in November

Independence Day – November 6

Christmas Eve – December 24

1st Christmas Day – December 25

2nd Christmas Day – December 26

Worth knowing about selected holidays

Easter – Pääsiäinen

Easter eggs are also painted in Finland, but mainly the weekend is reserved for Easter witches. Children dress up as witches with brooms and headscarves and parade through their neighborhoods with every noise instrument imaginable. This is to loudly drive away the winter. The little witches also go from house to house with willow branches, recite poems and receive sweets as a reward. Presumably, this combines an Orthodox Palm Sunday ritual from eastern Finland with the Finnish-Swedish tradition of Easter witches.

According to tradition, on Good Friday there is mämmi, a rye malt porridge, because no hot food should be cooked on this holy day. Today, Mämmi is often enriched with milk, cream or vanilla ice cream.

Vappu

On Day 1 itself and on Walpurgis Night before that, Finnish students celebrate their biggest festival, strolling the streets in colorful overalls and other disguises and student hats. At 6pm, the Havis Amanda statue in central Helsinki gets a student cap.

At the same time, May Day is Spring Festival and Workers’ Day. People celebrate the boisterous festival in the parks with picnics and concerts, upbeat parties are held everywhere and alcohol flows abundantly.

Juhannus

On the penultimate weekend of June, the summer solstice is celebrated and all Finns flock to their country homes and the great outdoors. It is the time of the “white nights” when it hardly gets dark. Houses are decorated with birch branches and there are Midsummer bonfires everywhere. It’s all about celebrating summer and the light season with friends and relatives with dancing and sometimes very debauched drinking.

The Friday before is not a public holiday, but it has become common for many companies to give their employees the day off. Shops also close as early as noon.

Independence Day

Finnish National Day, December 6, celebrates independence from Russia, which was postulated in 1917 with the Declaration of Independence. The day includes patriotic rituals such as visiting war graves, commemorating fallen soldiers and military parades. It is also a flag day, all public buildings celebrate state independence with the national flag hoisted.

Finland’s important dignitaries and celebrities are invited to a festive evening reception at the Presidential Palace. The event is watched with the utmost interest throughout the country and achieves the highest viewing figures every year.