May Day in Finland

May Day is known in Finland as Vappu. It used to be celebrated as the International Working Day, a bit like today's Labor Day in the United States. But not so anymore. These days, especially on May Day Eve, it is a carnival-style festivity where people merely have fun and at the same time - weather permitting - have a fine opportunity to welcome the summer in city parks. In Helsinki perhaps the most prominent part of this celebration is the 'crowning' of Havis Amanda by students with a white student cap. And most everyone who owns one - regardless of age - crowns his or her own head with it. The white student cap used to be the mark of the working class people about to improve their social status. 

Vappu is also a day of special treats. Many Finns brew a drink called sima - made from lemons, brown sugar and yeast (and containing just a little alcohol so that even children are allowed to drink it). Sold in stores as well. We also make munkkeja and - to a lesser degree - tippaleipiä - crispy pastries fried in oil made from liquid doughnut dough. So if you wish to take part in the celebration, just get yourself a nice ilmapallo, wrap yourself in serpentiini and holler

            Hauskaa vappua!

sanasto = sõnastik = vocabulary 
ikään katsomatta = vanusest sättumusest = regardless of age
ilmapallo = õhupall = balloon
kesä = suvi = summer
munkki = sõõrik = doughnut
nykyään = praegusel ajal, tänapäeval = these days, nowadays
serpentiini = a kind of confetti, strings of colorful paper packed in rolls
sima = drink made from lemons, brown sugar and yeast
tippaleipä = crispy pastry made from liquid doughnut dough and fried in oil 
Vappu = volbripäev = May Day
vappuaatto = May Day Eve
vastaanottaa kesä = to welcome summer
vähemmässä määrin = vähemal määral = to a lesser degree
Yhdysvallat = Ameerika ühendriigid = The United States
ylioppilas = üliõpilane = student
ylioppilaslakki = student cap

Told by the birds

Kiuru-Põldlõoke-Skylark

There is a nice Finnish rhyme about the expectance of summer, after the long, long winter and long-awaited spring. It is based on the arrival of the migratory birds in Finland, and it goes like this:

Kuu kiurusta kesään
Üks kuu põldlõokest suveni
A month till summer from (the arrival of) Skylark

Peipponen-Metsvint-Chaffinch

puoli kuuta peipposesta 
kaks nädalat metsvindist
a fortnight from Chaffinch




västäräkistä vähäsen 

Västäräkki-Västrik-Wagtail

natukene västrikust
a wee bit more from Wagtail

Pääskynen-Pääsuke-Swallow

pääskysestä ei päivääkään. 
mitte päevagi pääsukesest.
but not a day from Swallow.

Tervetuloa kesä!  
Teretulemast suvi! 
Welcome summer!

sanasto = sõnastik = vocabulary 
ei päivääkään = mitte päevagi = not one (single) day
kauan odotettu = kauaoodatud = long-awaited
kesä, suvi = suvi = summer 
kesän odotus = expectance of summer, looking forward to summer
kevät = kevad = spring
kiuru, leivonen = põldlõoke = (the Eurasian) Skylark (Alauda arvensis)
kuu, kuukausi =  kuu = month
muuttolinnut = rändlinnud = migratory birds
peippo, peipponen = metsvint = the Common Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
puoli kuuta = kaks nädalat = fortnight
pääsky, pääskynen =  pääsuke = swallow, martin (fam. Hirundinidae)
saapuminen, tulo = saabumine = arrival
syksy = sügis = autumn, fall
talvi = talv = winter
vähäsen = natukene = a little bit
västäräkki = linavästrik =  the White Wagtail (Motacilla alba)

Winter birds

Parus major

Wintertime when much of the nature sleeps awaiting for the kevät, the wintering birds liven up the city life. Here are some of the most common of the smaller ones, many of them found in both Helsinki and Tallinn. Check this great link (sorry, the text is only in Finnish, but look at the great pictures)! Read also a huvitav article (in English) published by the Helsinki University, titled Birds thrive on winter feeding. If you spot a city sparrow looking for toit on a busy Helsinki metro laituri - or on a supermarket aisle -  perhaps it is just to remind us that we need to feed them through the harsh winter. :)

Special treat: direct stream of a webcamera provided by Estonian ornithologists & placed at a bird feeding site (toidumaja) in Otepää in southern Estonia (daytime viewing recommended). Enjoy!

Tits vs. Redpolls (in Finnish) - about the territorial defense of tits.

Pyrrhula pyrrhula

Passer domesticus

Garrulus glandarius

Carduelis chloris

sanasto = sõnastik = vocabulary
etsiä ruokaa = toitu otsida = to look for food
kaupunkielämä = city life
kevät = kevad = spring
käytävä = aisle
laituri = platvorm = platform
lintujen talviruokinta = lindude talvine toitmine = winter bird feeding
mielenkiintoinen = huvitav = interesting
muistuttaa = meelde tuletada = to remind
närhi = pasknäär = (the Eurasian) jay (Garrulus glandarius)
ornitologia, lintutiede = ornitoloogia, linnuteadus = ornithology
punatulkku = leevike = bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula)
ruoka, ravinto = toit = food
sinitiainen = sinitihane = blue tit (Parus caeruleus)
talitiainen = rasvatihane  = great tit(mouse) (Parus major)
talvehtia = talvituda, ületalve pidada = to winter
tiainen = tihane = tit(mouse)
urpiainen = urvalind = Common Redpoll (Carduelis flammea)
varpunen = koduvarblane = house sparrow (Passer domesticus)
viherpeippo = rohevint = European Greenfinch (Carduelis chloris)

Updated 6.2.2013