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.
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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