hYVäÄä VvwaPpuu!

ei ole lippu...

[hic] onnn wwappuuu eiksss? [hic] missssä 'nn valkoi-ja-sssinsssen ... nen ... 

perrrkelet... [hic] msssä on lpp- li- ll - pu 

[george] anteksss...

Mayday! Mayday!

ilmapalloja - ballons

I'm a bit bemused by how excited everyone (i.e. Konna) is getting about Vappu (May Day to the rest of us) - celebrations for which start on Thursday (like all things Finnish they have to start the night before everyone else...) and seem to include 

• a statue having a hat put on it, 
  
• buying ballons, 
  
• ex-students wearing white hats, 
  
• needing to book a month in advance to get a restaurant table,
  
• having a day long picnic on Friday.  
  

Lots of people have asked if I have been here for Vappu before. When they learn I haven't they generally shake their heads and say 'oh well you'll find out' and start talking about picnics. Suspicions aroused by this a bit of lazy googling careful research throws up the enlightening quote:

Vappu without drinking is like Christmas without presents

Now I understand... 'Picnic' is Finnish shorthand for 'reliving your student years by getting steaming drunk on cheap champagne (or shampange as Konna calls it) while sitting in a park with ten thousand other people doing likewise'.  Oh great.

4 - Glögi

Glögi is a hot, fruity, spicy drink served at christmas-time in Finland (and various other Nordic countries), and similar to mulled-wine or glühwien.

Usually served in a glass with raisins and almonds, it comes in both alcoholic and non-alcoholic varieties so can be enjoyed by all the family through the christmas and new-year period - great when the weather is cold and dark, preferably in front of a flickering open fire. Mmmm!

We like the 'Marli' non-alco one best, and of course you can always mix with wine or even kosu if you need your pikujoulu party to go with a bang. Kummenna 1 osa glögiä ja 3 osaa vettä tai punaviiniä kiehumispisteeseen, älä keitä.  Lisää halutessasi rusinoita ja manteleita.

If you want to make your own, you could try this recipe from the Nordic Recipe Archive; or if you can't pop out to you local K-Kauppa you can buy alcoholic Glögg (note Swedish spelling) in Ikea all over the world - just add almonds, raisins and perhaps dilute it to taste, as I find their version a little strong.

Hic! Hyyväääjoouluuaa! Kiiiippisssh!

those vital ingredients...