| | As part of the penkkarit tradition truckloads of
students take to the streets to celebrate the last day
of secondary school. | |
One of Finland’s school traditions takes place this week. On Thursday 12 February, Finnish upper secondary school students will take to the streets in the annual penkkarit parades. The penkkarit has its origins in the 1920s, when students in their final year would leave school in mid-February to devote their time towards studying for their matriculation examinations. The date of the celebration is, for all intents and purposes, the students’ last day of school. The precise format of the penkkarit varies from school to school but typical celebrations involve dressing up in costumes related to a theme chosen by the students, invading classrooms occupied by younger students and giving parody lessons or making up songs – both positive and negative – about their teachers. For the public at large, the most obvious sign that the tradition endures are the parades of long truck convoys, each vehicle holding a dozen or so teenagers in its open back. The sight of the convoys themselves are enough to confuse visitors to Finland, but when the students start to shower passers-by with sweets, it can get even more confusing. Children, on the other hand, enjoy the ceremony because they get free candy. For the students left at school, the following day – this year Friday the thirteenth – is a chance for themselves to celebrate, in particular those who are now the oldest students in the institution. These now-senior students have the opportunity to commemorate their position with a ceremonial formal dance known as vanhojen tanssit. Students attending the ball are dressed in formal attire, white tie or tuxedo for boys and ball-gowns for girls. Most of the dances are traditional and formal, often commencing with the Polonaise and including, for example, the waltz, Gay Gordons and Quadrille, amongst others. Rehearsals for the dances begin the previous autumn and often two performances take place – once in the presence of other students, and once for parents. A formal dinner is usually held the same evening. Nick Barlow
Lehtikuva - Marja Airio |
