It's plus seventeen today: not a flake of snow anywhere to be seen.
A highly positive portend of a massive turn-out for tomorrow's Vappu Eve: we'd usually have lots of black ice here and there on the pavements, but not this year. Higher temperatures will cause many who planned indoor parties spill out onto the green areas instead. Havis Amanda gets her white cap at 1800, and from there it's down to Kaivopuisto for the stunning scenery next to the Baltic Sea and the music blaring from multiple stages of dozens of DJs and performers all through the night.
Gotta get the shopping in as Wednesday's going to see a lot of sore heads wakening to the coming sunshine.
Any plans over in Ireland?
It's not such a big deal over there, I guess.
It's as big as Christmas (if not bigger) up these latitudes.
Especially for the student bodies.
The KY Student's Group are the main organizers of events attached to the student body throughout the year. As you can see from the image, each faculty has a different colour of overalls (you buy them when you begin college) and they wear them on certain days of obligation. They cover them in club patches, one at a time until they're completely full of colourful patches of all the clubs they've joined and every event they're been to.
Like the junior cadets returning from national service, they keep their kit safely tucked away as a memento of their student years. The military lads and lasses take their complete kit with them after service and they store it away until it's ever needed: hopefully not. Each kit comes in a green wooden box with iron hinges. It has their name and division painted clearly on the top. It holds their uniform, boots, hats, helmets, etc. Guns are either locked away (for officers) or else kept at Santahamina, the military island camp/HQ just outside the city. If war starts, they go directly to Santahamina to assemble and arm themselves before grouping up and splitting into squads.
The student overalls are a similiar uniform: the white hat for graduation is prized and one of the challenges when crowning Havis Amanda is to try to get your own cap back from whoever picked it up after the crowning: everyone does a count-down and at zero they toss their caps as high into the air as they can. Getting yours back is crucial, and it gives people a chance to meet with their counterparts and peers. They're all usually pissed on sparkling wine and champagne, which helps lubricate the moment.
Looks like it'll be an all-nighter given today's predictions for clear skies and twenty-two degrees in the direct sun tomorrow.
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