It is the May Day public holiday today, to celebrate the start of spring. And despite it snowing a few days ago, it was almost twenty degrees today, which brought out all the folks into the Vappu markets. We go every year the weather is good enough and buy some fairy floss, Smallsteps plays some sideshow games and never wins anything other than the "everyone wins" prizes, eat some muikku (vendace), and buy a balloon. This year though, we stopped last night at the market to get the balloon, because we wanted her to have a specific one.
I used the little bit of self-restraint I possess to not buy any churros or liquorice, though I did have some fairy floss, because that is a bit of a tradition for us. It was on this day that I asked my wife to marry me, after I had bought her two massive balls of spun sugar. She was high with a sugar rush when she said yes.
Can you guess which balloon Smallsteps got?
We weren't the only ones who attended the market - it was packed. They used to have it in the city main square and now they have moved it to a park between two roads, so the thoroughfare is really narrow. It took ages to get anywhere and it wasn't helped by some thoughtless and cruel people taking their dogs through there. It must be horrible for dogs to be packed around so many people, unable to see anything and getting bumped by people who don't see them down low.
Some people are idiots.
These things are always the same, but it is not a bad tradition to go with children, and a lot of adults enjoy it too. May Day is also the day where people celebrate graduating high school once upon a time, and many Finns where their white, graduation cap. Back in the day, not many people went to high school here I guess, but I am not sure how important it is now. Still, people hold onto the traditions strongly here.
Oh, and while we didn't see it, at the same time we were walking through a fair filled with balloons and fairy floss, a few hundred meters away there was a demonstration with about 200 skin heads who are part of an anti-immigration and white-only movement, and around the equal number in opposition to them also. Lots of shaved heads and Nazi salutes.
Quite the contrast.
But instead of caring about that, we went and bought some sausages, corn, asparagus, zucchini and mushrooms, and grilled outside in the sunshine. While it is warm today and will be okay tomorrow, the temperature will drop on Sunday and it will rain again. In Finland, one has to take advantage of some sunshine when it is there. Though with global warming, it might soon be a desert.
Finns will still be in the sun, just in case it doesn't shine tomorrow.
Taraz
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I am not sure if there is a mouse in this balloons bunch, I would guess the orange one as it could be interpreted as a mouse, though I don't know why it would be orange :)
Crazy how packed the market is, you will never see anything like this in USA unless you go to an American Football game and happen to be in a rush to get in or out of the stadium :)
I've been to some small-town festivals, especially in the Idaho panhandle, where the crowds could be that packed. Coeur d'Alene and Sandpoint both have major events, like Art on the Green at North Idaho College. In Spokane, the Fall Folk Festival gets crowded, but depending on November weather, it's more indoors. I avoid Bloomsday and Hoopfest altogether due to the chaos. Even tiny towns pack their parks for Independence Day.
I stand corrected. Clearly I don't get out to enough events LOL :)
After a long winter, people are pretty excited by the first warm days.
Not a mouse, but that would have been the likely winner normally. The dachshund this year of course!
Yeah. And this is a small town. Good weather after a long winter brings them out.
It is interesting how May Day is celebrated differently there. Here, it usually involves rallies, protests, demands for rights, and clashes with the police.
If I weren't so far from urban centers, I might join anti-ICE protests. However, the hypocrisy of American political parties makes me reluctant to associate with the "left" or "right" here on areas where I agree with either of them due to the baggage of other subjects where one or the other is deeply opposed to my core principles.
At some point, maybe people will realise that having sides in politics like this, doesn't work.
I hope so, but I doubt it. Politics weaponizes our inherent tribal instincts to divide and conquer our societies from within.
Yeah, this is how I feel too. politics by nature is designed to disconnect us from each other, even in mild social forms in an office situation.
There is always some of that too - but not too much.
Our May day here is marked with Marchings and workers solidarity walks. Sometimes it may come with protests and messages to the government of the day.
I guess Smallsteps bought the second balloon 🎈
Thank you for sharing.
!INDEED
Have you ever marched?
Not at all.
Because I am always scared of the escalation of protests that happens.
Though when I was tender, I join my dad to the stadium. We stay with the security and top civil servants guarded sits.
Here, it seems May Day is celebrated mainly by local communist activists.
Sugar as a love potion? Hmm.
Clearly Smallsteps chose Sonic the Hedgehog. 😆
I have no kind words for xenophobic fascists. In fact, I have many unkind words which are quite unsuitable for polite company. Here, I understand opposition to government taxing and borrowing at the expense of the people to fund benefits programs for immigrants, but the immigrants are not the root cause. State and national government officials did that. And having worked with immigrant laborers, I found them a better class of people than either the paternalistic socialists celebrating May Day as a revolutionary holiday, or the hostile neo-Nazis who denounce them as a "threat to our culture."
In our daughters school, mind you it is a private school and certified as an International Baccalaureate (IB) school the teachers told kids to ask parents to keep the children at home today, because a lot of the teachers will be out protesting :)
So our daughter stayed at home today, luckily it is a remote work day for me so I can keep an eye on her...
Lol what? Though perhaps they were here too - but it is a holiday.
May 1st is not a holiday here :)
Was the same here too - now it is far-right.
I am ashamed to say - I don't think she will know the character at all.
Same here. And most of these people in these movements, are not shining examples of society anyway.
I've said before, perhaps on this platform, that if someone needs to take pride in their skin color, nationality, or other characteristics over which they have no control anyway, they must not have accomplished anything of significance themselves.
It's hard to tell if there is a mouse balloon in the bunch, but if there was I would guess that. Sounds like it was a great day. I was at work all day today, but I am heading away for the weekend with my wife once we get home.
Good guess on the balloon, but this year a sausage dog took the cake.
Have a great weekend mate :)
Ah, that makes sense!
Wow the may day looks indeed wonderful.
I can see the energy through the image.i hope dancing is among of the celebrations?☺️
No dancing that I know of - not for me at least.
Do you dance?
Oh wow when it's come's to dancing I dance a lot ☺️
Even at various events when it's necessary
The crowd situation though yeah, I felt that. People don’t always think beyond themselves, especially in packed spaces. Bringing dogs into that kind of chaos does feel unfair on the It’s strange how in the middle of something meant to be light and communal you still get flashes of carelessness or worse.
I think people only think of themselves these days, no matter where they are.
Sure and that is not appropriate regardless
Mayday chaos in Helsinki? More like a zoo.
Thanks