HELLO HELSINKI

@ Everywhere
Written by Juliette Roques

Juhannus or Midsummer – traditionally the time to kick back for a long weekend at your summer house, bringing along family and friends. Everyone has one thought and one thought only, get as drunk as you can; be one with nature and spend the entire weekend at your summer retreat; the time of sauna, nature and beer at its finest. The following will give you a basic idea of what to expect.

But don’t take our word for it, go and experience it yourself.

Stock up on food – anything you can put on a grill / barbecue / any fire-necessitating device; though makkara, the Finnish sausage is usually preferred. For those less inclined to eat meat, look out for the vegetarian brands. This is important as you’ll either be getting drunk in the city, with all stores closed or out in the countryside, where you may or may not be able to shoot the random rabbit or buck. Bear in mind however that if you think this seems like a good idea now, gutting and skinning the animal will take some time, never mind roasting or barbecuing your catch. What seemed like a good idea in the comfort of your home or office, may seem less so when actually out in the wild.

Maypoles or Midsummer poles are common among the Swedish-speaking community in Finland. There are dances and songs, pertaining to every-day situations and nature, which you will quickly learn. The alcohol, you have consumed by then will help with the singing if not the dancing.

JUHANNUS STORIES:

Pirre
“One time, when I was around fifteen, my friends and I got really drunk. We were out in the middle of nowhere. At some point in the night, we decided to build a sauna out of cardboard. The whole thing burned down and we had to run for our lives.”

Katri
“My boyfriend and I decided to go camping. We decided not to bring any food and live off what the forest had to offer. We tried catching some rabbits but that didn’t really work out. In the end, when we were walking around, we chanced on a street going through the forest and found some road kill. It wasn’t actually that bad.”

AJ
“I’ve spent a few in the city and I dont know whether this is funny or pathetic, surely not tragic, but there was this one Midsummer we were at home, just my wife and me. I was into running quite heavily at that time and was sitting on our balcony with a few beers and a pack of cigarettes. I thought it was lovely just to sit in the sun and enjoy the quiet suburb.

After a few of hours and some six bottles of beer and numerous chain-smoked cigarettes, I began to feel a bit restless, so I thought it was time for a jog. So, out I went and ran for 12 km through suburbia, drunk as a cuckoo, as the Finns say. And there was nobody there. Not a single soul.”

Ilana
“My first Juhannus, some friends, who couldn’t leave the city, decided to take me to Seurasaari. There were a lot of foreigners there, people mingling in different groups. I remember a German couple with a small baby strapped to the mother’s chest, asking random people which part of Finland they would recommend. There were a lot of bonfires on the water as well, people watching them drift like boats, oohing and aahing. I also remember that there was a wedding party on a dance platform with a  band, playing traditional Finnish music. Afterwards, they invited everyone to come dance. You had everything, old couples, kids dancing together, teenagers, even parents dancing with their children of all ages. You knew that you were in Helsinki but at the same time, it really did feel like you were miles away, in the middle of the woods without any city noise.”

Anton
“About 5-6 years ago, me and my friend were here in Helsinki and it was Juhannus. Us both didn’t get to any cottage or festival, so we decided to drink here in Helsinki. We bought about 30+ beers and after consumption we went to the center. A bar was open, so we went in and started drinking like hell. On the next day, without any memories of the last night, we found ourselves at a train-station. Being a local from Helsinki and frequent user of trains, I didn’t see the station as anything but familiar. I stood up from the bench, leaving my friend sleeping and started to assess the situation.”

“Where am I?”

“What is the time?” etc.

I remembered, that every train-station has a name, so I quickly looked around and I found the sign. Everybody can imagine my face, when I read the name “Oulu”.

I ran back to my friend (who was still sleeping) and booted him straight somewhere in his mid-section and shouted: “WHAT THE FUCK???? WE’RE IN FUCKING OULU!!!!”.

My friend jumped up at the speed of a ninja mixed with a chipmunk and started just pacing around in circles. The shock and awe turned into a hysterical laughter in 5 seconds and I had to call my dad to get some money for the way home. Unfortunately, I didn’t see my dad’s face, when I told him WHY.

…and this my friend, is a true story.”

Photos are licensed under creative commons by Lassi Kurkijarvi, Andrea Vascellari (www.andreavascellari.com), suviko, wili hybrid, ninara and tietoukka on Flickr.